Screen-Time Zombies to School-Ready Stars

Forget the worksheets and screen time battles! In this episode, I reveal 5 popular toys that secretly build the exact skills your child's teacher will thank you for come September.

From fine motor development to critical thinking, these screen-free superstars make back-to-school prep feel like pure fun. I'll show you how Zip String teaches physics, why Marshmallow Madness builds math skills, and how to turn Hungry Hungry Hippos into active learning.

Perfect for parents feeling that August panic about getting kids school-ready, this episode proves the best learning doesn't need a power cord. Plus, I'm challenging you to try screen-free play periods that could transform your family's routine.

What You'll Discover:

• 5 specific toys that build real classroom skills through play
• How to sneak math and science into fun activities
• Why these toys work better than educational apps for school prep
• Simple ways to start a screen-free play challenge this month
• Advanced variations to grow with your child's abilities

Ready to turn toy time into school prep time? Your kids won't even know they're learning!

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Transcript

00:00 Charlene DeLoach: What if I told you the secret to getting your kids back into school mode this August doesn't involve worksheets, screen time limits, or bribery with snacks? And that the real solution may be already sitting in your toy bin. Welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast, where toys spark imagination, learning, and independent play. I'm Charlene DeLoach, a toy and play expert, but a mom just like you, navigating building blocks, puzzle pieces, and snack rooms every day.

00:29 Charlene DeLoach: Ever wondered which toy will actually get played with? Or how do I keep my child engaged without a screen? You're in the right place. From ready day rescues to skill building superstars, this is your go-to for honest toy recommendations, real talk, and play ideas that work. Ready to turn chaos into creativity one toy at a time? Then welcome to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. Hey there, everybody. Welcome back to the Playroom Chronicles podcast. Again, I'm Charlene Deloche.

00:58 Charlene DeLoach: professional toy expert, play consultant, but most importantly, a mom just like you who wants to talk today about what August really feels like. That slow panic of back-to-school season creeping in mixed with the guilt of too many summer screen time bidges. I get it, right? Sometimes that TV has to be the babysitter, the phone, the lifeline, and the tablet.

01:27 Charlene DeLoach: the referee keeping the peace. But what if we hit pause this month? I want today's episode to be your personal invitation to join me in a screen-free play challenge. Pick a day of the week, an hour of the day, an hour of the week, or just one day a month where you have zero Wi-Fi

01:57 Charlene DeLoach: real-world skills that your child's teacher will thank you for when they start school. I'm going to focus on five specific toys in this episode that I think actually are super popular right now and also bring a lot of skill building to go back to school. And of course, they're all screen-free. All right, so first up is Zip String.

02:22 Charlene DeLoach: And this is a toy that looks like nothing until you turn it on. And once you turn it on, it shoots the string out that floats and loops and dances on the air like it has a mind of its own. The best way I can describe it, it's like a modern yo-yo. The skill win here is that it's physics in motion. It also gets your kids moving. And of course, off the screens,

02:51 Charlene DeLoach: But thinking about cause and effect, speed, trajectory, and they're working on fine motor skills as they adjust their grip and thinking about angles and string tension, all the things. But they're learning those really critical skills while they're playing. We're going to go from some string magic to some marshmallow madness. It is truly the marshmallow madness game from Play Monster. It's exactly what it sounds like. You put your head in this.

03:21 Charlene DeLoach: cardboard cutout. And there's a little bowl in front of you that you can put some mini marshmallows in from the grocery store. And frankly, you can probably put anything in there that you want. Like it could be some freeze dried strawberries or M&Ms or something. But you put the marshmallows in and you have these little hands that you hold. And then you set a timer and you have to scoop up the marshmallows as fast as you can and eat them as fast as you can in that time limit.

03:50 Charlene DeLoach: Now, there's a different way you can play with it. Like if you don't want your kids to eat the marshmallows, they can still use these tiny little hands to pick up the marshmallows and then put them into a little cup or pick up the marshmallows and just take them out of the bowl. Like there's different ways you can play with it. But what I really like about it is, again, it really is true fine motor skill development. It's hand-eye coordination. And you can also throw in some math learning too, because depending on how many

04:19 Charlene DeLoach: marshmallows or free dry strawberries or M&Ms, whatever you want to be using, that they gather during that set period of time, you know, they have to figure out what the ratio is, right? So, okay, I got 10 marshmallows in 60 seconds. So if I do the math, like how many marshmallows do I get per second? I mean, there's so many little things that they can do. For younger kids, of course, it's just counting how many marshmallows they got in a set period of time compared to their sibling. So needless to say, fun,

04:49 Charlene DeLoach: skill building, no worksheets required. Okay. So from marshmallows to some magnets, the next one I want to talk about is Magshudo Stunt Park from Bat Brain Toys. And basically it's a magnetic pod that you use to do different stunts through tunnels and ramps and other obstacles. And it lands on this magnetic

05:17 Charlene DeLoach: platform and sort of locks into place. So basically, you know, you do this trick shot setups and then you launch the discs and they land in certain spots and there's different ways to play depending on what you set you get. But I especially love it because all the sets are interchangeable. So kids, as they collect the sets, really can expand their play potential and their skill building potential. It is like...

