One craft that we are extremely partial to is updating t-shirts and sweatshirts to give them a new lease of life. Not only is this a fun kid-centric activity, but it also leaves you with winter-friendly clothes, which are always in demand.

Additionally, t-shirt and sweatshirt crafts give kids a sense of pride in what they’ve created and help with fine motor skills. These crafts also lead to winter-friendly wardrobe items that you won’t have to fight your kids to put on.

So, now that we’ve sold you on the fun and excitement that t-shirt and sweatshirt-making hold, let’s give you three ideas for DIY t-shirt projects for the kids to do this winter season.

With all of the crafts we’re about to mention, we have a few guiding rules:

Always protect your surfaces with newspaper, craft paper, old fabric, or any protective barrier that will preserve your tables, countertops, floors, and furniture. While many fabric paints and fabric markers may say that they are semi-permanent or non-stainable, it can be challenging to get these paints or markers off of couches or out of floors without causing damage.

Remain aware of your kids’ ages and abilities. If you have small kids, be careful with paints and other materials that can easily be ingested or placed in the eyes and ears. For anything like scissors or glue, 12 years old is usually the age at which kids can safely use these tools with limited supervision, but we recommend keeping kids under 12 away from anything too sharp or too hot.

Have fun! The best part about crafts is that they offer a fun way to bond with family and friends. Make sure that you and your kids have fun and stay creative throughout the craft, and don’t be afraid to make your adult version of these winter shirts.

One of our favourite t-shirt or sweatshirt-making ideas for kids is turning an old t-shirt or sweatshirt into a snowman-adorned winter staple.

For this craft, you can find everything you need at your local craft store. You will need

• White puffy paint
• Glitter
• Fabric markers
• Any other embellishments (rhinestones, fabric pieces, etc.) that your kids want to include.

Using the puffy paint as your base, you can have your kids make fun snowmen (or snowwomen!) that are washable, durable, and textured to create a fun look.

Once the paint has been applied and has dried, decorate the rest of the shirt with glitter to give the appearance of a snowy wonderland. Embellish your design using things like fabric markers or rhinestones to personalise your shirt and to let your tiny artists channel their creative power.

We love this snowy tribute to winter, and, as a bonus, puffy paint is highly tactile and great for kids who enjoy some sensory fun throughout the day.

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Tie Dye is a time-tested fan favourite for a reason. Tie-dye is cheap and fun and creates phenomenal colours and patterns.

For a unique winter tie-dye masterpiece, you can either go with a frozen, snowy theme (think blues, greys, silver, gold), or you can go with darker, more muted colours (browns, blacks, dark greens), OR you can take things in a holiday direction with green, red, gold, and white.

Whatever you select, have fun with your patterns. Most tie-dye kits come with pattern suggestions (spirals, camo-themed, etc.), but you can make these projects your own.

One idea that we love is using some masking tape to create winter-themed shapes. From leaves, stars, and presents to holiday trees and snowmen, there’s no end to the possibilities within this fun craft.

One note when doing tie-dye: use gloves, because the dye is permanent and can be challenging to get off of fingers and out from under your nails.

One unique and creative kid-friendly DIY t-shirt idea is to create a wearable snow globe.

This project does involve glue (either fabric glue or a hot glue gun), so make sure to keep younger children away from hot tools or toxic glue.

All you need to create a wearable snowglobe is:

• An old t-shirt or sweatshirt
• Square of plastic that you will create a pouch out of.

For the plastic pouch we like repurposing clear pencil cases, waterproof phone pouches, or similar items.

Gluing one plastic edge to the shirt, let your kids fill the pouch with fun items like mini snowmen, trees, or whatever else they like. Add glitter at the end to create a “snow” effect, then seal everything up. Afterward, the pouch should have some air and space, and your kids can watch their glittery snow globe work its magic whenever they move.

For some more fun, let your kids paint or draw on the rest of the shirt to make this winter shirt their own.

When it comes to DIY t-shirt and sweatshirt crafting ideas, there’s no limit to the fun and creativity out there. Just remember, always keep a watchful eye on younger t-shirt makers and keep any dangerous or heat-centric tools high up and away from little artists.

Most importantly, have fun with these crafts and enjoy a new wardrobe filled with unique and personalised winter-friendly items.

Building a fort in the house or the garden, if the weather is good enough, is a super way to get the kids imagination and engineering skills working!

Forts can be built indoors or outdoors using cardboard boxes, rugs or sheets, clothes driers, sofas, chairs, beds and tables and offer hours of fun.

For a temporary outdoor fort, use rugs, wall/fences, clothes lines etc. Or if you wanted a bigger project, get the children to design and build an outdoor fort using trees, wood or old pallets etc.

If this seems like too much and you have a tent, why not put that up and let the children decorate it to use as their Den HQ. Remember, tents can be pitched indoors too!

When my girls were young, they loved to write their own mini-plays and perform them for us. They spent hours perfecting the show, creating the costumes and props and getting the ‘stage’ set.

Encourage your kids to be creative and plan an entertaining show for you and other family members or friends to enjoy. They could write or adapt a favourite book or TV show into a play, sing, dance, play an instrument or recite a poem, the possibilities are endless.

No matter what age your children are, teaching them some basic cookery skills is something that will last a lifetime.

If they are old enough you could get them to plan a menu, create a shopping list and make a family meal during midterm break. There are so many different options for all ages. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

• Soup (chop the vegetables you want to use, fry in a small amount of oil and butter in a large saucepan, add stock, cover and boil until vegetables are soft and blend if needed.) We love this Carrot soup.
• Salad (use a packet of salad leaves, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber and create or buy a dressing)
• Pizza (use a pre-made base and a jar of passata. Spoon the passata onto the base and spread evenly to cover. Then add everyones favourite toppings for a quick, easy and tasty pizza that just needs to be oven cooked.) Check out these inspiring recipes from Pizza da Piero.
• Risotto (once you have the vegetables chopped and softened in oil on a large non-stick pan, add the rice and once coated in oil, spoon on a ladle of stock, let it absorb and continue to add stock, one ladle at a time, until the rice is cooked) This mushroom risotto.recipe is a firm favourite in our house.
• Stirfry (use pre-sliced meat and a packet of stirfry mixed vegetables. Heat oil on a wok and cook the meat, add the vegetables and once cooked serve with noodles or rice.) Check out this Chinese Beef Stir Fry.
• S’mores Dessert Pizza (for a real treat, use a pre-made pizza base and cover with chocolate spread and marshmallows, bake until the marshmallows melt…so tasty.)
• Muffins (for a post dinner treat, these blueberry muffins are easy to make)

Get creative and active by designing your very own obstacle course. Ideal for the garden but you can also create an indoor version for days when the weather is not co-operating!

We have some ideas here for an outdoor obstacle course. You could also include a scavenger hunt as part of the challenge.

For indoors, cushions can be used to create stepping stones, stairs can be used to hop up and down, a laundry basket and soft ball make a perfect throwing challenge and you could add an indoor scavenger hunt to make it more interesting.

Create your very own home cinema with posters, tickets and cinema treats!

