Under £5
15 mins
Ages 4+
Fluffy cloud slime
Three cupboard ingredients and the stretchiest slime you'll ever wash out of a jumper.
Days in
Things to do at home with the kids. Crafts, games, magic, science and more. Loads of it is free, and every idea is tested by a real family.
Make
Craft it, paint it, write it.
Play
Games, magic and make-believe.
Move
Get the wiggles out.
Discover
Science, cooking and calm.
Watching the pennies?
Our Thrifty ideas are kind to your purse and the planet, from junk modelling to charity shop challenges.
Every day in idea
Under £5
15 mins
Ages 2+
Homemade playdough
Softer than the shop-bought stuff, smells nicer, and lasts for weeks in the fridge.
Under £5
30 mins
Ages 3+
Fizzing garden volcano
Bicarb, vinegar and a lot of shrieking. Best done outside, trust us.
Free
10 mins
Ages 3+
Rainbow milk
One drop of washing-up liquid and the colours swirl like magic. Ten minutes, zero cost.
Under £10
30 mins
Ages 3+
Funny-face pizzas
They build it, they name it, they eat it. You pour a glass of something.
Free
45 mins
Ages 3+
Living room obstacle course
Cushions, chairs and a stopwatch. Burns off energy without leaving the house.
Free
1 hr
Ages 3+
Autumn leaf scavenger hunt
A free walk with a mission. Find a red leaf, a conker, something spiky and more.
Free
1 hr
Ages 3+
Junk modelling robots
Raid the recycling, grab the tape and build a robot army. Totally free and endlessly creative.
Free
45 mins
Ages 5+
Homemade jigsaw puzzle
Turn an old cereal box and a favourite picture into a jigsaw. Then race to put it back together.
Free
45 mins
Ages 3+
Wiggly tube snake
Paint a pile of loo roll tubes, thread them on string and pull your snake along. Perfect for sneaking up on Grandad.
Free
15 mins
Ages 2+
Plastic bottle skittles
Six empty bottles and a soft ball make a bowling alley in the hallway. Ready in five minutes.
Free
20 mins
Ages 6+
Snapping paper beak
Fold one sheet of paper into a beak that snaps open and shut. Add teeth and it's a shark.
Free
1.5 hr
Ages 5+
Papier-mâché piggy bank
A balloon, old newspaper and a bowl of paste become a spotty pig that saves their pocket money.
Under £5
1 hr
Ages 3+
Giant wallpaper frieze
Roll out a length of cheap wallpaper and paint a picture as long as the hallway. Space monsters very welcome.
Under £5
1 hr
Ages 3+
Life-size self-portrait
Lie down on a roll of wallpaper, get someone to draw round you, then colour in a life-size you.
Under £5
1 hr
Ages 3+
DIY road play mat
Draw your own town on a roll of wallpaper, with roads, roundabouts and car parks, then get the toy cars out.
Free
45 mins
Ages 3+
Pasta collage pictures
Raid the pasta jar and make a picture with twists, tubes and shells. Spaghetti hair is compulsory.
Free
45 mins
Ages 4+
Magazine collage
Snip pictures from old magazines and catalogues and turn them into a crazy crowd, a dream bedroom or a mood board.
Free
45 mins
Ages 5+
Upcycled desk tidy
Turn empty bottles and cardboard tubes into a pen pot for their desk. Handy for homework, and it's a great gift.
Free
45 mins
Ages 5+
Envelope wall tidy
Stick old envelopes onto a covered piece of cardboard box and hang it up for pens, hair clips and treasures.
Free
45 mins
Ages 5+
Tin can book ends
Fill two old tins with sand, wrap them in their own designs and stand their books up properly at last.
Free
20 mins
Ages 6+
Who am I? sticky note game
Stick a secret name on everyone's forehead, then ask yes or no questions to work out who you are.
Free
15 mins
Ages 2+
What's in the bag? feely game
Hide everyday things in a pillowcase and guess what they are by touch alone. No peeking!
Free
15 mins
Ages 5+
Twenty questions
Think of something, anything, and everyone else gets twenty yes or no questions to guess it. Perfect for the car.
Free
20 mins
Ages 6+
Vanishing coin trick
Take a coin in one hand and, poof, it's gone. The classic first magic trick, learned in ten minutes.
Free
20 mins
Ages 7+
Mind-reading card trick
Someone secretly picks a card, and you find it every single time. It works by maths, so it can't go wrong.
Free
15 mins
Ages 6+
Jumping rubber band trick
A rubber band jumps from two fingers to the other two, all by itself. Quick to learn and very easy to show off.
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