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Montessori Education

Is Screen Time Bad or Just Misunderstood? A Balanced Look for Mindful Parents

September 6, 2025 No Comments
Screen time

Welcome. I’d like to start by saying that I don’t think I’m alone when it comes to this subject. That mix of guilt, worry, and even frustration when it comes to screen time is something I hear from almost every parent I know. “I feel bad for letting my child use screens, but I’m so […]

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Based in the UK, CoBéBé grew from everyday family life — inspired by the play, curiosity, and calm we wanted to see in our own home. Our Montessori-inspired toys and gentle parenting ideas are shaped by real moments with little ones, making them as practical as they are meaningful.

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Less noise. More room to play. 🌿
Toys & resources for slower, more creative childhoods.
For the things they can’t wait to show you.
A clue at a time… until they’ve got it. 🦉 Our Who A clue at a time… until they’ve got it. 🦉 Our Who Am I? cards turn Forest Friends into a little guessing game — listen to the clues, think it through, then find the right woodland friend. That moment when they know the answer before you’ve finished reading? “I did it.” Play that gives them something to show for it. #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #LearningThroughPlay #PurposefulPlay #MontessoriInspired #PreschoolPlay #ToddlerActivities #IndependentPlay #EarlyYears #PlayBasedLearning #EducationalToys #WoodenToysUK #ToysFor3YearOlds #LookWhatTheyCanDo
Sometimes the best thing we can give them is a lit Sometimes the best thing we can give them is a little more time to try. The button they insist on doing themselves. The puzzle they don’t want help with. The little things that suddenly become “I did it.” Growing in their own time. Childhood still intact. Ready, not rushed. #CoBeBe #ReadyNotRushed #ChildhoodUnhurried #IndependentKids #LearningThroughPlay #EarlyYears #GrowingUp #ChildhoodMoments #ParentingLittleOnes #LittleWins #PreschoolYears #purposefulplay
One little piece. So many ways to play. Puzzle it One little piece. So many ways to play. Puzzle it. Match it. Draw it. Guess it. Build a scene. Make up a story. Forest Friends was made to give little hands something to explore — and plenty of chances to work things out for themselves. Sometimes the best bit is just watching what they decide to do next. 🌿 #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #LearningThroughPlay #MontessoriInspired #PreschoolPlay #ToddlerActivities #EducationalToys #ScreenFreePlay #OpenEndedPlay #IndependentPlay #FineMotorSkills #PreschoolActivities #KidsActivities #playbasedlearning
A simple little matching activity, but there’s qui A simple little matching activity, but there’s quite a lot going on here. Uppercase to lowercase. Letter to animal. Looking, remembering, comparing — and that small moment when they work it out for themselves. Sometimes the best learning doesn’t look much like a lesson at all. #CoBeBe #PreschoolActivities #LearningThroughPlay #AlphabetActivities #LetterMatching #EarlyLearning #PreschoolLearning #PrintableActivities #ToddlerActivities #HomeLearning #FineMotorActivities #ScreenFreeActivities #KidsActivities
A gift with plenty still to discover once the wrap A gift with plenty still to discover once the wrapping paper is gone. Forest Friends is made for little hands to explore, work things out and proudly show you what they can do. A wooden activity box filled with different ways to play — from puzzles and drawing to woodland magnets and Who Am I? cards. Thoughtful play for ages 3+ 🌿 #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #GiftsForKids #GiftsFor3YearOlds #GiftsFor4YearOlds #WoodenToys #ChildrensGifts #BirthdayGiftIdeas #EducationalToys #ThoughtfulGifts #ScreenFreePlay #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #woodentoysuk
A bag full of important things. 🍂 Conkers, acorns A bag full of important things. 🍂 Conkers, acorns, leaves, pinecones — whatever was worth stopping for along the way. To us, just things from the ground. To them, treasures worth bringing home. #CoBéBé #NaturePlay #OutdoorPlay #ChildhoodUnplugged #LittleExplorers #ChildLedPlay #SlowChildhood #EverydayChildhood #NatureFinds #exploreanddiscover
Things they notice. 🌿 The tiny places we’d probab Things they notice. 🌿 The tiny places we’d probably walk straight past. No plan. No activity to set up. Just something worth stopping for. #CoBéBé #ChildhoodUnplugged #OutdoorPlay #NaturePlay #LittleExplorers #ChildLedPlay #SlowChildhood #EverydayChildhood #exploreanddiscover
One wooden box. So many ways to play. 🌿 Puzzle, d One wooden box. So many ways to play. 🌿 Puzzle, draw, match, discover and imagine — Forest Friends brings different kinds of play together in one wooden activity box, ready for little hands to explore in their own way. From solving the woodland puzzle and drawing on the magnetic whiteboard to matching the animals and working out the Who Am I? cards, there’s always something else to try. And when they proudly show you what they’ve worked out? That might be our favourite bit. 🤎 Forest Friends • Ages 3+ #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #MontessoriToys #EducationalToys #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #PreschoolActivities #ToysFor3YearOlds #WoodenToy #ScreenFreePlay #FineMotorSkills #KidsActivities #PlayBasedLearning #montessoriinspired
