If you've got a houseful of kids and the weather's not playing ball, try our inventive (and low-cost) ideas to keep your children occupied.

Pre-schoolers

Camping trip
Ask your child to pack a bag with all the things they’ll need for a camping trip…to the lounge. Use a pop-up tent and let them provision the tent with bedding, teddies, toys etc. Make it extra fun by serving their lunch in the tent as a picnic.

Homemade Play Dough
Astound your toddlers with your super parenting ability to make your own play dough! It’s the simplest of recipes and you can add whatever colouring or scent you like. Using a calming essential oil might be a way of ensuring a quiet afternoon's play.
4 Cups of Plain Flour
2 Cup of Salt
4 Cups of Water
4 Tablespoons of Oil
4 Teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
Food Colouring or Powder Paint

Primary School Age

Little Cooks
There’s no more productive way to spend a rainy morning than getting your kids to cook. The downside is the state your kitchen will be in at the end of it. But, with the rarest of exceptions, you’ll be able to eat the results! At the younger age range, try something relatively foolproof like peppermint creams or fairy cakes. For older kids, suggest a vegetable curry or lasagne.

Witches and Wizards
Stock up on cardboard and silver and gold paint – pop down to your local joke shop for plastic snakes and spiders – and you’ve the makings of several witches and wizard hats that would be the envy of anyone in Hogwarts. Don’t forget to keep the end results for trick or treating next Hallowe’en.

Pre-teens

Make up a dance routine
Have your kids choose their favourite band and song – then get them to come up with a dance routine worthy of appearing on TV. Tell them that you’ll judge the final efforts and award a prize to the most inventive.

Design a t-shirt
Get a bunch of plain white T-shirts – (Adams does a 2-pack for £3) and some fabric paints and plenty of paper. Once your children have sketched out a design they like, you can help them transfer it on to the T-shirt. Who knows, you could have the next Stella McCartney on your hands!

Teenagers

Lights, Camera, Action!
If you or anyone you know owns a camcorder, why not get your kids to write and film their own movie? Most camcorders come with pretty sophisticated editing capabilities that your kids will probably be more adept at using than you. Set them a project to write the script for, cast and then film their own 10 minute movie. Then, who knows, if it’s really good they might be able to enter it for one of the many UK young filmmaker competitions.

House Doctors
If they had the opportunity, how would your teenagers arrange the lounge? Lay out some grid paper and have them decide where they would put the sofa, chairs, TV etc. You never know, it might end up being a better layout than the one you already have.