Sometimes it seems like my kids would watch TV all day, every day, if I let them. Last summer, to prevent that from happening, I instituted a no-TV policy after 3 p.m. The kids whined and complained when I told them what I'd decided, but I promised them they wouldn't be bored--and I was right. Here are five things we did to fill up the long summer afternoons:

1. We played dress-up. I pulled out old Halloween costumes, out-of-style clothing I hadn't worn in ages, and all my hats and scarves and let my kids see what they could come up with. The photos were priceless.
2. I taught my kids how to crochet. My son didn't like the sound of this at first, but I showed him the cool stuff he could make all on his own, like a scarf in his favorite color, and pointed out that there are plenty of men out there who crochet and knit. This won him over. A book of creepy crochet creatures including ninjas and zombies inspired him to improve his skills beyond simple scarves.
3. We wrote letters to pen-pals and family members. I picked up some fun stationery, markers, and stickers and we had a letter-writing party. 
4. We read books. I'm lucky enough that my kids are bookworms, but if they weren't, I'd find a topic they were interested in (firefighters, princesses, etc.) and read a book about it to them. Audiobooks are also a good stepping stone for kids who don't like to read.