Shop by Age
Pick your child's age and start there. Most of what you will find is paper: you print it at home, cut it out and play on the floor or at the kitchen table. Some sets suit more than one age, so you will meet a few of them twice.
0 to 12 months
At this age, most play happens in someone's arms: a song at the changing table, or a slow walk to the window to watch the rain.
Top picks
Ages 0 to 5 · New
52 Play & Talk Cards
One small game a day, with a few words to say while you carry the baby around the house.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
For the grown-ups of children 0 to 5 · New
The Four Commitments
A page for the fridge with four promises the grown-ups make about their own phones.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 0 to 5 · New
Screen-Free Room Sign and Pledge Certificates
A sign for the nursery door, so visitors leave their phones in the hall.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
For parents of children 0 to 5
The book, Virtual Autism
A 30-day plan for filling the hours with play and talk.
On Amazon
Also for this age
For grown-ups to hang · New
Screen-Free Room Sign (8 by 10 inch print)
A finished print for the wall of the baby's room, hung well out of reach.
On Etsy
Small sets for everyday moments
For newborns · New
High-Contrast Cards for Newborns
Black and white cards for a grown-up to hold up close during tummy time.
On Etsy
Newborn to toddler · New
Moment Cards: Diaper Change Chats
Songs, names and little games for the changing table.
On Etsy
Newborn to 1 year · New
Moment Cards: Tummy Time Together
Floor games for lying face to face with your baby.
On Etsy
3 months and up · New
Moment Cards: Little Hands, Busy Hands
Things to touch, hold and pass back and forth, found around the house.
On Etsy
6 months to 3 years · New
Moment Cards: Peekaboo and Hide
Hiding games with a blanket, a cup or your own two hands.
On Etsy
Birth to 3 · New
Moment Cards, Five More
Five decks for babies in one download: tummy time, hands, peekaboo, dropping and pouring, first words.
On Etsy
Newborn to 6 months · New
Newborn to 6 Months Play Bundle
Play guides for the first six months with the high-contrast cards and changing-table cards.
On Etsy
6 to 12 months · New
6 to 12 Months Play Bundle
Play guides for the second half of the year, with cards for bath time and meals.
On Etsy
Play guides by stage
Weeks 0 to 8 · New
First Year Play Guide: Weeks 0 to 8
Ten small plays made of faces, voices and gentle touch.
On Etsy
Months 2 to 4 · New
First Year Play Guide: Months 2 to 4
Ten plays with cooing back and forth and short turns on the tummy.
On Etsy
Months 4 to 6 · New
First Year Play Guide: Months 4 to 6
Ten plays with peekaboo and sounds to find.
On Etsy
Months 6 to 8 · New
First Year Play Guide: Months 6 to 8
Ten plays with splashing, tapping and towers to knock down.
On Etsy
Months 8 to 10 · New
First Year Play Guide: Months 8 to 10
Ten plays with things to fill, tip out and find again.
On Etsy
Months 10 to 12 · New
First Year Play Guide: Months 10 to 12
Ten plays with waving, taking turns and asking for more.
On Etsy
Birth to 12 months · New
First Year Play Guides, all six
One guide for each stage of the first year, in one download.
On Etsy
Read next: Screen-free play for ages 0 to 5
1 to 2 years
This is the age of the laundry basket boat and the pot-lid drum, when the kitchen floor turns into the playroom.
Top picks
Ages 1 to 5 · New
150 "I'm Bored" Play Cards
Pull a card and play with what is already in the house, like a sock toss down the hall.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
239 Visual Routine Cards and Charts
Picture cards for getting dressed, meals and bedtime, so a toddler can see what comes next.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 0 to 5 · New
52 Play & Talk Cards
A game for the long stretch before lunch, and a few words to say while you play it.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Car Ride & Waiting Pack
Games for the car seat and the waiting room, with nothing to charge.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Also for this age
For the grown-ups of children 0 to 5 · New
The Four Commitments
The same fridge page, for the grown-ups and the sitter to read.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
For parents of children 0 to 5
The book, Virtual Autism
The whole picture, and a plan for the next month of play.
On Amazon
Small sets for everyday moments
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Stroller Walk Spotting
Things to look for and talk about on a walk around the block.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Mealtime Turns
Table talk and small turn-taking games for family meals.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Waiting Room Plays
Quiet games made from whatever is in your bag.
On Etsy
9 months to 3 · New
Moment Cards: What Happens If?
Dropping, pushing and pouring games to try together.
On Etsy
11 months and up · New
Moment Cards: First Words Every Day
Naming and pointing games, with turns for each of you.
On Etsy
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Car Ride Games
Voice-only games for a passenger to lead from the front seat.
On Etsy
13 to 24 months · New
13 to 24 Months Play Bundle
Play guides for the second year with the first-words and pouring cards.
On Etsy
Play guides by stage
Months 12 to 15 · New
Second Year Play Guide: Months 12 to 15
Ten plays with in and out, hide and find, and lots of "again!"
On Etsy
Months 15 to 18 · New
Second Year Play Guide: Months 15 to 18
Ten plays with pushing, hiding and waiting for "go!"
On Etsy
Months 18 to 21 · New
Second Year Play Guide: Months 18 to 21
Ten plays with climbing, sorting and small jobs.
On Etsy
Months 21 to 24 · New
Second Year Play Guide: Months 21 to 24
Ten plays with matching and pretend play.
On Etsy
12 to 24 months · New
Second Year Play Guides, all four
One guide for each stage of the second year, in one download.