Get the kids to pick some films they want to watch and use their choices to design ‘cinema posters’ and tickets.

Once they have the room set up, it’s onto the cinema treats, which could include making it a pizza and movie night with microwave popcorn, drinks from re-useable sports bottles (to avoid spills) and pick’n’mix. For this just buy several different packets of sweets and place them in bowls then give everyone a bag of their own to fill with their favourites.

Check out our top picks of family favourite movies for inspiration. Or you could choose by theme e.g. Halloween, 80’s Family movies etc.

One of the benefits of the internet is the ability to explore the world…from the comfort of home. So if you are not planning a trip away this mid-term how about getting the children to plan a virtual trip instead?

Possible virtual field trips include the Arctic, the great wall of China, a chocolate factory, a space center, or how about a day at the Zoo?

You could get your child to make a travel diary of their day out to the amazing place they pick to explore. What did they eat? Who did they meet? What did they see? How did they travel there?

When was the last time you all played a board game together? From Jenga to Snakes and Ladders and Monopoly to Pictionary we all have board games that we don’t play enough.

So, this midterm get out all your board games and have a family challenge or challenge the kids to have a board game marathon to see how many they can play in a certain amount of time!

Do you have a budding magician? We have some excellent easy magic tricks for them to perfect before trying them out on you.

For those who prefer cards, check out these traditional card games and card tricks to learn and enjoy.

This one could get a bit messy. My advice would be to cover the table where the kids will be getting creative with a disposable table cloth or give them each a tray to work on.

When it comes to homemade slime, there are hundreds of different options. We have rounded up our top homemade slime recipes which include rainbow unicorn slime, safe no borax slime and glow in the dark slime!

Playdough is also easy to make and can be moulded into many different shapes for hours of enjoyment. Get our simple Playdough recipe.

Gardening is a wonderful way to teach children about the plant life-cycle as well as the eco-system of birds, insects and plants. If you don’t have a garden, it is possible to grow herbs, flowers and vegetables in pots which can be kept indoors or on a patio or balcony.

Kids that actively engage in nurturing plants also learn responsibility and the pride of seeing a tiny seed grow into something that can be consumed or shared with others.

Growing your own is also a good way to get children interested in food and where it comes from. In my experience, my children loved growing potatoes, onions, carrots, raspberries and strawberries which we then used in cooking.

One project that is easy to achieve is to grow your own pizza garden!

I don’t know about your house, but in mine I always have a bagful of single socks with no matches!

This sock animal craft is a great way to repurpose those single socks that seem to multiply with every wash!

Carlow is home to the beautiful river Barrow, one of Ireland’s longest rivers. All the family can enjoy getting active on the water by canoeing, paddle boarding, rowing or kayaking. Some of the providers include:

• Go with the Flow River Adventures
• Paddle Your Own Canoe
• Pure Adventure

For those looking for a more leisurely pace you could take a boat trip or cruise with:

• An Bád Keppel – Boat Trips
• Boatrips.ie

Many of the hotels in Carlow offer a swimming pool but for those that don’t have one on-site there are these swimming pool options which are open to the public:

• Graiguecullen Swimming Pool – perfect for indoor swimming
• Bagenalstown Outdoor Heated Pool which is open during the summer months.

Carlow is just over an hour from Dublin but it’s a world away when it comes to getting out into nature!

There are an abundance of lovely trails and hikes to choose from and explore. Looped walks are located throughout the county, all of which are perfectly suited to families with distances varying from 2km to 6km. Some great options to explore on foot include:

• Oak Park Forest Park and Clogrennane Wood, both close to Carlow Town
• Kilbrannish North and South Forests on the Blackstairs Mountains
• Clashganny Forest, south of Borris,
• Bahana and Gowlin Forests near the village of St Mullins

Flat walking is available along the beautiful Barrow Way and for those with older children or teens, more strenuous hiking can be undertaken along the scenic South Leinster and Wicklow Ways.

You can download itineraries in advance of your visit to ensure you find the most suitable walks and hikes for your family.

Whether you want to pack your own bikes or hire a bike for a day, there are plenty of options to explore on two wheels.

2 companies who offer bike hire include:

• Graiguenamanagh Bike Hire
• Barrow Blueway Bike Hire

Carlow has a wealth of gardens and you can enjoy up to 19 different gardens when you take the Carlow Garden Trail. 

Some that are particularly family friendly include:

Delta Sensory Gardens in Carlow Town are just brilliant for the whole family. They are located on the grounds of Delta Centre, a facility which currently supports 117 individuals with disabilities across its services. Originally built for users of the centre, their reputation has grown in the intervening years to be a sought out attraction for all.

Fabulous for kids who love making their way through the sixteen small(ish) gardens, hiding on parents, playing with the giant chess pieces, finding the fish in the pond, discovering water features and much more.

There is plenty for the adults too, with a Sculpture Garden, a Peace Garden, Five Senses Garden and a 1916/2016 Memorial Garden to discover and enjoy. In total there are 2.5 acres of interconnecting gardens alongside a garden centre and Café Thyme.

Duckett’s Grove Walled Garden and Pleasure Grounds near Carlow Town are another great attraction for the family. Here you can:

• Take guided tours
• Visit the kitchen gardens,
• Play in the woodland playground around the ruined gothic mansion
• Enjoy the tea rooms located in the original courtyard building.  They offer a lovely food experience serving breakfasts, lunches, delicious cake and speciality teas and coffees.

The lawns of the kitchen gardens and large meadows at the entrance also make for a great picnic location. Kids are very safe once on-site and can roam freely.

Arboretum Inspirational Gardens in Leighlinbridge are very special. Here families can enjoy exploring the African mud hut, spotting the friendly koi who reside in the Arboretum pond and just generally following the path to discover what’s next around the corner.

For adults there’s a beautiful garden centre with a kitchen store, health and wellness section, fashion shop etc. which is equally attractive for children, as there’s a beautiful playground situated beside the outdoor terrace of Rachel’s Garden Café, which is a godsend as you can enjoy your tea and cake while keeping a watchful eye. And a fun maze for the kids to explore too.

Huntington Castle and Gardens in Clonegal features a woodland playground and plenty of animals that children enjoy looking at – peacocks, pot bellied pigs, sheep and lambs. For slightly older children the tour of the house, delivered in the main by a family member is fascinating.

Rathwood Home and Garden World near Tullow is a firm family favourite attraction for visitors to the county and for those who live in Carlow. Features include:

• Family friendly train rides aboard the Rathwood Express
• A children’s playground
• The Maze of Ireland, a real delight with each county of the country represented for children to travel around the country in one go!.
• A fabulous indoor play centre

Rath Wood Forest is immediately adjacent providing great walks for all ages and is also the location of the “Big Top” where there are seasonal events including a Teddy Bear’s picnic during the summer, Easter Train rides and Santa visits.

The Chocolate Garden of Ireland is home to an artisan chocolate and ice-cream making factory! You can visit throughout the year and enjoy some of the tasty treats on offer!

