To see an alphabetical site map click here

• TV Free Family Site
  Instead of TV- What can you do when you're limiting TV in your life? 101 ideas. Studies and research on tv's harmful effects.
  
  
• Instead of TV
  A ton of fun things to do instead of TV
  
  
  • Things For Kids To Do
    Things for kids to do after turning off the television. Teaching kids how to play again!
    
    
    • Old Fashioned Ways to Inspire Children
      Some good old fashioned ways to play with children. Inspire their creativity with these ideas!
      
      
    • Cheap Fun For The Kids
      Turning off the TV means coming up with some creative ideas to have good cheap fun with the kids. Here are some great ideas to get you started.
      
      
    • Kids Pretend Play
      Here are some great ideas for pretend play for your kids, and they don't cost a bundle either.
      
      
    • Bored Kids
      Are the kids bored out of their minds? Here is a list of fun things for bored kids to do.
      
      
    • Winter Fun
      Need ideas for some winter fun for the kids? Here's some suggestions that won't break the bank.
      
      
    • Teach Your Young Child Their Colors
      Young children don't have to learn about colors from TV. Teach them yourself with these fun tips.
      
      
    • Teach Your Child To Count
      You can teach your child numbers and how to count, without the aid of a puppet on television. Here are five great ways to get started
      
      
    • Teaching Your Child to Read
      Kids who love to read have incentive to turn off the TV! Here are five tips for teaching your child how to read and have fun doing it.
      
      
    • Teaching Shapes to Children
      
      
    • Games for School Age Kids
      If you're trying to keep the TV off, help your kids stay entertained. Here are some great ideas for fun and educational games for your school age kids.
      
      
    • Games for Toddlers
      
      
    • Remember Coloring Books?
      Coloring books aren't dead, and they're more fun than ever. Let's take a moment to rediscover coloring books that we remember from our own childhood.
      
      
    • Get the Kids Outdoors This Summer
      
      
    • Backyard Snow Activities for Children
      
      
    • Fun with Children: Making Memories on a Budget
      
      
    • Challenging Your Preschooler’s Mind
      
      
    • 6 Ways to Make Reading To Your Child A Habit
      
      
    • Five Best Ever Children’s Books for Babies
      
      
    • Five Best Ever Children’s Books for Toddlers
      
      
    • Five Best Ever Classic Books for Young Children
      
      
    • Five Best Ever Nighttime Books for Young Children
      
      
  • Cheap Romantic Ideas
    Turn off the TV and romance your love with these cheap romantic ideas for dates and mini getaways together!
    
    
  • Audio Books
    Audio books are a wonderful substitute for television.
    
    
    • Child Audio Books- Gotta Love 'Em!
      Audio books for children- why they're so great for kids, and some recommendations for audio book titles for children.
      
      
    • Audio Book Phobic?
      Don't be afraid of audio books! Here are some myths about audiobooks.
      
      
    • Addicted to Audio Books
      Confessions of one audio book addict!
      
      
  • Storytelling- Ten Reasons to Tell your Kids Stories
    The many benefits of storytelling for your kids.
    
    
  • Radio Control Hobby
    Starting a radio control hobby can be a great activity for you and your family to enjoy together.
    
    
  • Storytelling Tips | Thrill the kids with storytelling
    click here for lots of storytelling tips- keep your kids mesmerized!
    
    
  • Reading Room | Decorating creating a family reading room
    How to create and decorate a family reading room
    
    
  • Create family memories
    Did you know that research has found that doing simple rituals enhances our feelings of togetherness and family belonging by almost 20 percent? What’s more, those home traditions and customs also increase our kids’ social skills and development. Here are nine simple, no-cost secrets moms are using to create happy memories
    
    
• Television Articles
  Articles about television and its negative effects. Articles about why TV watching is bad for your family, health and finances.
  
  
  • TV And Your Health
    Articles and studies on the effects of TV viewing on your health. How TV causes obesity.
    
    
    • Watching TV Causes Obesity
      Watching television causes obesity- so get over it and turn off the TV.
      
      
    • TV Addiction
      Is TV Addiction real and how can tv addiction harm you? What are the symptoms? What can you do about addiction to TV?
      
      
    • Television and Depression
      Does television cause depression? How turning off the tube can increase self esteem and happiness.
      
      
    • Focus On The Positive
      TV is mostly negative. Here are some tips on how to focus on the positive things in order to have a peaceful, happier life.
      
      
    • Does TV Make You Fat?
      Does tv make you fat? How?
      
      
    • TV Fitness
      TV affects your fitness habits, no doubt. Here's some motivation to get off the couch.
      
      
    • Obesity and television
      Heavy television viewing leads to obesity according to modern studies. What is the connection?
      
      
  • TV and Your Time
    Articles about TV and your time. How TV takes away from more important and fulfilliing activities.
    
    
    • Less Time In Front Of The TV for Kids
      Several benefits that occur when kids spend less time in front of the TV
      
      
    • Television, Business, Productivity
      Is television having a negative impact on your productivity and the success of your home business?
      
      
  • Kids and TV
    Articles about kids and tv.
    
    
    • Toddlers and TV
      Concerned about the effects of too much tv on toddlers? You should be. Here's why and what to do about it.
      