On Etsy
Read next: Screen-free play for ages 0 to 5
2 to 3 years
Days at this age are full of "Again!", so everything here is made to be played more than once.
Top picks
Ages 2 to 5 · New
24 Days of Play: Winter Countdown
One small indoor play a day for the dark months, like a paper snowball toss.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
150 "I'm Bored" Play Cards
Each card has an easier and a harder way to play the same game.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
239 Visual Routine Cards and Charts
Picture steps for the mornings and bedtimes that tend to go sideways.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Car Ride & Waiting Pack
Turns to take with only the people in the car, on the drive to Grandma's.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Also for this age
Ages 0 to 5 · New
52 Play & Talk Cards
One card a day for the hour between nap and dinner.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
For parents of children 0 to 5
The book, Virtual Autism
Its 30-day plan of play and talk works at this age too.
On Amazon
Small sets for everyday moments
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards, all six
Seventy-two play-and-talk cards for baths, car rides, meals, walks, waiting and changing.
On Etsy
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Bath Time Talk
Splashing, pouring and talking games for the tub, with a grown-up right there.
On Etsy
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Car Ride Games
Voice-only games for a passenger to lead from the front seat.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Mealtime Turns
Table talk and small turn-taking games for family meals.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Waiting Room Plays
Quiet games made from whatever is in your bag.
On Etsy
6 months to 3 years · New
Moment Cards: Peekaboo and Hide
Hiding games with a blanket, a cup or your own two hands.
On Etsy
9 months to 3 · New
Moment Cards: What Happens If?
Dropping, pushing and pouring games to try together.
On Etsy
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Stroller Walk Spotting
Things to look for and talk about on a walk around the block.
On Etsy
Read next: Screen-free play for ages 0 to 5
3 to 5 years
Now games can have turns, and a small person gets to go first, then wait for you.
Top picks
Ages 3 to 5 · New
The Add-One Chain Game Kit
A story game where each player repeats the chain and adds one more thing.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
150 "I'm Bored" Play Cards
Games for the moment someone says "I'm bored," indoors or out.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 2 to 5 · New
24 Days of Play: Winter Countdown
Twenty-four plays, with a board to color after each one.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 0 to 5 · New
Screen-Free Room Sign and Pledge Certificates
A sign for the playroom door and a pledge a preschooler signs with their own name.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Also for this age
Ages 1 to 5 · New
239 Visual Routine Cards and Charts
Morning and bedtime charts a preschooler checks off on their own.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 0 to 5 · New
52 Play & Talk Cards
Games and questions for the walk home from preschool.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Car Ride & Waiting Pack
Road games for long drives and table games for slow restaurants.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 3 and up, with the whole family · New
Table Talk for Thanksgiving
Thirty-six questions to pass around the table while the phones wait.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Ages 3 and up, with the whole family · New
Holiday Table Talk
Conversation cards for winter holiday meals: a grown-up reads, and everyone answers.
On Teachers Pay Teachers
Small sets for everyday moments
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards, all six
Seventy-two play-and-talk cards for baths, car rides, meals, walks, waiting and changing.
On Etsy
Ages 1 to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Car Ride Games
Voice-only games for a passenger to lead from the front seat.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Mealtime Turns
Table talk and small turn-taking games for family meals.
On Etsy
6 months to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Waiting Room Plays
Quiet games made from whatever is in your bag.
On Etsy
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Stroller Walk Spotting
Things to look for and talk about on a walk around the block.
On Etsy
Birth to 5 · New
Moment Cards: Bath Time Talk
Splashing, pouring and talking games for the tub, with a grown-up right there.
On Etsy
Read next: Screens in early learning
Grown-ups and gifts
These are for the grown-ups who keep the picture books by the door and the phones in a basket.
Top picks
For parents of children 0 to 5
The book, Virtual Autism
Why we do all this, and a 30-day plan. In Kindle, paperback and hardcover.
On Amazon
For grown-ups · New
Story Time Is My Screen Time Tote Bag
An organic cotton bag sized for a stack of library books.
On Etsy
For grown-ups · New
Grandma Reads Sweatshirt
A warm crewneck for the grandma who reads the same picture book four times.
On Etsy
For grown-ups · New
Phone Bed Sticker
A phone asleep under a spotted blanket, for the basket where phones wait during dinner.
On Etsy
Also for grown-ups
For grown-ups · New
Grandpa Reads Sweatshirt
A crewneck for the grandpa who does all the voices.
On Etsy
For grown-ups · New
Fewer Screens More Turns Car Magnet
A 10 by 3 inch magnet for the family car.
On Etsy
For grown-ups · New
Learn by Hand Journal
A hardcover lined notebook for writing things down on paper first.
On Etsy
Small sets for everyday moments
For a baby shower · New
Baby Shower Gift Bundle
Play-wish cards for every guest to fill in, with a newborn play guide and high-contrast cards for the new parents.
On Etsy
More ideas by person, from a new baby to a teacher: Gifts
Read next: AI in plain words for families
The printables are PDF files sold through Teachers Pay Teachers and Etsy; on Teachers Pay Teachers you will need a free account to download them. Clothing, bags, stickers and prints are made to order and are for grown-ups. Keep stickers and magnets away from young children.
A grown-up stays with the child for every play. For children under 3, use only things too big to fit through a toilet-paper tube.
Virtual Autism by Adam Linmore. "Virtual Autism" is not a medical diagnosis. These are play materials, not treatment, and not medical advice.