Family fun without a TV

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1. FAMILY BOOK CLUB -- When your little ones are ready to read, this seems like a fun suggestion. I read it in Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Your family selects a book that is kid friendly and may be published at many different reading levels. One example is Alice in Wonderland. Everyone reads the book and you have family discussion in a book club format once a week.
2. DANCE MACHINE--My kids are under five. This works great for that age group. Put on their favorite music and let them make up dances and perform. Nursery rhyme CDs and the lastest stuff from Disney or Nick are all fun. I love to see them jumping around to Hannah Montanna. They can go for at least an hour. This is also a great option on rainy days to burn off energy. I only hope it works at 10 years old.
3. PUZZLES--I am always surprised by how engaging puzzles are to kids. That includes babies up to tweens from my experience. I do not enjoy this activity very much, but I know its good for them.
4. CRAFT TIME--I'm sure we will have to rename this when the girls get older. My girls enjoy making masks and of course jewelry.
5. COOKING--Get the kids into the kitchen every once in a while. They will pickup cooking techniques and spend some quality time with you while you get something done. Sure they make a big mess, but just think of the future. I am waiting for the day when I can say," Sweetie it's your day to cook for the family."
6. PLAYING OUTSIDE GAMES INSIDE--Teach your children your childhood games.
7. BOARD GAMES--We have not started these at home, but I think it is a good idea. I have seen tweens entertain themselves with board games to my amazement. I thought they were beyond the tactile board game with the onslaught of video game options before them.
8. COLORING BOOKS--self explanatory
9. DRAWING OR PAINTING --Good ideas. If anyone knows how to do this without making a huge mess let me know. I will admit that we do not use paint and I rarely feel comfortable letting them loose with map pencils. It sounds fun for an older audience, and I have seen several neat stencils and stamps to use.
10. GET ORGANIZED--This may or maynot be fun. I have heard several talks on getting children and teens involved with organizing their room or the house in general. One suggestion involves producing one bag of donations/trash a day/week. This only works if you have collected a bunch of "stuff" or clothes that you do not use.  There are different options here as well. If you are able to sell the things collected, the kids can use that money to buy new things. Another ideas is to refuse getting new things until they give away/sell something old. I think that helps them in at least two ways. They learn that some people need what they can just throw away, and they learn not to accept clutter.