They also run seasonal chocolate making workshops for children and adults at different times throughout the year including summer, Halloween, Christmas and Easter. There is a lovely playground on-site too which has recently been refurbished, that children of all ages will enjoy.

The Carlow County Museum is perfect for children aged from 5+. Children love completing the “Museum Detective” where the clues lead them and their parents on a journey around the museum.

The exhibits are very visual and a number can be touched! These include:

• The old style children’s desk that your grandparents sat at
• A culm crusher, unique to Carlow, Kilkenny and Laois
• The 16th century effigy of Robert Hartpole,  Constable of Carlow Castle
• And beware of the gallows trapdoor from Carlow jail!

The Borris Railway Viaduct is another fascinating place to visit. It’s one of Ireland’s best examples of pioneering 19th-century railway engineering and one of the most admired and celebrated railway structures in the country.

This historic landmark rises to 60ft high and spans the Borris and Mountain River Valley. Families can enjoy the looped walk and stunning scenery of the Blackstairs Mountains and the town of Borris. Great interpretation signage is in place showing the history of the railway project.

Another heritage site that children love is the Brownshill Dolmen. They are fascinated by how it got there and how much it weighs.

The giant capstone alone weighs in excess of 100 tonnes, making it the largest of its kind in Europe. The Dolmen is thought to have been there since 2,500 BC making it almost 5 thousand years old!

The stunning VISUAL Arts Centre building in the centre of Carlow Town is the largest space in Ireland for the display of visual art.

There are many activities for all ages to enjoy including:

• Family art workshops
• Youth theatre, talks and workshops
• A stunning range of exhibitions on show
• The 320-seat theatre George Bernard Shaw theatre which offers a packed programme of drama, film, dance and comedy.

The Dome Family Entertainment Centre offers bowling, state of the art laser tag and a giant 8,000 square foot play area, Congo Quest, suitable for children up to the age of 12 including:

• soft play
• ball pools
• play frames
• crawl tubes
• slides
• soccer court

The facility is open 7 days a week and caters for all ages from toddlers to grandparents and everyone in between!

For those looking to be challenged, the Mount Brandon Pottery School in Graiguenamanagh offers pottery classes and workshops for kids and adults of all levels and abilities.

Create your very own masterpiece to take home and enjoy for years to come!

Explore the grounds of the stunning Rathwood House and Forest by taking a unique train ride. Open year round the train is themed for certain times of the year including Christmas!

We hope you have enjoyed finding out about all that Carlow has to offer. To plan your trip you can stop by the Carlow Tourism website and find more family friendly:

• Places to stay
• Places to eat
• Visitor attractions
• Tours, Tracks and Trails to download
• Seasonal events 

The first week you are happy to not be doing the usual school routine. The second week, it pours with rain and the kids keep saying “I’m bored”. By week 3 you are starting to wonder when do the schools go back again…

From Dining Outdoors to Outings, we’ve got a fun list of 26 things to do this summer, in our A-Z guide to surviving the summer holidays!

Check out art-themed summer events and activities taking place in your locality. Local art centres often run camps and classes for kids, or there might be a local art school doing drawing or painting camps.

Head to your nearest art gallery or art museum with the children, many offer art trails for children to follow or run family art-themed events.

Summer wouldn’t be summer without at least one trip to the beach. Even if the weather is not perfect, time at the beach can be very absorbing for children.

Pack a picnic, take some towels, remember the suncream and head off for some fun time at the beach. Check out our fun and interesting things to do at the beach with kids.

In Ireland we are blessed with some amazing beaches on our coastline, many are blue flag beaches and offer great amenities for families.

I still remember movies that my parents took me to when I was a child. Even though we live in the age of streaming, nothing beats seeing a movie on the big screen. And enjoying treats like popcorn and sweets when you go to the cinema is part of the fun.

Check your nearest cinema to see if they have any family ticket offers or early bird screenings that are cheaper to go with kids to.

Food always tastes nicer outdoors! Pack a picnic for days out or even in the garden. We have some delicious picnic recipe inspiration here. You probably have a favourite picnic place that you’ve been to before, but try somewhere new for a change.

Also you can’t beat a BBQ on a summer’s evening. Keep an eye out in local supermarkets for special offers on BBQ essentials. Has anyone else noticed how kids tend to clear their plates when they eat outside?

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The great thing about summer time is that is the most popular time for events and festivals to take place. From annual holidays to food festivals, there’s usually something on every week.

Your local council or library is a good place to follow on social media, libraries offer summer reading programmes, while local councils often help support events that appeal to families.

If you’re in Ireland, keep an eye on our events page for what’s happening around the country.

Organise playdates so the kids can keep in touch with their school friends. If you’re entertaining your own kids what’s another one or two! Chances are they will entertain themselves and you can arrange for your kids to visit their friends house in return for a change of scenery.

Summer time is also a good time for a sleepover, put up the tent in your garden, pile out the sleeping bags, duvets and pillows, feed and water the kids and then leave them to have fun.

Plan a games day. Arrange with family and friends and visit a local park or green and have a sports day. Play Five-a-Side Football, Rounders, Egg and Spoon Races, or whatever you prefer!

Pick up some cheap prizes or trophies in a discount shop and have a “prize giving” and picnic afterwards. Here are some ideas for fun games to play outdoors.

Pack up a backpack with picnic, drinks, and a blanket, and head off for a hike. You could go up a nearby hill, explore a forest or woods, head to the beach or do a walking trail.

Stop half way, spread out the blanket and enjoy some eats before you head back again. You might want these games to play while walking up your sleeve if little people start to flag on the way back. Or try a nature scavenger hunt to make the walk even more fun.

Play pretend with the kids and get them to use their imagination!

• Camp out the back garden and pretend you’re in the desert or jungle
• Visit a castle and pretend you’re royalty or a knight from the olden days
• Set up pots and pans in the garden and pretend you’re a top chef cooking
• Build a fort and pretend it’s a pirate ship

The possibilities are endless…

You’ll have the kids jumping with excitement if you show them some of the things we did as children. My kids just love when I draw and play hopscotch with them, a very cheap and easy way to keep them entertained, if you haven’t done it yet, try it.

Or you can get a long skipping rope and teach them how to skip with more than one person…. oh I remember the days!!

Let the kids into the kitchen and enjoy cooking together. We have loads of tasty family recipes, why not let the kids try a few (with supervision, of course!).

It’s a great way to get children to try new foods if they have helped prepare it and also helping prepare a three course meal can entertain children for a whole afternoon.

Every summer at the start of the holidays my daughters and I would make our summer bucket list. It had to have a mix of free and paid for activities, and some had to be local while some could be days out that we would plan to go on.

Decide which places you would like to visit and things you would like to do with the kids this summer and make a list! Hang it on the fridge to remember and aim to tick the list off regularly.

Keep mementos from your trips this summer, take plenty of photos, collect shells and stones, pick flowers. Let the kids pick their favourites and make a  scrapbook or memory book.

This will keep the kids busy for hours throughout the summer and is great for winding down time after a day out or on a rainy day afternoon.

Get your kids outdoors and exploring some nature, even if it’s a bug hunt in the backyard or looking at nature in their own garden.

