If you're out of ideas on how to keep the kids occupied at the weekend and during half-term, read on for some fun ideas to keeping them entertained without costing the earth...
Take a walk
Long walks in the country are a great way to occupy the children for hours on end and not only this but they will outside, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise and as a result they’re likely to sleep very well when you get home. Make sure the walk is complete with puddle jumping, tree climbing and exploring to keep it interesting or the kids will whinge and complain.
Park life
Invest in a football and a Frisbee and take these to the local park on a daily basis if you can, not only is this money seriously well spent but you will be making sure that your children are as fit and healthy as possible.
Let's go fly a kite
Make kites from unwanted paper and card from around the house, this is a really cheap and easy way to get the imagination working and when they’re finished, have a kite-flying competition. Make this activity even more interesting by promising the children a trip to the beach and not just to the local park to fly the kites once they’re finished.
Get cooking!
Bake cakes and cookies with the children, this is an ever-popular activity that while potentially being a little bit messy, will undoubtedly be seriously good fun! The great thing about this activity is that, all being well, you should be left with some delicious treats to enjoy for a few days.
The more the merrier
Invite your children’s friends round for a sleepover and hope that their parents return the favour! A sleepover can be hard work but as long as you plan some activities in advance and stick to these, it can be fun even for the adults. Steer clear of providing too many high sugar foods and drinks as you don’t want them to be up all night and provide a DVD which they can all snuggle up to as they wind down for bed time.
The good life
Give the kids a patch of the garden to call their own - there are plenty of gardening jobs to do in Autumn. Help the children to sweep up all the fallen leaves and then create a colourful picture using a bit of glue and imagination to put on the kitchen wall.
Get active
Take a trip to your local leisure centre, it’s usually only a couple of pounds per person to swim, take a class or simply take advantage of the facilities. Not only will this be a change of scenery for you and the children but it will provide an opportunity to get fit, learn new skills and maybe even make new friends.
So you see, fun doesn’t have to be expensive, in fact the most fun can be had when you let your imagination run wild!