Printable activities are a cheap, quick way to give kids something absorbing to do without a screen.

For travel

Clip a few mazes and a bingo card to a clipboard. Road-trip bingo turns window-watching into a game.

For quiet time

Word searches and colouring mandalas are calming and work well after school.

For learning

Handwriting practice sheets and simple sudoku build skills while feeling like play.

Tip: slip pages into clear sleeves and use dry-erase markers so favourites can be used again and again.