If you have a nature centre or national park near you, they often run nature-themed activities and events for kids to enjoy.

Here are more fun ideas for nature activities for kids and cool books for curious kids to learn about nature.

Outings are a great way to break up the long summer holidays. Of course there are lots of attractions and venues where you have to pay for your outing there, but there are lots of other outings you can do for very little cost or free:

• A visit to the library to pick up new books
• Write a letter and go to the Post Office to buy stamps to post it to Grandma and Grandpa
• Climb a hill with a kite on a windy day
• Pick a new playground you have never been to and visit with the kids
• Ride a new bus or train route to somewhere you’ve never been before
• Head to the beach for some sand and sea time

The perfect summer day activity! Get some picnic food inspiration here, make up some homemade lemonade to take with, gather all the bits and pieces you need to make a picnic outing and head off to the beach, river, lake, forest or park.

And if the weather threatens rain, you could always set up a home picnic – teddy bears are invited of course!

Enjoy a family quiz together. Here are some fun facts for kids to help you design your quiz:

• 12 ROARsome Tiger Facts for Kids
• 15 Fascinating Science Facts for Kids
• 21 Mega Moon Facts for Kids
• Fun Facts About Ancient Greece for Kids
• 15 Fun Panda Facts for Kids
• 20 Cheeky Chipmunk Facts for Kids

Here’s how to create a family trivia game, but Amazon also has plenty of quiz games for families if you can’t be bothered to make your own.

Or you may enjoy playing The Categories Game otherwise known as Stop the Bus or a simple game of Animal, Mineral, Vegetable too.

Fingers crossed they will be few and far between, however, there is bound to be a few (especially in Ireland). We have plenty of ideas for rainy day activities for you to do, both out and about and at home, but here are some of our favourite things to do when the weather is wet:

• set up a home cinema and watch a movie
• bake cookies together
• arts and crafts, draw or paint or collage, then have an art exhibition
• make a family magazine or newspaper
• put on a playlist and dance around the kitchen

In the pool or in the sea, one of the nice times of year to go swimming is in the summertime. Many local swimming pools extend and increase their family swim times during the holidays, and have splash times for families too.

If you’re heading out for the day this summer, why not try to leave the car at home and go with public transport? It’s much more exciting than the car for the little people and it saves the hassle of finding parking. Older kids could get involved with planning your itinerary and checking transport times.

You will find everything you need to keep the kids entertained here at MyKidsTime, the only other information you need is an accurate weather forecast!

Why not be a tourist in your own town or city and visit the places you never think of going to? Most of us never do the things that tourists do and summertime is a great time to join them and find out more about your city or town. So make a list of attractions or places that visitors go and head off for a day of sightseeing.

Many towns and cities offer visit passes that offer discounts for entry so it’s worth checking what you could avail of.

Summertime is the perfect time for watery fun, eg water balloons, set up a slip n slide, let the kids run through the hose or sprinkler, fill the paddling pool or get them to wash the car!

As always, be vigilant with kids around water.

Encourage your child to be an eXplorer this summer, whether that’s exploring for bugs in the garden, doing a summer reading challenge to explore new books, going geocaching, or simply exploring your neighbourhood together.

Get your child to try some fun off-screen activities, the kind you used to play with and do when you were a child:

• Yoyo
• Slinky
• Hula hoop
• Skipping rope
• Marbles
• Hopscotch
• Make a fortune teller

Summer is a time to relax and recharge, with all these suggestions to entertain the kids, fingers crossed they will sleep a little better and a little longer giving mums and dads a bit more rest too..

Enjoy the rest of your Summer!

Here are some of the summer reading challenges that kids will enjoy. Some involve visiting the library, others can be done by downloading reading lists online.

Happy reading!

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge 2023 theme for The Reading Agency in the UK is Ready Set Read! arriving online and in your local library this summer.

Get ready for a whole load of team spirit, your fave sporty (or not!) heroes, and plenty of fun with our latest collection for the 2023 sports and games themed Summer Reading Challenge: Ready, Set, Read! Each book has been specially chosen by an expert group of readers for everybody taking part to enjoy.

The aim of the challenge is to get children to read any six books of their choice from their library during the summer holidays.

The Summer Stars reading programme runs in public libraries throughout Ireland during summer, from June until the end of August. All children throughout the country are invited to join the adventure and to enjoy the fun and pleasure of reading and writing over the summer. Summer Stars is non-competitive and every child who reads even one book / ebook is regarded as having completed the programme – and it’s all completely free!

Each child who registers for the programme at their local library joins in the fun of reading lots of exciting books during the summer.

Children can sign up for the programme in their local library at the start of the summer and are encouraged to read as many books as they can during the months of July and August.

Track your reading progress with reading cards which can be marked each time a book is read, online or in print form. These are available from your local library or for download and print here.

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Readingrockets.org has 10 Weeks of Summer Reading Adventures for you and your Kids with activities for each week on different topics from outdoors to recipes to travel.

Their Start with a Book website offers lots of book ideas by age.

The Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge is a free reading program dedicated to stopping the “Summer Slide” and encouraging kids to read every day this summer. The Summer Reading Challenge invites kids to log the minutes they spend reading as they strive to set a new world record for summer reading.

From May 4 through  September 7, kids can visit the summer zone in Scholastic Home Base, a completely free digital destination which offers stories, characters, games, and a community of readers. Home Base is moderated for safety 24/7.

PBS Parents has some good resources for parents with fun, educational activities that explore reading, writing and language. Just pick the age group you are interested in and there are also some nice tips to encourage reading every day.

Whether you are planning a low cost day out as a family or a meet up with friends at a venue, set a budget so you know in advance what the costs are going to be.

Think about travel costs, ticket prices, refreshments, spending money and extras you or the kids may want to spend on the day.

This is the fun part, choosing where to go and who to go with! From free days out with a picnic at the beach, playground or park to theme parks, museums, a boat trip or other fun activity, get the whole family involved in planning so everyone has a great time.

Do your research online in advance to get the best deals and to find out if there are any dates that won’t be possible. When it comes to buying tickets, it is good to nominate one person to take charge of booking them so you can be sure you will all be together.

Once you have decided who is going, what the budget is and where you want to go, it’s time to set the date. While it is nice to do some ad hoc days out, if you have to purchase tickets or want to meet friends, it is best to set a date and plan ahead to make sure plans are set in stone. Once you have it in the diary, it can be something to look forward to!

If your chosen date is coming up soon, you can also check the weather forecast to make sure your plans won’t be affected by the weather – an essential aspect in particular for outdoor activities.

Have a checklist of what you need for the day. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Fully charged mobile/devices + charger
• Entertainment for the journey
• Picnic/Refreshments
• Tickets, either printed or proof of purchase on mobile (you may also need photo id and the card used for booking)
• For good weather, sunscreen, bug spray, sun hats, swimwear; or raincoats, wellies, layers and a change of clothes in the event of bad weather
• Picnic rug or deck chairs
• Entertainment for destination (Usborne things to spot books, outdoor games, frisbee, etc.)
• Get children to pack a small backpack each (their schoolbag is the perfect size!) with what they need e.g. water, spending money, book for the journey, pen and paper, etc.