A little reason to look more closely. 🌿 A robin. A little reason to look more closely. 🌿 A robin. An acorn. A spider’s web. The things we walk past every day can feel like quite an adventure when you’re little. Our Nature Scavenger Hunt is free to download from the CoBéBé Activity Library — made for little hands ready to explore, spot and discover. #CoBeBe #NatureScavengerHunt #KidsActivities #OutdoorActivitiesForKids #NaturePlay #OutdoorPlay #LearningThroughPlay #ScreenFreeActivities #ToddlerActivities #PreschoolActivities #AutumnActivities #ThingsToDoWithKids #NatureForKids #ChildhoodUnplugged #littleexplorers
Forest Friends, ready when they are. 🌿 A wooden a Forest Friends, ready when they are. 🌿 A wooden activity box made for little hands to open, explore, make, solve and discover for themselves — at their own pace. Because some of the loveliest moments are the ones where they turn around to show you what they’ve done. Thoughtful play. No rushing required. #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #EducationalToys #MontessoriInspired #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #ToddlerActivities #PreschoolPlay #WoodenToy #ScreenFreePlay #KidsActivities #ToysForToddlers #uksmallbusiness
Apparently, this is me. 🤎 One of the best things Apparently, this is me. 🤎 One of the best things about children drawing is getting a tiny glimpse of how they see the world — even when you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking at. Red, green, very tall… and unmistakably Daddy, apparently. It doesn’t have to look like anything to us. They knew exactly what they were making. And sometimes that’s the best bit. Little hands. Big ideas. Their own way of seeing things. 🌿 #CoBeBe #CoBeBeWorld #ChildhoodMoments #LittleArtists #KidsArt #CreativeKids #CreativePlay #ImaginativePlay #LearningThroughPlay #ChildhoodUnplugged #LittleHands #earlyyears
There’s a moment when “Let me do it” becomes “I ca There’s a moment when “Let me do it” becomes “I can do it.” Putting on their own shoes. Working something out without asking. Making something they’re proud of. Doing today what they needed help with yesterday. We think childhood should be full of those little opportunities. Not because children need to grow up faster. Quite the opposite. They need time to try, get things wrong, try again and discover what they can do for themselves — without turning childhood into a race. That’s a big part of what CoBéBé is about. Thoughtful play. Room to explore. Little moments of independence and growing confidence, at their own pace. Ready, not rushed. 🌿 #CoBéBé #ReadyNotRushed #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #ChildhoodUnhurried #ThoughtfulPlay #growingconfidence
Sometimes the best play starts when we stop decidi Sometimes the best play starts when we stop deciding what happens next. 🌿 Move a piece. Try it somewhere else. Draw something. Change their mind. Start again. Forest Friends was designed to give little hands different things to explore, without there being one “right” way to play. The puzzle might be the favourite today. Tomorrow it could be creating a woodland scene on the magnetic whiteboard. Another day, they might want to draw their own. It’s in those little moments — choosing, trying, figuring things out for themselves — that you start to see just how much they can already do. 🤎 Their play. Their ideas. Their way. Forest Friends is available on Amazon UK via the link in our bio. #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #LookWhatTheyCanDo #WoodenToys #MontessoriInspired #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #OpenEndedPlay #HandsOnLearning #EducationalToys #PreschoolPlay #EarlyYears #ToysFor3YearOlds #ToysFor4YearOlds #woodlandplay
There’s something lovely about the way children no There’s something lovely about the way children notice the seasons before they really understand them. 🌿 The first crunchy leaves on the ground. Realising it’s still light at bedtime. Spotting blossom on a tree that looked completely bare a few weeks before. Our Seasons poster is a simple way to give those little observations a name — and open up conversations about what’s changing outside their window. No lesson needed. Just something to look at, talk about and come back to as the year changes. Because learning doesn’t always need to feel like learning. Sometimes it starts with simply noticing something for themselves. The Seasons poster is part of the free CoBéBé Activity Library, ready to download and print at home. 🤎 #CoBeBe #LearningThroughPlay #FreePrintables #EducationalPrintables #KidsLearning #PreschoolActivities #EarlyYears #HomeLearning #NatureLearning #LearningAtHome #EducationalPosters #PreschoolLearning #NatureWithKids #ChildLedLearning #printableforkids
Sometimes the best part is waiting to see if they Sometimes the best part is waiting to see if they can work it out for themselves. 🌿 A clue. A little thinking time. Maybe another clue… And then that moment when they look up because they know the answer. Forest Friends was designed with different ways for children to explore, create and figure things out — including our little “Who Am I?” animal cards, turning the woodland puzzle into a simple guessing game you can play together. It isn’t about getting there first or knowing every answer. It’s about giving them the space to try. And getting to see that little look when they realise: “I got it.” 🤎 Look what they can do. Forest Friends is available on Amazon UK via the link in our bio. #CoBeBe #LookWhatTheyCanDo #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #MontessoriInspired #LearningThroughPlay #EducationalToys #PreschoolActivities #IndependentPlay #HandsOnLearning #EarlyYears #ToysFor3YearOlds #ToysFor4YearOlds #ToysFor5YearOlds #woodlandplay
