Play chess for 30 minutes (vs someone or the clock)
Timeless strategy, zero screens
Logic & PuzzlesOff-screenAll agesMediumTimed
For families cutting back on screens
Less scrolling, more doing: a daily screen-time alternative
Taking the tablet away is the easy part. The hard part is the next ten minutes, when your child stands in the kitchen announcing there's nothing to do.
Tandomo uses the screen to start the quest, and real life finishes it. The app hands out the day's challenges, then the phone goes down: about half of every daily set happens away from the screen, from classic board and card games and kitchen experiments to movement and small jobs around the house. One quest a day is played together, with you.
Logic & Puzzles+20
Play chess for 30 minutes (vs someone or the clock)
Timeless strategy, zero screens
Off-screen · All ages · Medium
Sound familiar?
Why screen limits are so hard to keep
Most families don't need convincing that less screen time is a good idea. What's missing is something easy to put in its place.
A limit without an alternative feels like a punishment
"Turn it off" leaves a gap, and gaps get filled with complaints, negotiations and asking for just five more minutes.
You become the activity planner
Thinking up a fresh, age-appropriate idea every afternoon is tiring, and the same three suggestions stop working quickly.
Offline ideas lack a hook
"Go read" or "go play outside" doesn't compete with an app built to be compelling. A specific challenge with a goal does much better.
Banning screens entirely isn't realistic
Kids use devices for school and friends. You want a better balance, not an all-out war.
How Tandomo helps
How Tandomo tips the balance
We don't pretend screens are the enemy. We use one briefly to deliver something worth doing, then point your child at the real world.
A specific challenge, not a vague suggestion
Instead of "go do something", your child gets "build the tallest free-standing paper tower in 10 minutes and measure it". A clear goal makes starting easy.
Classic games come up regularly
Chess, checkers, dominoes, backgammon, Mastermind, marbles, hopscotch. Timeless games that need a table or a pavement, and often a parent or sibling to beat.
A fresh set every day
The AI writes a new mix daily from a library of around a hundred templates, themed around your child's interests, so you're not repeating the same ideas.
Offline tasks still count
Children tick off offline quests themselves or run a timer, and they earn points and fill in their calendar just like with the online ones.
Example quests
Screen-free quests from the library
A few offline templates the generator draws on. Each takes minutes to explain and can fill a good part of an afternoon.
+20
Kitchen experiment: predict float vs sink for 5 objects, then test
Real experiment
Physics & ScienceOff-screenAll agesEasyTick off when done
Learn one simple card or coin trick and perform it for someone
Analog magic, real audience
Creative & MakingOff-screenAll agesMediumTick off when done
15 minutes outside
Screen break
PhysicalOff-screenAll agesEasyTimed
Making it work at home
Pick a moment when the screen usually takes over, such as straight after school or the hour before dinner, and make that the Tandomo slot. Let your child look at the day's set, choose an offline quest, and put the device down while they do it.
Keep a small box of supplies within reach: paper, scissors, tape, a deck of cards, dice, a chessboard, chalk. Most offline quests need nothing more, and having them ready removes the excuse to drift back to a screen.
Join in when you can. Many of the classic games need a second player, and being beaten at checkers by your nine-year-old is one of the better uses of fifteen minutes.
Questions parents ask
Isn't Tandomo itself screen time?
Partly. Your child uses a screen to see the day's set and for the online quizzes and writing, but about half of the quests are done offline. The goal is a better balance, not zero screens.
Can I make the mix more offline?
The online and offline split is a per-child setting, so you can lean it further toward hands-on tasks.
Do we need special equipment?
No. Most offline quests use things you already have, like paper, a pencil, cards, dice or kitchen items. Classic board games are a bonus if you have them.
How do I know they actually did the offline tasks?
Offline quests use self-reports or timers, so it works on trust. Kids can leave a note about what they did, which you'll see on the dashboard.
What if my child just wants to go back to their game?
That will happen some days, and that's fine. A clear, short challenge is easier to start than a vague suggestion, and the points give them a small reason to finish one quest before going back.
Keep exploring
Swap some scrolling for a week of quests
Take the short quiz and get a free 7-day plan with plenty of screen-free challenges, ready to open each day.
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