There is research suggesting that too much screen time vs hands-on activities can affect brain development less than positively. Kids aren't getting real actual sensory input, aren't seeing what happens in terms of action-reaction, especially aren't getting lots of tactile and motion input, which is how especially younger kids are hard-wired to learn.
I'm with Cathie: beans/lentils/rice/water in different-sized cups or bins; sandbox; water tub; crayons/markers/paints; noisy toys and musical instruments; board books to manipulate. The sky is the limit!
I did let Josie sit on my lap when she was 2-3YO, and Nat in her turn, and "type" on the computer,and I printed out some of their great works of "literature"
for them to hang on the walls, and Josie especially with her love of words was always asking me to spell words till she got the hang of it, and I showed her shortcuts as the opportunity arose; neither girl went to school computer-deprived at all. I'd say that 95% of their screen time, and much of their TV time (what there was of it), was interactive, with one or both parents there, same as we would have been playing with Legos or a marble run or whatever. Even now my kids don't have their own Kindle or tablet or cell phones (many of J's classmates do), and they don't play with my smartphone because, well, I don't have one.
J will end up with her own computer when she starts middle school next year, as she's enrolled in a special program that's very media-heavy and will need it for homework (our current computer probably won't be able to handle the load! LOL), and she'll probably get a pre-paid cell phone then too - but she's 11-1/2 now.
