Introduction
In today’s digital age, screens are everywhere — and kids are spending more time than ever glued to them. While tablets and TVs offer convenience and entertainment, many parents are searching for engaging, non-digital alternatives that encourage imagination, hands-on play, and emotional connection. Enter Labubu — a quirky, collectible toy that’s capturing kids’ hearts and turning screen time into story time, display time, and creative bonding time.
Here’s how Labubu (and toys like it) can become part of your toolkit to help reduce screen time and spark joyful, offline play.
1. What Is Labubu, and Why Do Kids Love It?
Labubu is part of the Pop Mart designer toy universe — a mischievous, troll-like character with wild expressions, oversized ears, and endless variations. Sold in blind boxes, each Labubu figure is a surprise, creating excitement, suspense, and a sense of community through collecting.
Kids love Labubu not just because it’s cute or weird, but because:
- It feels like a mystery game with every unboxing
- They can display or customize their collection
- It’s something to talk about with friends or family
- It invites creativity, imagination, and storytelling
More: Labubu’s ‘Rebel Smile’: Teaching Kids Individuality Through Toy Design
2. The Problem with Too Much Screen Time
The average child today spends 4–6 hours a day on screens, a number that jumps to 7–9 hours for teens. Overuse of screen time has been linked to:
- Decreased attention span
- Disrupted sleep
- Reduced physical activity
- Less imaginative or independent play
- Social-emotional challenges
Many parents want a reset — and it doesn’t have to be extreme. Shifting a portion of digital time to something physical and emotionally engaging can make a big difference.
More: How to Talk to Your Child About Toy Safety: The Labubu Example
3. How Labubu-Time Helps Fill the Gap
Labubu collecting offers a great bridge between modern pop culture and analog engagement. Here’s how it works:
✅ Hands-On Play
Setting up Labubu shelves, swapping figures, or staging photo scenes involves real-world movement, spatial planning, and fine motor skills.
✅ Creative Storytelling
Kids often create personalities and narratives for their Labubu figures. This kind of imaginative role play builds verbal skills and emotional expression.
✅ Mindful Focus
Unlike the overstimulation of constant screen scrolling, Labubu time slows kids down — they focus on one figure, one scene, one story at a time.
✅ Social Sharing
Instead of passive scrolling, kids can actively trade, show, or talk about their collections with others, in person or in parent-supervised groups.
4. Creative Activities to Replace Screen Time
Here are a few Labubu-inspired activities that kids can enjoy solo or with family:
- Design a Labubu house or room out of cardboard or recycled boxes
- Write and illustrate a mini comic about Labubu’s adventures
- Host a “blind box” family game night, where each family member gets a mystery item
- Start a sticker book or photo journal of collected toys
- Make a DIY costume or clay version of your favorite Labubu
- Create a stop-motion video (yes, using a device — but for creation, not consumption)
These activities are more than screen replacements — they’re memory-makers.
More: Are Kids Into Labubu? The Rise of a Playful Collectible Craze
5. How to Set Healthy Balance (Without Drama)
Instead of banning screens, try these gentle strategies:
- Use a reward system: e.g., 30 mins of creative play = 30 mins of screen time
- Make Labubu time part of a daily rhythm, like “after school unwind” or “weekend creative hour”
- Join your child: Ask questions about their Labubu collection, help with their setup, or take photos together
- Limit passive viewing, but allow creative tech (e.g., stop-motion, digital drawing, collection organizing apps)
The key is balance, not elimination.
Final Thoughts
You don’t have to fight screen time — you can redirect it. By introducing creative alternatives like Labubu collecting, you give your child a chance to slow down, think big, and create from the heart. Whether they’re designing a toy shelf or inventing a new Labubu character, you’re nurturing skills and memories that no screen can replace.
So next time you hear “I’m bored,” consider reaching for a blind box instead of the remote — it might just open up a whole new world of play.
