Plan a Technology Free UK Family Holiday

There is no denying that technological gadgets and game consoles can be great fun. They are also a useful way to keep kids entertained on long car journeys or when you just need to get some jobs done or grab five minutes on the sofa with a cup of tea! I’m sure we can all admit to letting the kids watch TV or giving them the iPad to play games so we can get a few extra minutes in bed or get dinner on the table.

However, whilst we live in a world surrounded by amazing technology it can be all too easy – for both adults and kids – to hunker down indoors in front of our screens rather than going out to play or spending quality time together. Simple activities such as kicking a football in the garden, going for a walk, playing in the park or spending an afternoon baking cakes or playing monopoly are all too often exchanged for Peppa Pig, Fortnite or YouTube. If you feel like your family is experiencing a digital overload, a holiday is the perfect time to leave the electronic devices at home and indulge in some fun time together on a technology free family holiday.

Technology free, or ‘digital detox’ holidays are becoming increasingly popular. Not only do they provide opportunities to spend quality time together and to get back to basics, but limiting your own device use will help you escape the stresses of a busy life at home and to properly recharge. Besides, you can’t expect your kids to leave their screens at home if you are constantly checking your work emails or WhatApp messages!

If the thought of a whole holiday without the use of tablets, phones or laptops is your idea of torture you can just have a day or two that is technology free or simply try to include more activities in your holiday that don’t involve electronic devices. Here are a few ideas to help you plan a gadget free UK family holiday.

Car games

Whilst the thought of a long car journey without DVD players and tablets might fill you with dread, you might be surprised how much everyone enjoys playing a few games whilst also taking in the scenery outside. If the kids enjoy the games they could also be useful when queuing up for attractions or waiting for your meal to arrive at a restaurant.

The ‘alphabet supermarket game’ is often a firm favourite. The first player says “I went to the supermarket and I bought an…(adding a word that begins with the letter A)”. The next player has to repeat the phrase, including the word that the first player said and adding their own word that begins with the letter B. This continues until you reach the letter Z. It’s great fun trying to remember all the letters and is a good way for little ones to practise the use of the alphabet and to learn new words.

Twenty questions is another fun game. One player thinks of an object and the others have to figure out what it is by asking questions. They can only ask 20 questions in total between them all and only yes-no questions can be asked.

Take advantage of the changing landscape around you by playing games such as yellow car (simply the first person to shout yellow car when they see one wins a point), or eye spy, or challenge the first person to count ten silver cars, or 3 Burger Kings, or a blonde lady with sunglasses driving a car. For slightly older children, start a story and each person has to continue the storyline one short chapter at a time.

If your journey is very long and everyone needs a bit of a break from ‘games’ put on an audiobook so everyone can relax but without being glued to a screen.

Spotting flora, fauna and wildlife

Lots of National Trust properties or nature reserves offer activity sheets for kids. This is a great way to motivate children to engage in nature and let off some steam as they run around trying to identify or collect everything on their sheet. Alternatively, you can buy books that offer lists and pictures for kids to identify flowers and animals and check them all off. For younger children you can make your own simpler version which might include pictures rather than words. To make sure everyone is included in the game why not get the kids to make a list for Mummy and Daddy and the parents create a list for the kids. You could offer ‘prizes’ such an ice cream or hot chocolate as a treat at the end of the day.

Pooh sticks

Pooh sticks is a lovely family favourite. All you need is a bridge and some identifiable pieces of twig. Each player picks a stick (ideally one that they will be able to spot easily once it is in the water), you all stand on one side of a bridge (ensuring the water is flowing beneath the bridge and not away from the bridge), and you all drop your sticks into the water and race to the other side of the bridge and see whose stick emerges first. This is a lovely spontaneous game as you can play it whenever you happen to come across a bridge.

It might be worth taking a copy of A.A. Milne’s Winnie The Pooh Stories with you on the holiday as bedtime reading, so you all feel fired up and ready to engage in Pooh sticks. You could even find more inspiration for games within those pages, such as setting traps for Heffalumps, going on an “expotition” or making up little rhymes and hums in the manner of Pooh Bear himself. I’m sure your little ones will be able to conjure up Hundred Acre Wood in any woodland or scenic countryside with a little encouragement.

Going on a Bear Hunt

This popular story is another one that just begs to be acted out. Why not take your teddy bears and the story book (or a print out if the book itself is too precious) and enjoy finding swishy grass and mud to stomp through. Get the children to chant along and look for the next part of the story with you. You could finish off with a nice teddy bears picnic.