Decide in advance how you are going to get to your destination. Leave plenty of time to get there, particularly if you have to arrive at a certain time for your booking.

If you are travelling by car, have it fully fuelled the day before. Plan the route and check before you go for any roadworks, accidents, etc. Depending on how long the journey is, when travelling with children it is good to know where you can stop along the way for toilet breaks! Don’t forget to plan for parking at your destination too – is there some on-site, or will you need to find street parking nearby? Is it possible to book in advance?

If you are travelling by public transport, know the train/bus/tram times and check for any planned works in advance. If there are several people travelling together, do book tickets in advance as it can often save money and ensure you are seated together.

Keep the kids amused on the journey with these free activity printables and colouring pages!

With a little bit of planning and preparation, you can be guaranteed a fantastic family day out, making memories and having fun!

We begin with the newest family activity, The Irish Racehorse Experience. It is suitable for all members of the family aged 8+.

This award winning experience brings you on a journey of discovery, from the first ever steeplechase held in Cork, to learning about the breeding and training of thoroughbred horses to racing today in Ireland and further afield.

The experience includes an opportunity for you to be a virtual racehorse trainer and to take part in a virtual race against the other members of your family! Who will be victorious?

For younger members of the family the play area at The Irish National Stud and Gardens offers a great variety of play equipment including swings, slides and climbing frames, sure to keep the little ones entertained!

Take a stroll through the woodlands and gardens to see if you can spot some of the 20 fairies who call The Irish National Stud home!

You can collect a fairy trail map when you arrive. It will lead you on an enchanting journey alongside the lake in St Fiachra’s garden and through the woodlands to the stable yards, where you might spot Hattie taking good care of the newborn foals and other horses.

Once you’ve spotted all the fairies, head to the playground to make your wish on the special wishing seat!

The Japanese Gardens have been cultivated for over 100 years. They offer a magical experience with running water, bridges, a traditional tea house and unique statues, sculptures, plants and trees that are a feast for the senses.

Enter through the ‘Gates of Oblivion’ and follow the path of of your choice from the path of life, to the easy path or the rugged path. There are 15 steps to follow which depict the journey of life and you can find out what each step represents in your guide provided when you arrive.

St Fiachra’s Garden was created to celebrate the Millennium at The Irish National Stud. St Fiachra is the patron saint of gardeners and believed in helping those in need.

The 4 acre garden combines woodland, water and a natural habitat to explore. Along the way you can enter caves, cross stepping stones, enter a traditional Beehive hut and see wildlife.

Be sure to stop for a moment on the Forget Me Not bench to remember things that make you happy.

Don’t miss checking out the Buglington Hotel! The perfect spot for all those bugs and insects who help pollinate the plants all around that look so pretty but also provide food for us humans and all the horses too! Your little one will love this special spot.

You can take a self guided tour when you visit or for those who want to learn more, there are regular guided tours.

These are included as part of the cost of entry and are the ideal way to learn more about the living legends and have an opportunity to meet some of the horses in the main paddock and the mares and foals who are in a separate paddock. You can also meet the ponies that are in residence too.

Don’t miss checking out the Buglington Hotel! The perfect spot for all those bugs and insects who help pollinate the plants all around that look so pretty but also provide food for us humans and all the horses too! Your little one will love this special spot.

Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy dining at The Japanese Gardens Restaurant and the Pavilion café when you visit. Local ingredients are used where possible and the homemade style of the food is perfect to keep everyone happy.

With everything from hot meals to sandwiches and wraps, home baked goods and delicious tea and coffee you are sure to find something to suit everyone in the family. Kids size portions are available on request and there are high chairs and bottle heating facilities too.

If a picnic is more your thing, there are plenty of picnic benches dotted throughout the grounds and you can always pick up drinks and some treats to enjoy outdoors from the Pavilion Café.

The Irish National Stud and Gardens run regular seasonal events and classes. With everything from foaling season in February, the Easter Eggstravaganza through to outdoor theatre, workshops and much more.

During school holidays visitors are invited to enjoy the Summer Fun Series which takes place during July & August annually.

Be sure to keep up-to-date for the latest events on their Facebook page and the website.

For those who want to visit more than once in the year, the Annual Pass is a good value option which gives you unlimited day visitor admission, priority booking on ticketed events and regular mailings with updates and seasonal events.

One of our parents recommended The Irish National Stud and Gardens as the perfect place to visit with children who have sensory or additional needs.

You are surrounded by nature and tranquility. Their child especially loved the opportunity to meet and stroke the horses and there was plenty of space to move about without anywhere getting too crowded.

Don’t forget to pay a visit to the gift shop which has a kids corner for little people to enjoy! Here you can pick up unique gifts for family and friends or a memento of your special day out.

From foaling in February right though to Christmas, you can follow the journey of the horses as they grow, enjoy every season in the gardens and discover 850 acres of pure magic when you have a family day out at The Irish National Stud and Gardens.

Book your visit today.

Head out to your local woods, beach or park for a walk. Make your walk more fun with our free nature scavenger hunt list turning a walk into an adventure!

Family walks are a great opportunity to get out and active, have the kids run around in the fresh air and off screens. But if you need a little incentive to entice them for the walk, then games and a little competition can really help. These entertaining games to play on a family walk are suitable for a range of ages and need nothing more than a little imagination and creativity!

Create a fun obstacle course, indoors or outdoors, and test your skills in a friendly family competition.

The course possibilities are endless and you can change it around each round, becoming more challenging as the players improve their skills.

If you want to increase the motivation of the children you could award a unique medal for the ultimate winner.

Customised Award Medals can be easily created and ordered online. Use your creativity and cool graphics that the kids will love to customise a medal that can be given and treasured for years to come.

Wow your friends and family, and learn some magic tricks – here are 10 easy magic tricks for kids to master.

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Create a time capsule together. Put things in it that are happening right now and then open it in 12 months and see how things have changed.

This is a great activity for birthdays. You could create a sheet of questions that you answer annually and see how your ideas change as you grow. They could be favourite bands, foods you like, friends, goals etc.

Gardening with kids is great fun – they love to get mucky and see the results of their work. If you have room, why not assign them their own flower bed and help them plan out their planting? Here’s how to make your garden a fun place for kids.

Give them their own pot/planter. Herbs and salad leaves are quick to grow, and most kids enjoy eating what they have grown! Here’s a how to grow your own pizza garden.

Fill water balloons or buckets, and place them equally on opposite ends of the garden.

• Split up into teams and stand facing each other.
• When the signal is given, begin throwing water balloons at the other team.
• When a player is hit, the other team scores a point.
• Play until all the balloons are gone, the members of one team have all been hit, or a certain number of points have been reached.

Get out the blankets and cushions, make and deliver the invitations and decide on whether your picnic will be indoors or outdoors.

Cut out some teddy bear footprints from pieces of paper and put these on the floor leading to the picnic area. Footprints could also lead to other activities if you are having them. You could include a teddy bear themed pass the parcel game or even dance with your teddy bear.