05:43 Charlene DeLoach: mini golf. It's Rube Goldberg. It's 100% STEM all the way when kids are playing with this toy. Because while they're designing ramps and targets, they're experimenting with cause and effect. They're refining motor planning and engaging in spatial reasoning. I know big fancy words, right? But really critical ones that are really important in the classroom. And while they're playing, you are watching them think critically, troubleshoot, and iterate.

06:13 Charlene DeLoach: which is exactly what you want them to be doing in the school science lab come the fall. So they may not be knowing it, but you know that as they're playing this, they're really learning some of these really critical things that they are also going to be using in the classroom. If you want your kids to sort of get outside a little bit more and really play and really use their bodies, then I have a great game for you. The fourth one I want to talk about is the Upside Down Challenge Game Backyard Edition from Van Gogh Toys. Puts everything, and I mean everything, in reverse, like truly upside down. Because the goggles that you wear flip your world so you see it.

06:58 Charlene DeLoach: upside down. Simple tasks like catching a ball or walking straight or grabbing a ring become absolutely ridiculous. It is true gross motor practice with this fun twist, but it's also sequencing, direction following, critical thinking to process through weight. Everything's upside down as I'm looking through these goggles. So it really helps them work on their processing skills.

07:26 Charlene DeLoach: Of course, let's be honest, the footage that you're going to get from your kids trying to pour water into a cup while looking at everything upside down is hilarious. So you're going to get some really fun family memories too while they're getting off the screens and learning these important skills. And the last one I want to share is the Hungry Hungry Hippos Giant Edition from Spin Master Games.

07:51 Charlene DeLoach: It's exactly what it sounds like. It's that Hungry Hippos game that we all know and love, that classic game, but it is giant size. So instead of like a tiny little board with the tiny little hippos and the tiny little marbles, you're now talking about like it's on the floor, whether it's indoors or outdoors, you are actually holding these like larger size hippos and you're actually like the mechanics of it. So you hold onto it and then they're like ping pong size balls there and you have to use your hand with the hippo.

08:20 Charlene DeLoach: sort of as you're gripping it to, you know, reach out, grab the ping pong, if you will, and pull it back into you. The kids are getting, you know, of course, lots of different energy and movement and gross motor skill development, et cetera, et cetera, as they're crawling around the ground and trying to go up all these balls, right? It's cardio chaos. But the sneaky learning part is to

08:45 Charlene DeLoach: Yeah, you can take the number of balls that each kid gets and go, oh, you know, Timmy has five, you have four. How many more does Timmy have? Well, he has one more, right? So they're kind of doing some deduction work. Or it could be like, Timmy has five, you have four. What is, you know, five plus four? It's a great way to work on math facts. But if you want to take it up a level, especially for older kids, is to take a washable marker.

09:13 Charlene DeLoach: and put numbers on the balls themselves. So let's just say, you know, I grab all these balls and I have four balls and they have, let's see, number four on it and number five on it, number seven on it, number nine on it. I have to tally up all those numbers and come up with the answer. Alternatively, you could use a washable marker and put a letter on the ping pong ball. And then depending on what letters you have after the game is over, what...

09:41 Charlene DeLoach: word can you make with the letters that you have? So it's kind of a fun way to sort of work on some verbal skills and spelling skills too. So needless to say, like these are five screen-free toys that naturally have these skill building elements to it, but you can also elevate it more too to really sneak in some school-worthy subjects.

10:04 Charlene DeLoach: in the course of play. A whole lot of developmental value packed into playtime without the need for screen. So again, this month, try a screen-free play challenge. And you might just find that your kids are more regulated, more connected, even more ready for school. So if you try the challenge, hey, tag me on social at Playroom Chronicles on Instagram or Facebook. Until next time, keep playing, keep growing, and remember...

10:34 Charlene DeLoach: But best learning doesn't need a power cord. And of course, if you need more toy recommendations and play ideas, head to playroomchronicles.com and consider signing up for the fun ball.