How Hannah Turned a Family Day Out Into a Business That’s Shaping the Future of Tech
In this week’s episode of the This Mum Loves Tech Podcast, I’m joined by Hannah Hagon, founder of Unplugged Tots, to talk about how we can help our children build essential tech and problem-solving skills long before they ever pick up a device.
Unplugged Tots introduces young children to computational thinking through simple, playful activities you can do at home. The idea came to Hannah after a family day out at a tech festival in Cambridge, when she realised her daughters were too young to take part in the coding activities because they couldn’t yet type or read the instructions.
Rather than accepting that tech learning only starts once a child is reading or using a computer, she began exploring how to break these skills down into screen-free activities. As she explained:
“I help parents and educators teach children how to use computers… computational thinking concepts through screen free play based activities.”
That moment became the seed for what is now a fast-growing movement helping parents build confidence in how they support their children’s learning.
Building Tech Confidence Through Play
At the heart of Unplugged Tots is the belief that children learn best through curiosity and hands-on experiences. Activities like building towers with repeating colour patterns or following recipes for “Gruffalo crumble” teach logic, sequencing, and early coding concepts in a natural way.
Hannah breaks down computational thinking into four key areas: pattern recognition, algorithms, sequencing, and deconstruction and she shows parents how everyday activities can reinforce them.
Her message is simple: when children play, they’re not just having fun, they’re learning how to think logically, work collaboratively, and solve problems creatively.
Why Screen-Free Doesn’t Mean Anti-Tech
One of the most important parts of Hannah’s message is clearing up the misconception that avoiding screens means avoiding tech altogether.
She shared:
“Tech, AI, anything kind of tech related. It is just an enabler of progress. An enabler of change is a tool.”
Hannah’s not anti-screen. She’s pro intentional tech.
She encourages parents to think about how screens are used, not whether they’re used at all. Some tech encourages creativity, exploration and learning. Other tech is passive and doesn’t build the same skills. Unplugged Tots helps families find that healthy balance.
As Hannah puts it:
“I am not anti screens, I’m just about being intentional with the screens use that we’re giving and making sure that when we are not using screens, there’s something to fill the void.”
From Raspberry Pi to Published Author
What started as a personal project to support her daughters has evolved into something much bigger. A chance conversation led to her connecting with Eben Upton from Raspberry Pi, and soon after she was invited to write a book to help even more families introduce these skills in a simple, screen-free way.
Her book, Unplugged Tots, is full of practical, thoughtful ideas that make learning fun using things most families already have at home. It’s perfect for parents wanting to prepare their children for a digital world without rushing them onto screens before they’re ready.
You can get your copy of Unplugged Tots here
Connect with Hannah Hagon and Unplugged Tots
You can get your copy of Unplugged Tots here
🌐 Visit the Unplugged Tots website
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