Stuff to Do INSTEAD of Watching Tv or Being on the Computer!

We used to go hiking or outdoor picnik at least once every week. Now, in my 'new' family (I live with my in-laws) we have a fire thing outside (one of those pits on legs) that 1-2x a week we will build a fire and hang out outside. Sometimes we will have a hot dog roast, sometimes make s'mores. We also buy cheap lawn games, like badmiton kits from Wal-mart, horseshoes, etc. IDK... it seems like in my family outdoors=family time. lol.

We always have a designated "game night" growing up. One night each week, the same night, we knew to expect a build your own taco bar and we played a board game or pictionary or charades. We had a blast and even though we all live in different states, each of my siblings and I are carrying that tradition into our own families.

It's so much fun! I hope your family finds fun in it as well!

Me and my daughter just talk, crack jokes, laugh, while my 13 month old looks at the both of us like were crazy! Lol. I loved your ideas tho. Thanx for the encouragement. :)

family walks are fun! rather than a "fitness" walk, just a short leisurely stroll around the neighborhood is tons of fun. Take moments to collect some rocks or look at the birds etc. Good for you too! We always bring along the dog and I come back feeling awesome!

with my 2 year old we also make up stories and make them silly. She starts with "a time" (meaning once upon a time) and we take turns "finishing" the story. we also like to just turn on the music channels on our TV (the ones that are blank and just play music) and DANCE. Nobody gets out of it and we have tons of fun.

I can't wait till my daughter is old enough for backyard camping! Maybe we can figure out a way to do that this summer? hmm...

Great Topic!
-M.

We do a LOT of walking. Our town has excellent bike trails that go all over, and for the most part they are secluded from being near roads and go all through prairie areas, so we love that. We have a nice Nature Center, so we walk there a lot.

One thing to make walking more "fun" for the children is to make a game out of it. I usually take some index cards and draw pictures or make lists of things to find. Even when my daughter was 2, I would take a sheet of paper and divide it into eight squares, color each a different color, and have her find things that were that color on the walk and put a mark in the right box. That was when she was in the stroller.

Now, we try to make even more out of it by turning the games into riddles or contests...the first person to find six things that begin with T, etc.

Nothing beats family time together without TV or computer. Those are truly the best. Some other things we've done...

1. Dance to kids music together
2. Play pretend games, like superman, fire rescue, doctor..my son is always the star
3. If you have hardwood floors, move furniture, pull your kids around on an old cloth or sheet like a sleigh - They will love that
4. Both you and your husband hold one end of a sheet like a hammock, and let the kids sit inside, lift them up slightly off the ground and swing them back and forth two or three times
5. Good old hide and seek,adults hide, kids try to find them.

When the weather warms up a little more, we'll have "pool time". But while it is nice outside, we do yard work. It is amazing how much fun the kids can have WORKING. I remember those times from my own childhood as some of my favorite. Rake up all the leaves then jump in the big pile of them. Contests (just for fun) to see who rakes the biggest pile. Burning a little pile of yard waste and sticking marshmallows on sticks to roast them. Even pulling weeds can be fun, if when you fill the wheelbarrow, you plop a kid on top and push them across the yard to empty it. I have pictures of my 9 yr old son running across the yard with his 6 yr old sister in the wheelbarrow he is pushing. The look on both their faces is priceless! SO much fun!

Well, we live in the country, so our time may be different. We ride 4-wheelers, ride our horses, cook together, clean our pasture together, wash the dogs, play outside, build things, go on the boat, whatever. Our TV is like hardly ever on, and same for our computers unless it is after bedtime or at work. In fact, 95% of the time I am on Mamapedia, it is because I get on with my Blackberry, and usually while I am waiting to pick up a child! :)

We actually go camping. It's a fun getaway and a break from all the stuff around us. The local parks are a great place to go. Sometimes we simply have dinner on our back porch or go read in the hammock. We all have bikes and try to do that before it gets too sweltering hot around here. Board games and books are faves in our house. And sometimes it's a simple as going out to see our neighbors.