Does your teen turn on the sarcasm when she's kicked off the computer? Is your grade-schooler asking for more quality time with the TV?

It could be your kids are overprogrammed and overstimulated in these hectic, wired times, and your family could stand to be unplugged. Tossing the electronics, if only temporarily, provides your kids with something in short supply -- your undivided attention.

So nix the phone, shut down the computer and turn off the television for a "family slowdown." It may be hard to find the time, but it's worth it, said Susan Linn, author of the new book "The Case for Make Believe, Saving Play in a Commercialized World."

"Remember that your child is going to be grappling with electronic media and the things it sells for the rest of their lives," said Linn, a psychiatry instructor at Harvard Medical School. "They'll be better equipped to cope if they have lots of experience enjoying their own ability to make things happen, using their own curiosity as an impetus for actively exploring the world."

Of course, there are times when even the most attentive parents are grateful to the creators of DVDs and video recorders. But quieter activities that kids can do mostly themselves with exhausted grown-ups nearby can replace electronic babysitters.

Dig into the desk for rubber bands and have them start a rubber band ball. Teach them old-fashioned hand string games, get them to think up a story and draw their own illustrations to go with it, pack travel puzzle books with enough variety to keep fresh on the road or suggest freestyle origami that encourages kids to be inventive.

Whatever suits your family, Linn urges parents to start young. In good weather, a family hike in the woods or a walk around the neighborhood can clear everybody's heads and provide a quieter outdoor alternative to noisy and chaotic playgrounds. Visit the pet shop, the firehouse and the resident cat at the corner store as you stroll.

A trip to the airport just to watch planes take off and land is oddly exciting when you're not running to and fro with luggage. For youngsters learning how to identify money, grab your spare change jar, toss the contents on the dining room table and let them create sorting and counting games of their own.

Here are some other ideas for a special family slowdowns:

PUPPETS

They can be made on the fly out of a variety of textured, colorful materials. Children as young as 2 can make puppets out of old socks and wads of cotton balls or recycled panty hose secured by hair bands. Use markers to decorate, and sew on button eyes if you have the time. Use a cardboard box as a stage, and assign every member of the family a puppet for a performance of your child's creation.

BUILDING BRICKS

Plastic clip-together bricks like Lego can be purchased by the bucket or in specialty sets. Parents need only sit and build at their kids' instruction. The brick comes in easy-to-grip larger sizes for toddlers and tiny, intricate pieces for older kids.

DRAMATIC READ-ALOUDS

Let your child pick a favorite book and choose a family member to be narrator, preferably the one who does funny and/or scary voices the best. Let other family members dress up as characters in the book and act out their parts as the story unfolds.

SEW A FAMILY QUILT

Quilting doesn't have to be hard. You can buy batting in bulk at low cost. Send your kids on a treasure hunt for old blankets, nightgowns, linens and other fabric scraps around the house. Sew squares together by hand as a group or take turns on a machine. Your goal is not necessarily to produce heirloom quality.

PUT OUT A FAMILY NEWSPAPER

Assign somebody breaking "news" of the day, the sports beat, movie reviews and advertising. Give each family member two pages and caution them to leave room for ads that can be cut out and glued throughout the newspaper. You can base your paper on real events or make it up! Spread the work over time or operate on a "deadline" of an hour or two. Staple or stitch together.

HAIR SALON

Grab every hair band and bauble in the house and haul them over to the dining room table so your daughter can plop you in a chair and make over your look. Dad's hair is just as much fun. Brother can fill up a spray bottle and be water spritzer, prepare a pretend salon "bill" when it comes time to pay, and snap a photo for posterity to share in the fun.

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