The younger the children the more you have to think about it, keep it simple colouring and playing out side will keep them happy or reading a book even sitting down with them and watching something fun on tv if its a horrible day take a drive in the car or go swimming maybe even to a wacky war house or something like that.if youve got friends with children meet up with them the children will all play together and you can have a gossip.

This will intrigue and delight 3 - 5 year olds on a trick or treat expedition. Materials: long handled mop or broom, paper bag, hat, coat hanger, long man's coat, gloves, operative must wear trousers. Draw a face on the paper bag and put it over the mop or broom end. Embed the coat hanger in the "neck", apply and secure hat. Put the coat on the hanger, pin gloves to sleeves. Carry at waist level so giant appears tall but coat obscures all but carrier's legs and feet. Carrier should arrange peep hole through coat to avoid collisions.

Me and my young son (aged 6) still enjoy putting our wellies on and going squelching in mud. There is a fab country park nearby and we go there quite often. When we've got our wellies covered in mud we just stand in the shallow part of the stream to clean them. Great fun! On rainy days we get the craft box out and paint or play with Play-Doh or plasticine or just glue bits of stuff to paper to make pictures. Then we go to find the mud!! If you can afford it, annual membership to a nearby zoo or theme park is always useful. You can then just go for a short time, as often as you like. If they get fed up or start stropping, you can just go home without having spent a fortune.

Get a few rolls of paper towel, a plastic cup and small bucket of water. Put one piece of paper towel bunched up in the cup. Insert the cup straight down in the bucket of water, then pull it straight up, the paper towel will be dry. Ask the kids to figure out how you did and let them try to do it themselves. This is fun to do out in the yard on a hot day.

All small children love dressing up. Make a dressing up box. You can buy great stuff at charity shops or ask round friends and family for hats, bags, shoes, evening dresses etc. Hours of fun inside or out and you can use the same stuff again and again. The best thing is let them dress YOU up!!! Tee Hee!

Buy a roll of lining wallpaper which is very cheap. Get the child to lie down on it and draw round the outline. Pin/blue tack it on the wall and give them a box of crayons and ask them to draw themselves - full size! Then YOU lie down and let them draw you.........

In the summer we fill the paddling pool with water and dump in a bunch of sponges that we keep for this purpose. Kids can squeeze them over their heads and throw them at one another. Easier than water balloons and no mess to clean up. Fun for hours and a good break from the heat.