Cooking and baking: There are many easy recipes out there that don’t require cooking, so find some that your kids are capable of making. Get them involved in their own sandwiches for lunch, for example. Play-dough is a great idea, as it makes a great learning medium for small children as well.

Play-dough recipe: 2 cups flour, 2 Tbs vegetable oil, 125ml salt, 2 Tbs cream of tartar, approx. 500ml hot water, a few drops of food colouring, a few drops of glycerine (optional). Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl by hand, adding around two cups of hot water as needed (you may need to assist here). The mixture will be rather sticky – allow to cool and then knead vigorously until it’s no longer sticky (add a bit more flour if necessary).
Kids’ fridge cake: 1 packet Marie biscuits, 500g icing sugar, 60ml cocoa, 250g margarine/butter, 1 beaten egg, 5ml vanilla essence. Crush Marie biscuits into small pieces. Melt butter/margarine in the microwave (do not boil) and sift icing sugar and cocoa in. Allow to cool slightly and add beaten egg and vanilla essence – beat well and quickly. Add biscuits and mix, then press into a greased dish. Allow to set in the fridge before cutting into slices.
Kids’ garden: Consider setting aside a portion of your garden for your children to play in. A good site would be a shady area in easy view from a window. Arrange for some good sand and gardening toys for younger children; older kids could have a small spade and some seedlings to plant. If your children enjoy this, it could provide hours of fun in the future as you introduce fertiliser, packets of seeds to germinate, etc. Sunflowers are a good place to start, as they grow very easily and are visually appealing to children of all ages. Move onto vegetables and incorporate teaching about protecting the environment, recycling and growing for subsistence.
Camping out: Encourage your children to build a tent or fort, inside or outside. They will need boxes, blankets and other materials, and then give them a torch and a picnic basket of snacks.
Photo collage: This is a fantastic idea for kids that are old enough to use scissors. Give your children some photographs or pictures, scissors, a board and glue, and let them make a collage. Items such as glitter and scrapbooking decorations can be used as well, and you may end up with a work of art to hang on your wall forever.
Treasure hunt: Enrol your kids in setting up and completing a treasure hunt. They can hide items and make a map and clues.
Diary: This is a great way to promote writing skills – give your child an exciting-looking notebook and encourage him/her to write in it at least once a day. They can also draw pictures, keep special slips and tickets in the diary, etc.
Make a movie: If your children are old and lucky enough to have cellphones with cameras, they could make a movie over a few days. Encourage them to write a script, develop characters, decide on costumes and scenes, etc.
Set up a quiz: You or your children could set up an interesting quiz to complete, perhaps including items that they have to research in the encyclopaedia or find in the garden.
Obstacle course: Your children may like to make an obstacle course, with tasks like jumping over logs, tying knots in ropes, doing handstands, etc. This is a great way to encourage sporting and general physical development, and is guaranteed to result in a good night’s sleep for all involved!
…You may find that you want to get involved, so give in to your inner child and go colour in under your blanket fort!