Take turns saying these fun tongue twisters and see who can say them the best. Tongue twisters like “If two witches were watching two watches, which witch would watch which watch?” will surely leave you in fits of giggles!

Let your kids make a camp/den  using old blankets/duvets, cushions and chairs for props. Or gather some sturdy sticks from the wood and use some old tarpaulin as a roof.

Set up a home cinema and settle down to watch some fun family movies together.

Wondering what to watch? Try these feel-good movies, introduce your kids to some 80s classics, or work your way through our A to Z of fab family movies!

Create your very own hairdressing studio and take turns doing each other’s hair. No scissors needed for this one!

Scavenger hunts are great fun for kids as they adore the thrill of hunting. It’s also a great excuse to get them active outdoors, so a win-win for everyone! But we know that the weather doesn’t always play ball, so we’ve also got lots of indoor options to make sure you can enjoy the fun whenever the mood takes. Here are some mega fun scavenger hunt ideas for kids to turn your little darlings into mini-explorers!

From sounds and colours to shapes and nature, we’ve got printable scavenger hunt downloads all ready for you.

Strap on the helmets, grab the bikes, and go for a cycle. Cycling is a great activity that the whole family can do together – it’s an opportunity to get out with the kids and get some exercise and fresh air. But being cycle-safe is important too, so here are 9 essential tips for safer cycling and bike safety for kids that you should keep in mind.

Homemade science experiments can get messy, so if weather permits, move the “lab” outside. Here are some ideas:

• 5 fun science experiments for kids
• 18 easy science experiments for preschoolers
• How to have fun with kitchen chemistry
• How to make playdough
• How to make honeycomb
• How to make slime

Kids love to mess around in the sand, particularly at home in the garden. Even if you don’t have a sand table, it’s easy to make your own, with a large shallow plastic container, and some play sand. We’ve got lots of great sand play ideas for kids – just remember to cover when finished, to keep the cats away.

Love them or hate them, bugs are fascinating to kids! Download our free Big Bug Scavenger Hunt List to search for critters in the park, woods or closer to home.

We all love to dine alfresco, and kids especially love a picnic. Pack a basket of homemade goodies, a flask with tea for yourself, and a waterproof blanket. Why not try our easy recipes for homemade sausages and homemade lemonade?

This cheddar and bacon quiche is delicious hot or cold, while these baked berry squares are a tasty treat with oaty goodness for all that running around!

Picnics are such a fun way to enjoy food casually, and kids particularly love the fun that goes with eating outdoors. Whether you’re planning to picnic in the garden at home or out and about this summer, these practical picnic ideas for the perfect day out, will help keep the focus on the fun and family time that it’s all about.

Going to the playground is a great way to get the kids active outdoors. Most towns have a local playground, but for a change, why not try a different playground in a nearby town? Pack a picnic and make a day out of it.

Design and build a LEGO or plastic brick structure. It could be a castle, a house, a fire station, or maybe a small town. Or have building competitions, where have to make structures using only one colour brick.

Give your creativity and imagination a boost with more than 50+ LEGO instructions and how-to videos that are sure to turn you into a Master Builder. Our list of LEGO instructions has it all – from Yoda and Minion favourites to chocolate cake, hot air balloons and vintage cars!

And don’t miss our 30 Day LEGO Challenge or fun LEGO Bingo Challenge if you need even more ideas!

Kids love to run and jump in puddles. Dress them in their wet gear and head out for some rainy day fun! Take some inspiration from these fun outdoor rainy day games.

We asked Mykidstime parents for their favourite outdoor childhood games when they were young – you know those games that occupied our free time and summer days, before computer games? Here are their 20 great childhood games, perfect for parties, weekends or to play in the garden.

Teach your child some of your favourite childhood games – from Bulldog and What’s the Time Mr Wolf? to rounders and elastics, these outdoor games are lots of fun!

The best bit? You can play too!

Wait for a windy day, and head to an open space to fly a kite. You could even try your hand at making the kites.

Host a mini fun sports day, with obstacle courses, long-jump, and novelty races like 3-legged, sack, and egg and spoon.

Hours of fun and exhausted kids guaranteed!

Take a trip to your local park, river or lake, and feed the ducks or swans. But please don’t take bread, as this isn’t good for birds. Other options that are better for them include grapes cut in half, cracked corn/barley/oats/birdseed, frozen peas or corn kernels (defrosted, but no need to cook) or duck feed pellets available from pet shops.

Play a game of dominoes or for something even more creative, set up a huge long line of dominoes and then have fun knocking them down!

A much loved activity in my house, treasure hunts are great fun! All you need are some pens, paper and of course, treasures! Here’s some tips on setting up a kid’s treasure hunt.

A night out in a tent is definitely a must for all kids – I still remember my first night out camping, and having to run back inside when the worst ever thunderstorm erupted!

Even if you don’t get away, you can set up the tent in the back garden, and enjoy sleeping outdoors.

Here are some essential tips for first-time camping with kids, and some delicious ideas for camping meals that are more than just s’mores!

All you need is some sand, water and a desire to get mucky!

Head out the nearby park or woods, with a ruler and tape-measure, and measure a tree. See who can find the tallest tree.

Fishing is a great outdoor activity, but remember, it requires lots of patience on your part. Gear the day/expedition to their level, and assume they will want to get wet, and look for everything else but fish!

However, it can be a great way to spend time with your child, and you might even bring home dinner!

Fishing nets on the beach are ideal for catching crabs in rock pools, and a lot easier too!

On a clear night, bring the kids outside for some star gazing. If you have a telescope all the better, but is not necessary.

See if you can recognise any of the well-known constellations with our tips on fun astronomy for kids.

Let the kids loose on your pavement or driveway, with some pavement chalk, and stand back and watch their creations unfold!

Watching clouds is a very relaxing way to spend time, for all ages. Get the kids to lie on a blanket in the garden or at the park. Clouds all look the same but yet can be so different as they morph into different shapes and objects.

A lovely summer’s activity and a great way for your kids to learn about money. All they need is a table/box, sign, paper cups, jug, and lemonade.

Help them make homemade lemonade instead of buying lemonade. Alternatively, they could sell some cupcakes they have made themselves.

Washing the car = fun for kids! They most likely will get wet, have a chance at using the hose, and might even earn some pocket money! They could even do a neighbourhood car wash.

Skipping can be done individually, or if there are a few friends around, get a large rope, and get the kids doing some skipping games.

Jump Elastics are also great fun. Do you remember them from childhood? Inside, Outside on the rails? All you need is a long piece of elastic, stitched together at the ends.

Let the kids make a temporary waterfall in the garden, using large stones, hose, plastic tubing, and any other props they might require.

They could also make a marble-run but use water instead of marbles.

Provide some treats for our feathered friends and help the kids make some bird feeders.

• Gather any old welly boots your children have outgrown.
• Poke a few drainage holes in the bottom of them and then fill them with some compost.
• Choose which flower seeds you would like to plant. Sunflowers are a favourite among kids as they grow very quickly and are very easy to grow.
• Place them along your path or outside your front door. Your kids will love to see their old wellies blooming!