Back in the cosy comfort of your holiday cottage that evening you could all paint pictures of your bear adventures.

Treasure hunts

Set up a treasure hunt in the garden or on the beach without the children knowing and present them with a map and the first clue. To extend the activity, why not start off by making eye patches and pirate hats out of paper and even a big Jolly Roger flag (be sure to pack some black and white sugar paper, glue and scissors!). You could dress as captains and say you are looking to recruit the best crew and challenge your children to a series of tests. Can they stand on one leg for a minute? Can they hold their breath for 30 seconds? Can they stand so still that a dangerous animal wouldn’t notice them? When you’re convinced that they are a worthy crew you can secure the flag to your vessel (perhaps the sofa or a bunk bed) and set sail for the new island. Finding clues and eventually getting the treasure could take up a whole morning or afternoon.

Dressing up

Dressing up is a great way to keep kids interested in new activities. Why not pick out some simple costumes that are in keeping with the things you have planned on your holiday. Not just the pirate outfit that will help with the garden treasure hunt, but you could dress as dinosaurs for fossil hunting, or butterflies on your wildlife search. If the adults fancy visiting a castle but think the children may get bored, then why not encourage them to dress as princesses or knights and bring the ancient ruins to life in their imaginations. Theme days are a lovely idea, starting with dressing up and activities but you can also pick out stories and craft activities that fit the theme. You could even do some themed baking. Make dinosaur cookies, fairy cakes or decorate cupcakes with simple themed designs. 

The beach

The beach is full of endless possibilities and most parents find that children won’t even mention computer games when they are faced with expanses of smooth sand and blue waters. Build an enormous sand castle, have a go at crabbing, go paddling and jump over the waves, fly a kite, go fossil hunting, explore the rock pools, collect sea shells, or bury Daddy in the sand so only his head sticks out. Older children will enjoy body boarding, kayaking or surfing. Join a surf school or you can pick up your own body boards for reasonable prices at most seaside towns.  

Collages

A holiday collage is a great thing to do as a family and is a useful distraction if you get wet rainy days. Find some beautiful leaves, small shells or pebbles and flowers. Flowers and leaves can easily be pressed between the pages of a heavy book, so don’t worry if you don’t have a custom flower press. Assemble the collage alongside written memories, tickets to attractions, pictures and paintings. You can even include little jokes and stories to keep the holiday memories alive for longer. Slightly older kids might like to bring a camera (not one on your phone!) and they can print out their favourite photos at the end of the holiday (or you could take an instant photo camera) to add to the collage.

Fairy gardens

All you need is a plate (you may want to bring some plastic plates from home) and a natural setting to make a fairy garden. It is easy to collect everything you need on a woodland walk or a day at the beach. Start with a layer of mud or sand, use a line of pebbles to make a path and stick flowers in the ground to make a flower garden. Small twigs can resemble trees and you could even make some drystone walling. Houses could be made from painted rocks, pinecones or curved pieces of bark. You could cut out fairy silhouettes for your children to colour in and add to their fairy garden.

Board games and card games

Snap, go fish, cheat, Uno and Top Trumps are great card games for little ones and they fit easily into your bag if you are heading out for the day. There are also plenty of family games that will keep you all occupied (The Sock Game is one of our favourites). Many holiday cottages already have a selection of games, otherwise you could scout out for some in charity shops or at car boot sales before you go. If you only pay a small price then you won’t mind if the children don’t take to them. Board games are a really great way to include the whole family and create some lovely memories together.

Go remote

With a little bit of planning and preparation it is relatively straight forward to plan a technology free UK family holiday. However, if you want to make it easier to go ‘tech-free’ stay in a holiday house in a remote area where there is no mobile phone coverage or WiFi (Laggan offers a truly ‘off-grid’ adventure). Enjoy the thrill of climbing a mountain, teach the kids to read a map, catch a fish or build a fire. Or enjoy collecting eggs and feeding the hens during a farmstay. Once the kids realise there is no WiFi code they will soon be rummaging in the bottom of their bag to find those books or out making mud pies in the garden.

Independent Cottages has a huge range of family friendly holiday houses. Going ‘tech free’ doesn’t mean you have to camp out ten miles from the nearest shop. You can still treat yourself to a bit of luxury or bring your four legged friend away with you too. Or a holiday by the beach is often the perfect tonic to a busy life at home. Whatever sort of break you are after, if you are craving a digital detox it is time to start planning a technology free UK family holiday.

Finally, don’t forget to buy a good road Atlas so you don’t need to rely on Google maps – start as you mean to carry on!