100 Ways to Avoid TV
Written by Kristin on October 11th, 2010
Arts and Crafts, Balance, Consistent Care, Natural Learning, Routines and Schedules
This week, we are having a little break from the television.
I have absolutely no problems with TV in general, and I usually let my kids watch daily (though I do try to limit it to 30-60 minutes a day, and we keep it to shows & DVDs without commercials). I think it is quite useful as a break for us all – me in particular! For us, it works to help everyone chill out for a bit when we are having a rough or fussy time, or to keep the kids entertained and safe while I try to get some work done, shower, or take a mama break and zone out for awhile to work on the blog or other stuff online (I really really need this for my own sanity).
I’ve found that in order to curb the requests for TV, I have to schedule it into our day very carefully – not just toss it in willy nilly – because the kids then think any time might be a good time to watch (and will ask ALL THE TIME). Up until Elsie and Delia eliminated their morning nap (around 20 months or so?) my oldest, Emma, would watch something while I nursed them to sleep. Now, the little ones get to watch too, and its usually after playtime in the morning (breakfast, playtime/get dressed, TV, then outings or other projects) and sometimes also in the afternoon right before dinner, while I cook. Any time I slip up and let Emma watch at a different time (while Elsie & Delia are still napping in the afternoon, for instance, or directly after breakfast), it comes back to haunt me for weeks – she will remember and try to badger me into letting it happen then again. Stick with the schedule, though, and all generally goes well.
However. There has lately been a bit more whining and angst over who decides what we watch, and a bit too much talk (from my oldest) about all the TV she wants to watch, so I’ve declared a TV free week. It’s going pretty well, though boy do I miss it sometimes! It’s a good exercise for us all, though. I am tempted to stretch it to two, actually.
Here is a list the girls and I have come up with of things to do instead of TV. We certainly have not tried them all this week, but it’s nice to have a list to refer to!
- draw pictures/color
- flubber!
- swing on the swings
- build a tower
- run around outside
- run around inside
- jump outside
- glue magazine pictures (magazine collages)
- play with the dollhouse
- play a board game
- do math
- do button math (counting buttons into cups, or using them to add & subtract)
- bead necklaces
- sort pasta (and pasta beading)
- cook something
- play with (fisher price) “little people”
- line up all the little people in a parade
- line up all the plastic animals in a parade
- play with animals in the bathtub
- felt some soaps
- dress up
- make a fort
- play in the sandbox
- take a walk
- throw the frisbee
- ride bikes
- read books
- dance party!
- go to the park
- go to the zoo
- work on paper dolls
- play with “Suzie” doll (Elsie)
- play with dominos
- make a checker game (Emma wants to learn checkers)
- type on typewriter or computer
- scavenger hunt
- set up the (indoor) tent
- play with instruments
- pots and pans
- learn to write words (Emma)
- write on chalkboard wall
- clean chalkboard wall
- play with marbles on a tray (with muffin tins,egg cartons & ice cube trays)
- marble game
- paint with marbles
- play with dolls
- dress our dolls in new clothes
- bristle blocks
- fingerpaint
- paint with water
- play with trains
- play with cars
- make a racetrack
- paint with cars
- play with toy kitchen
- plant some seeds (indoors in windowsill)
- take a bubble bath
- play with Noah’s Ark
- wash the sink (Emma enjoys this job a lot)
- play with water in the big sink
- wash toy dishes in big sink
- make a card
- glitter art
- make a book
- do sticker books
- make a pillow stepping stone track (no touching the floor)
- pretend we are going to school
- have a tea party
- have a birthday party for Bunny Bun Bun
- make bubbles
- pretend it’s Halloween
- ice cube surprises (freezing toys/fun objects in ice for bath, sink or swimming pool)
- play in Mama’s bed (Elsie and Delia’s favorite, ha)
- Legos/duplos
- make a “magic” bottle with oil/water/glitter
- play/sort shells
- play with “gems” (glass gems) or rocks
- collect nature treasures for a nature display
- hopscotch (inside with tape, or outside with chalk)
- move the furniture and do tumbling
- make an obstacle course
- (homemade) reading games
- look at pictures on the computer
- listen to music or books on CD
- sew on buttons
- make sock puppets
- tissue paper collage
- work on & play with shower curtain playmat
- make felt board pictures
- crayon rubbings
- stencil pictures
- letter stamps (or any stamps)
- play “school bus” or “driving in the car” (an E & D favorite)
- play with beans (sensory table/bucket/pool)
- hammer nails into a stump
- play with magnets
- roll balls in the hallway
- do puzzles
- go to the library
- invite friends over to play

What do you do around the house instead of TV? Please share your ideas in the comments.
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You can find Kristin over at Intrepid Murmurings, where she writes and photographs her attempts to embrace motherhood, nurture creativity, and maintain sanity while raising twin toddlers and a preschooler.