Found this tucked away in the back of my wardrobe Found this tucked away in the back of my wardrobe recently. My eldest made it when he was at nursery. I must have put it somewhere safe years ago and completely forgotten it was there. It’s funny what you end up keeping. Not the perfectly finished things. Usually the wonky paintings, first attempts at writing, strange little creations and things that probably meant far more to you than they ever realised. At the time, it was just something he’d made at nursery. Years later, I’m very glad I kept it. I think that’s part of what childhood is made of. Lots of ordinary little moments that don’t seem particularly important until you find one again. Keep the things they can’t wait to show you. 🤎 #CoBeBe #LookWhatTheyCanDo #ChildhoodMemories #ThingsWorthKeeping #KidsArtwork #LittleArtists #CreativeKids #ChildhoodUnplugged #EarlyYears #CreativePlay #GrowingUp #Parenthood #FamilyMemories #ThoughtfulPlay
🌿 FOREST FRIENDS GIVEAWAY 🌿 FOLLOW @cobebeuk & LIK 🌿 FOREST FRIENDS GIVEAWAY 🌿 FOLLOW @cobebeuk & LIKE THIS POST TO ENTER We’re giving one little explorer the chance to win their very own Forest Friends Wooden Activity Box, worth £29.99. Made for curious little hands, Forest Friends brings together puzzles, magnetic play, drawing and animal quiz cards — plus full access to the growing CoBéBé Activity Library of printable activities — giving them plenty of ways to play, create and work things out for themselves. To enter: 🤎 Follow @cobebeuk 🤎 Like this post That’s it. Prize: 1 × Forest Friends Wooden Activity Box (£29.99) Open to: UK residents aged 18+ Closes: 20 September 2026 at 3:00pm BST No purchase necessary. One winner will be selected at random from all valid entries and contacted by @cobebeuk only. We will never ask you for payment or card details to claim your prize. Full giveaway terms & conditions are available via the link in our bio. This promotion is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram or Meta. Good luck 🌿🤎 #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #GiveawayUK #UKGiveaway #KidsGiveaway #WoodenToys #EducationalToys #LearningThroughPlay #PreschoolActivities #MontessoriInspired #ToysFor3YearOlds #ToysFor4YearOlds #ToysFor5YearOlds #thoughtfulplay
Little habits have a way of becoming big things. 🌿 Little habits have a way of becoming big things. 🌿 Turning off the light. Using both sides of the paper. Looking after a plant. Remembering that rubbish belongs in the bin. None of it needs to feel like a lesson. They’re simply small opportunities for children to notice the world around them, take a little responsibility and discover the things they’re already capable of doing for themselves. Our Little Habits That Help the Earth poster was created as a gentle reminder of those everyday choices — something to talk about together, then let them have a go at. Because growing up is made up of hundreds of little moments that make you think: “Look what they can do.” 🤎 Discover more thoughtful activities and resources in the CoBéBé Activity Library — free to download and print via the link in our bio. #CoBeBe #LookWhatTheyCanDo #LearningThroughPlay #KidsActivities #FreeKidsActivities #PrintableActivities #KidsPrintables #EcoKids #SustainableLiving #LearningAtHome #PreschoolActivities #EarlyYears #IndependentKids #ParentingIdeas #activitiesforkidsً
A quiet table, a handful of pencils, and somewhere A quiet table, a handful of pencils, and somewhere for their imagination to wander. 🌿 Our dinosaur activities are made for those simple moments when children can slow down, choose their own colours and make something completely theirs. There’s no right way to colour a Diplodocus. No need to make it perfect. Just time to explore, create and proudly show you what they’ve done. Because sometimes the best part comes afterwards: “Look what I did.” 🤎 Discover more thoughtful, screen-free activities in the CoBéBé Activity Library — free to download and print via the link in our bio. #CoBeBe #LookWhatTheyCanDo #DinosaurActivities #DinosaurColouring #KidsColouring #FreeKidsActivities #PrintableActivities #KidsPrintables #CreativeKids #CreativePlay #LearningThroughPlay #PreschoolActivities #ScreenFreeActivities #QuietTimeActivities #activitiesforkidsً
A little piece of the forest, made for little hand A little piece of the forest, made for little hands. 🌿 Forest Friends gives children plenty to pick up, move, match and explore — creating those quiet moments where they become completely absorbed in what they’re doing. No flashing lights. No one telling them the right way to play. Just something tactile and beautifully made, with plenty for curious little minds to discover for themselves. Because some of the best play happens when we give them the space to get on with it. 🤎 Forest Friends is available on Amazon UK. #CoBeBe #ForestFriends #WoodenToys #MontessoriInspired #LearningThroughPlay #IndependentPlay #OpenEndedPlay #PreschoolPlay #ToddlerActivities #EducationalToys #WoodenToysForKids #FineMotorSkills #ScreenFreePlay #ThoughtfulPlay #kidstoys
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