Free
45 mins
Ages 3+
Living room obstacle course
Cushions, chairs and a stopwatch. Burns off energy without leaving the house.
Thrifty
Fun that's kind to your purse and the planet. Junk modelling, second-hand treasure hunts and things you already have at home.
Thrifty days in
All days in
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
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.
Thrifty days out
All days out
Under £10
3 hr
Ages 4+
Charity shop challenge
A fiver each, one charity shop, and a mission to find the best games. That's a whole weekend sorted.
Their savings
2 hr
Ages 5+
Marketplace mission
Saving up for something big? Hunt for a second-hand bargain together and turn the waiting into an adventure.