      
    • TV and Kids: Exposing the Damage
      Does tv watching damage our kids? What evidence is there and what should be done about it?
      
      
    • How The Media Affects Teen Girls
      Is it really true that teenage girls and television media equals low self-esteem? How does the media affect teen girls?
      
      
    • TV Violence Affects Children
      How does tv violence affect children? What do studies show about the negative effects of tv violence on children?
      
      
    • Madonna Calls TV Trash
      Madonna doesn't let her kids watch TV, calling it trash. Why?
      
      
    • TV and Teens
      Teens watching too much TV? Some quick ideas to get them off the couch.
      
      
    • TV and Video Games
      What affect does TV and video games have on our kids?
      
      
    • Tv Makes kids NAG
      Have you noticed that TV makes kids nag and beg for new stuff? Here is how to tame the commercial monster.
      
      
    • TV sexual content encourages teens to experiment
      What effect does sexual content on TV have on teens? Sex is depicted as easy and responsibility free on television. How does this impact a teen's view of sex?
      
      
    • TV Violence Effects - what are the effects of viewing TV violence?
      What have studies shown as to the effects on TV violence for kids and society?
      
      
  • TV and the Family
    Collection of articles on how TV affects the family.
    
    
    • The Rewards of Going TV Free
      The rewards and benefits for families in reducing time spent in fron of the television.
      
      
    • Life Before TV- The Good Old Days
      It's funny how the critics lament the passing of the "good old days". They wonder what happened to communities, neighborhoods, civic virtue, or family values. Pundits rant at the right and the left, blaming each or the other. Yet, the biggest change over the last two generations has been the advent of television.
      
      
    • TV's Effect On Your Family
      How does TV affect you and your family? Stop and observe. Look deeply into your kids zombie-like eyes as they watch TV. Compare that to the look in their eyes as they play outdoors. How do YOU look when watching TV? Take pictures if necessary.
      
      
    • Is TV Satan?
      I do not really think that we are all guilty of worshiping the god of the underworld. I am, however, quite turned off by the amount of affection and devotion we give to the unworthy television.
      
      
    • Tired of TV Trash?
      Too much of today’s television and radio is simply trashy.
      
      
    • Family Dinner
      How to take back the family dinner hour.
      
      
    • Television Family time suffers
      Family life suffers when television takes over family time. Here are some ways to tame the TV beast.
      
      
  • TV as a Medium
    Is there anything inherently unhealthy or bad about TV as a medium? Here are some thought provoking articles on the subject.
    
    
    • Television News
      Television news programs are just about the worst way to get news. Follow these basic guidelines to get a better picture of the world around you.
      
      
    • Unplug From The TV Matrix
      The TV creates an artificial reality, and drains people of their valuable time and energy...and money. It is only when a person unplugs from the 'TV Matrix’ that their real life begins.
      
      
    • Media Overkill- Hungry for Overkill
      A tongue-in-cheek look at the way media distorts what people think is important and the overkill they engage in. Witty but it makes the point!
      
      
    • News Blogs
      How to get your news from blogs instead of tv.
      
      
    • TV attention
      TV grabs your attention like no other medium. Why does it do this and is it healthy?
      
      
    • TV Zombie
      Anyone who's seen a kid watching TV has noticed that zombie look they get. What are the effects of this?
      
      
    • TV Addict
      Are you a TV addict? What are you really doing to yourself by being a slave to television?
      
      
    • TV Corrodes Community and Democracy
      What effect does watching TV for hours every day have on you as a citizen? You might be surprised.
      
      
    • Fake News and other reasons not to watch TV news
      TV news can be a source of half truth and bias. Where can you get your news if not from TV?
      
      
  • How To Curb Your Television Viewing Habits
    Are your television viewing habits out of control? Here's how to curb the tv viewing habit with 3 easy steps.
    
    
  • Messages on TV
    What message do we send to our kids when we spend hours watching tv?
    
    
  • Stop Watching TV?
    Want to stop watching tv? This woman's story might motivate you to do just that!
    
    
  • Negative Effects Of Reality TV
    The so-called television reality shows such as "Big Brother" are catering to those in our society who prefer to "dumb-down" their intelligence. And just look at the size of the audience that programs like this command. This is actually very good news for those of us who detest trash like this. Find out why.
    
    
    • What's So Real About Reality TV
      What is so real about reality TV? Put 20 people on an island and tell them to live off the land as if they were all on their own. Yeah, like that's real!
      
      
  • The Awful Truth About Television
    
    
• Creative Play Store
  Creative Play Online Store
  
  
• About
  The purpose of this site is not just to focus on the negative aspects of the TV habit (although an awareness of the bad things about TV is a powerful motivator to help you stop watching). The purpose of this site is to show you how life can be so much more fun, meaningful and just plain good without television!
  
  
• Submit
  What do you do instead of watching TV? We would love to hear your ideas!
  
  
• The Plug In Drug
  The Plug In Drug by Marie Winn- Why every parent should read this book.
  
  
• 4 Arguments for the Elimination of Television
  Review of 4 Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander.
  
  
• Unplugging The Plug In Drug
  Synopsis of Unplugging the Plug In Drug by Marie Winn
  
  
• Tips From Subscribers
  Some tips submitted from Instead of TV newsletter subscribers