Minister of Education Claude Meisch unveiled the new “Activity Box” on Monday – a free interactive kit designed for children aged one to three and their parents. The initiative aims to foster early development through play, communication, and practical skill-building while reducing reliance on digital devices.
With smartphones and tablets increasingly dominating daily life – often at the expense of human interaction – the Luxembourg Parents’ Forum developed the box to help parents engage toddlers in screen-free activities. “We’re seeing more children enter school without adequate speech development, possibly due to excessive screen time replacing meaningful interaction”, Meisch noted.
The Activity Box contains an illustrated book with the adventures of Will the monkey and Mich the fox, which “encourage children to play, move about, and discover new things”, two puppet washcloths shaped like the two heroes, which can be used “to tell or re-enact the adventures of Will and Mich, or to make everyday moments like bathtime more fun”, a die with six movement ideas “to stimulate motor skills, the joy of moving, coordination, and more”, a colouring book with pencils, a small wooden caterpillar described by the ministry as “a sensory-motor toy that stimulates motor skills and the senses” that “can be incorporated into games”, and a play scarf that the child can use for dancing, dressing up, or creating their own little private space.
These materials are designed to stimulate imaginative play while helping children develop communication skills and master everyday tasks through hands-on interaction.
Meisch highlighted the box’s summer release as strategic, coinciding with parents’ increased availability during school holidays. “This is an ideal time to actively engage with children in ways that benefit them”, he said.
The kit, part of the ministry’s Screen-Life-Balance campaign, can be ordered online through the Parents’ Forum website and collected at any of their nine national locations.