Get the kids to let their imaginations run wild, and set up a crazy golf course in the garden, using buckets, plastic cups/glasses, ramps, car tracks, boxes etc. Anything will work, to make the hole as crazy as possible!

Aim for 3 or 4 holes minimum in their course, and then have a competition, counting lowest number of shots to reach hole as a win.

This is a lovely project for the kids to do, particularly if they have helped you with the gardening. And even if the scarecrow is never used in the garden, it’s a fun project to do. All you need is some old clothes, hat, canes, straw or old newspapers for stuffing, needle and thread, and plastic bag. Here’s how to make a simple scarecrow.

Kids love painting. How about moving it outdoors if the weather is good?

Use lots of outdoor interesting shapes for painting, like grass blades, or sticks, or unusual plant leaves. Get them to gather some leaves and do leaf patterns.

If you need more ideas, try these easy painting ideas for kids.

A great beach activity, enjoyed by kids, time after time. As well as using the bucket and shovel, why not use some flat knives and spoons to help carve out their structures. Collect shells and stones to decorate your amazing castles!

Blowing bubbles should lead to giggles! Make your own bubble mixture at home, then use different blowers for a range of bubbly fun. When all the bubbles are used up, why not try making your own using washing-up liquid, sugar and water?

Why spend money on a slip ‘n’ slide, when you can easily make your own, with strong refuse bags or a large plastic sheet, washing-up liquid, and a hose.

Guaranteed hours of fun!

Look around your garden or if you are out for a walk, and see if you can spot any animal tracks. Borrow a book from the library to help you identify the different animal/bird tracks.

Most houses have a toy box full of cars. Bring it outside and let the kids have car races down the driveway, seeing which car goes furthest. They could even award “cups” to the winners!

Use tape or chalk outside to make roads, race courses, roundabouts and parking spaces.

We all know that when you give a child a toy, they often have more fun playing with the box!

There are lots of great cardboard box ideas to make with kids – from a doll’s house to a jack-in-the-box, the only limit is your imagination!

Great fun for older kids. Head outside with torches to play chase or tip the can in the dark – amazing how the whole game can change when played in the dark.

For this, you will need:

• Sunshine
• Nature items e.g. leaves, twigs, flowers
• Construction paper – darker colours work better

What to do

1. Find a sunny spot outside late morning. Arrange the items on a sheet of paper.
2. You might need a stone for each corner to keep it from blowing away if it’s breezy.
3. Leave the paper for several hours in direct sunlight.
4. The sun will fade the construction paper, it will create silhouettes where your items are located.

These can be as simple as you like, just blend your favourite fruit and pour mixture into ice pop moulds. Freeze until firm and enjoy!

If you want some more inspiration, try these healthy ice pops that kids will lick clean.

Let the kids and the adults swap roles and clothes for the day- or at least an hour or two. It will be lots of fun choosing what to wear as well as trying to find children’s clothes to fit the adults!

Upcycle old jam jars by painting them to use as pretty vases on your window sills.

With some simple ingredients, the kids can enjoy helping make homemade pizza and pizza dough (you could use ready made pizza bases too if you want).

Chop up some vegetables and other toppings, and let each person arrange on their own pizzas. Make some funny or scary faces out of your pizzas. Pop in the oven and serve for dinner.

Cut up old jeans to make shorts or an old T-shirt to make a sleeveless top, then design and decorate as you like. Adorn them with sequins, add buttons, or tie-dye them for something unique.

Root out any toy at home that works using a remote control. This could be a car, a dog, dinosaur or anything at all. Let your children choose which toy will be theirs for the race and line them up at a chalked out start line. Then let the race begin as each toy must compete to cross the finish line first. The toys can be swapped around for each race.

Kids love to bake and nothing beats the smell of home cooking. Enjoy some quality time baking a cake, be it for a birthday, a special occasion or just for fun.

If you’re looking for some ideas, you could try:

• Lemon bars
• Easy homemade Swiss Roll
• Upside-down ice cream cone cupcakes
• No butter and no eggs needed for this ‘Depression’ cake
• Easy bunny cupcakes
• Classic homemade flapjacks
• The always-popular lemon drizzle cake
• Melt in the mouth chocolate brownies
• A versatile vanilla traybake
• Berry muffins for breakfast or snacks

My children love to design their own jewellery using penne pasta. This is a great way to pass a few hours on a rainy day.

First the children paint the pasta. Once dry, thread some string through various coloured pasta to make bracelets and necklaces.

Perhaps there’s an old tin whistle or piano lying around at home. You could download some instructions and simple songs to learn too. You could also make some cheap instruments, using kitchen utensils (most popular in our house are pots, wooden spoons, tins, spatula) and form a band – check out our tips here.

A trip to the beach is always a fun day out, no matter what the season! If it’s a nice sunny day, you might want to check out our summer beach checklist, to make sure you don’t forget to pack an essential item!

Why not collect some stones and shells, and paint them when you return home to make some garden decorations? Try these beach craft ideas and 50 fun things to do at the beach with kids.

Play some games together. Parents recommend their top 20 board games for families, or you could try one of these unusual board games that are lots of fun!

Alternatively, enjoy more traditional ‘parlour’ games such as Consequences.

• Use old bottles that have a screw top, such as a water bottle. Remove any labels from the bottle.
• Paint the outside of the bottle using some fun coloured paints.
• When dry, fill the bottle with rice or lentils or beans. Each item you use to fill inside will make a different sound.
• Close the lid and add some stickers to the outside and your shaker is ready to use.

The art of daisy chain making is one that should be passed down to your children. Put a small slit in the stem of a daisy with your nail, and thread a stem of another daisy through it, and repeat to extend length. “Fashion” into necklaces and bracelets, or challenge the kids to see who can make the longest.

Have a story writing competition or write a play for puppets or for you all to perform. Help younger ones who may be unable to write but can still make up their own story. Let them illustrate their story with pictures.

Or create your own stories playing Chinese Whispers. See how different the story is by the time it reaches the end!

This is a great activity for older kids – set a challenge to see how many books/chapters can be read during the day. During summer, encourage your kids take part in a summer reading challenge.

Visit your local library to stock up on books, and if you need some suggestions we’ve got plenty!

• 20 Top Dinosaur Books for Your Little Bookasaurus
• 15 Weird and Wonderful Neil Gaiman Books Your Child Will Love
• These Humorous Books for Kids Are All Good for a Giggle
• 14 Epic Stories with Giants for Kids Who Love an Adventure!
• 30 Amazing Books for Kids Who Love David Walliams
• 23 Fantastic Books Like Harry Potter Your Child Might Enjoy

Remember playing Miss Mary Mack? Or A Sailor Went to Sea? Play these and make up some of your own ones too. More nursery rhyme activities here.

Many local museums are free to visit, they can be inspirational places and provide a learning experience. Often they have kids activities such as treasure hunts or activity sheets. Or join a tour to find out more about some of the objects in the museum.

