Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun.

From the joy of smearing glue on paper to the screaming delight of a bubble-blowing relay, kids love to play. In fact, it's every kid's built-in tool for experiencing the world at large. A parent-friendly encyclopedia, UNPLUGGED PLAY ("A wonderful guide," says Daniel Goleman) offers hundreds and hundreds of battery-free, screen-free, chirp-and-beep-free games and fun variations that stretch the imagination, spark creativity, building strong bodies, and forge deep friendships...and keep kids busy at the table while mom or dad makes dinner.

Too much TV? Too many hours spent on video games? Tired of hearing "I'm bored"? The answer is here. The Unplugged Play Book celebrates the pleasures and virtues of old-fashioned play while addressing the growing concerns of parents who worry about the time their children spend in front of a screen.

Written by Bobbi Conner, the creator and host of The Parent's Journal, the long-running, award-winning public radio show, The Unplugged Play Book is the family bible of hands-on fun, a parent-friendly encyclopedia of over 700 games and variations, with not a screen, plug, chip, disk, or battery in sight. Here are games to play alone and games to play with siblings and friends. Games to play indoors and games for outside. Toddler games, ten-year-olds' games, and games for the whole family. There are craft projects, puppet ideas, music activities, card games, guessing games, plus loads of ideas for keeping little kids busy nearby. There's stuff to do with cardboard boxes, with balloons, with muffin tins, with paper grocery sacks. There's how to draw a sidewalk masterpiece in chalk, design a castle, organize a treasure hunt, make silly hats from plastic tubs, build forts and ramps for toy cars and trucks. And dozens of special-occasion games, including birthday party ideas, themes, and activities. Woven throughout are not only the reasons to play unplugged—why it's essential for whole development, how it builds intelligence, encourages problem-solving and self-control, boosts creativity and inner strength of character—but also invaluable help for parents, from lists of best toys (and gadgets turned into toys) to dealing with issues of sharing, shyness, party meltdowns, safety, and much more.

Bobbi Conner is the creator and host of the award-winning national radio program The Parent's Journal. She is also the author of Everyday Opportunities for Extraordinary Parenting and the mother of three kids, now in college.

Preface: Play Matters: Why—and How—I Wrote This Book

Introduction: The Power of Play

•    Dare to Unplug

•    What’s Wrong with Electronic Play?

•    How to Use this Book

Part 1: The Toddler Play (age 1 to 2)

•    Solo Play

•    Play Ideas for Parent and Child

•    Playing with Others

•    Birthday Party Play

Part 2: Preschool Play (age 3 to 5)

•    Solo Play

•    Play Ideas for Parent and Child

•    Playing with Others

•    Birthday Party Play and Large Group Games

Part 3: Grade School Play (age 6 to 10)

•    Solo Play

•    Play Ideas for Parent and Child

•    Playing with Others

•    Birthday Party Play and Large Group Games

Appendix 1: Family Game Night

•    What Goes on at Family Game Night?

Appendix 2: The Well-Stocked Toy Cupboards

•    The Toddler Toy Cupboard

•    The Preschool Toy Cupboard

•    The Grade School Toy Cupboard

Parent Planner

Index