A trip to the Library can pass a few hours as they often have colouring sheets and toys for children to play with. They sometimes have storytime too, which is great for younger children.

All you need is a drawing pad, and pencil. Draw an image in the same corner of the book on each page, and that each image changes only slightly. Stickmen are a good starting point, in different poses. Then you flip through the pages and watch their character start to move.

Wind chimes are a fun craft activity to do with your child, and can be made from a variety of materials you probably already have at home. If you want to have a go at making your own homemade wind chimes, we’ve got some tips and inspiration to get you started!

Not only will you be creating something completely unique to display at home, you can also upcycle and reuse items you would otherwise have thrown out.

You will need some paints and 2 large sheets of cardboard (or use A4 paper) and willing hands.

1. Working from the biggest to smallest hands, have each person dip her hands in her chosen paint and print them on the page, overlapping the handprints slightly as the group moves up the tree.
2. Use a paintbrush to add a tree trunk and then let all the paint dry.
3. Identify each set of handprints with a permanent marker.
4. Cut out the tree and glue it to the page. You could then date and frame this family handprint tree.

Set up a little grocery/mini supermarket with tins and packets. If you have a play till set up a checkout table and they can take it in turns to be the checkout person or the shopper. The ironing board made a great checkout in my youth! Have some bags ready to put the purchases in.

All you need is some balloons, and either table-tennis bats, or make your own bats using paper plates and sticks for handles. Clear some space in the hall and off they go.

Get a large roll of paper, like you use on easels/boards, and draw the outline of your child(ren) on the paper. They can then colour in, adding features, clothes etc. This is also a great winner at parties.

You could do each portraits of each other once the outline is drawn. Or if you don’t have paper, then draw the outline in chalk outside and decorate afterwards.

If you have a giant cardboard box, why not draw a town on the bottom of the box, with roads, tracks, bridges, parks, car-parks, etc. Add some wooden building blocks, cars, trains and some wooden/plastic animals.

Older kids could help with decorating/creating the scene. Or convert an old shoe box into a dolls house or garage.

Apparently skimming stones is a skill! But if you can find a small rounded, flat stone you should manage to skim it enough to impress your little ones.

All you need for this ingenious activity is some string or wool (preferably red), sticky tape, and a hallway. You need to create a grid using the string/wool that the kids will then attempt to pass through without touching the string or “laser”. Anyone who does touch the laser has to return to the start line again.

You can begin with an easy grid and increase the level of difficulty with age and ability. It will occupy them for hours! And you may want to have a go yourself!

Browse through your phone, camera or your pictures on the computer and print off your favourite family photos. Then let the kids arrange them in a photo album.

Or use them to create a collage of a special family time.

Give kids old magazines/catalogues and get them to cut out pictures of heads, bodies, legs and shoes. They can then have some fun mixing them up, and gluing on blank sheets of paper.

The movie will be a delight to watch when your small ones have grown up and guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. The movie can be about everyday tasks or you could dress up and bring out the inner actors in you and yours!

There are some great movie maker downloads for tablets and mobile phones, if you don’t have a video camera.

Alternatively, here’s how to make a stop motion movie, which kids will also enjoy.

A great way to get rid of unused toys, have your friends or neighbours do a toy clear out and then gather to swap your old toys for something new.

Tell some jokes you love. The classic “Knock Knock” jokes or perhaps “Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road”? Find out who is the wittiest in your house!

Check out all our jokes here!

There’s nothing better than the smell of cookies wafting through the house! Set their little hands to work with one of these easy cookie recipes to follow or join in the fun too.

Jigsaws are a whole-family activity that can work well between differently-aged siblings.

Set each member of the family up with a puzzle to suit their skill level, all helping each other finish, or create teams to work on large puzzle together.

You can even make your own family-photo jigsaws using an enlarged photo printed onto plain paper from your computer.

Juggling is a fun activity, albeit a challenge to learn. Juggling helps your hand/eye coordination, encourages brain growth and is also a great way to de-stress.

Bean bags are a better choice to start with for beginners as otherwise you will tire yourself out running around after tennis balls or other bouncy balls.

With your Hulas at the ready, get those hips moving and try to control your hoop longer than everyone else.

Whistling can seem a bit hard at first, but practice makes perfect. Once that mastered why not try whistling through a blade of grass. Not as easy as it sounds, place the flat grass leaf between your 2 thumbs and blow through, to make a most unusual sound.

Pick some flowers and place them either in a flower press or between 2 sheets of paper in the middle of a big book. Put some more heavy books on top of the book if using and leave for a few days.

Once the flowers have dried and are pressed, you can use them to decorate craft projects, homemade bookmarks, or for cards to give to friends and family.

Take a large jar, or cut the top off a large plastic water bottle, and put outside in the rain. At regular intervals or when the rain has stopped, measure the height of the rain that day or hour and make a chart of the rainfall over time.

Can you reach 4 or more levels of your card house? Check out this video showing a cool card house technique!

Set your alarm clock and wake your children in time to watch the sun rise. Then get out the paints later and have them paint the sunrise they saw.

Glam up your summer shoes by adding sequins, ribbons and buttons to them. Use craft glue and any items you have lying around at home. Or use beads and paint to upcycle your trainers.

Hold a family game of football in the garden or ask your neighbours to join in and choose teams. If stuck indoors have a family tournament using a smaller soft ball.

Have the kids participate in your own boot camp. Ease them in to it by having them walk 2 laps of the garden. Next let them jog around. Throw in some jumping jacks, lunges, squats and leg lifts. Are they sweating yet? Try the What’s Your Name Exercise Challenge! Or how about some hula hooping, frog jumping or skipping. Cool down afterwards.

Take turns painting each other’s faces. You can say what you want to be, as in a tiger or let your face painter surprise you. Take photos of the handiwork!

Or have each child ask questions about what they could be and let them guess what you have painted them as.

One person thinks of a thing or a person and the others have to guess what it is but are only allowed to ask questions that get a Yes or a No answer. The others must guess by the 20th question. First one to guess gets to pick the next item to be guessed.

Or write something on a piece of paper and each person sticks it on their head and has to ask questions to help them guess what they are.

Gather up some of your old socks, and some items for eyes, mouths, and noses, to make some sock puppets.

If your kids can sew, they can add the decorating with needle and thread, but for younger kids use glue. You could create a puppet theatre in a cardboard box, and let the kids put on a puppet show for you – be sure to record it though.

Stare at your opponent while trying not to blink. Whoever closed their eyes first loses.

Charades can be played with any type of word or phrase, but with kids you may find that movie titles work best. Most kids are familiar with many simple movie titles such as Sleeping Beauty or The Lion King. And even the youngest can act out Pinocchio!

All you need is plastic bottles, filled with rice, and paints and a ball. Fill the bottles with rice, and tightly close/glue the lid back on. Next paint the bottles, with some funny faces and bodies, patterns and numbers etc. Grab a ball and all set to play.

One person kicks off a story saying something like “One day a man was in the jungle. Unfortunately he met a lion”. The next person has to be the Fortunately person, so e.g. “Fortunately the man was a lion tamer”. And so on.