Last updated 14:26, Tuesday, 08 July 2008

Run our of ideas to entertain the kids this summer? They'll never get bored with our guide to cheap and cheerful games to play at home.

A IS FOR ALPHABET DETECTIVE

Guessing games are a simple way to keep the kids entertained. Write out the alphabet on a blank set of index cards.

Shuffle the cards and place the deck face down. Set a timer and get the first player to remove three cards. Get the second player to lay out the remaining letters and work out which are missing. One point is scored for each correct letter guessed within the allotted time.

Ages: 6-10 years

B IS FOR BATHTIME BULLS EYE

If you’re having trouble getting the kids clean, then make bathtime fun.

Soak a piece of washable chalk in a cup of water, with a teaspoon of salt added, for ab out 30 seconds. Then with it draw a large target on the back of your tub. Run the water, add bubble solution and get your child to blow bubbles at the target. See how quickly they forget that they don’t like shampoo in their eyes.

Ages: 3-5 years

C IS FOR CENTRE STAGE

Many children enjoy inventing short stories and ad-libbing a ’play’ on the spot. Give your children a theatrical tool kit comprising of paper and pencils for scriptwriting, costumes and make-up for the actors and furniture and props for the stage. Explain briefly how they might use their material and then tell them you’ll wait for an invite to the show.

Ages: 6-10 years

D IS FOR DON’T DROP IT

With a set of ping pong balls, two plastic ice-cream tubs and an ice-cream scooper, you’ve got a great game. Put the balls in one tub and two inches of water in the other. Place the tubs a few feet away from one another. Then ask the kids to scoop the balls from the tub using the scooper and drop them into the tub of water. And then to put them back. It’s a lot harder the second time around!

Ages: 1-2 years

E IS FOR ECO BEADS

This project is a green parent’s dream. Using magazines headed for the bin, cut out colourful triangles from the pages and roll them tightly round a pencil, one by one. Then place a dab of glue on the point of the triangle still left sticking out, roll it tightly in and hold in place to let the glue set. Slide the long tube-like ’bead’ off the pencil and, after allowing to dry completely, string the assorted beads onto a length of string to create a long garland-style necklace.

Ages: 4-10 years

F IS FOR FINGER PAINT

Every kid loves to smear finger paint all over the place. So here’s a way to allow them artistic freedom, without sacrificing your home. Stir a small quantity of flour and some warm water together into a small mixing bowl, until the substance reaches the consistency of baby food. Then add a drop of food colouring for colour. Allow the mixture to cool. Finally, place the toddler in their high chair, dump the goop on the tray and let them play to their heart’s content. Watch they don’t eat it.

Ages: 1-2 years

G IS FOR GIANT CREATIONS

Here’s a BIG idea to get your child’s attention. Cover the kitchen floor with long strips of paper on a day when foot traffic can be restricted for a few hours. Use tape to adhere the paper to the floor and tape the seams together so you have one giant, super-duper sheet of drawing paper. Draw up some rules about keeping crayon marks off the cupboards and floor and then give your child crayons or markers. This is a fun way to see their creativity blossom on a grand scale.

Ages: 1-3 years

H IS FOR HAYWIRE

Can you make the children go ’haywire’ by saying one thing and doing another? Get one child to face the rest and touch a part of their body, while naming another part. The other children will get points for a correctly shouting out what’s being pointing at, not what was said, and the one with the most points wins.

Ages: 6-10 years

I IS FOR INVENT A SONG

Pick a familiar childhood melody, like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, and invent your own lyrics. Other great songs that might need updating are, This Old Man, Happy Birthday and She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain. Pick a topic to sing about and get your kids to join in.

Ages: 3-5 years

J IS FOR JUMP UP!

Children love a special assignment. Gather them around in a circle and tell them you’re going to tell them a story. Then explain that when you say a certain word in the story, they’re all going to have to jump up, clap once, and sit back down again. This simple game is a brilliant way of holding their attention and getting children to be enthusiastic about story time.

But two points of advice: Make sure that you do a practice run and that the word doesn’t appear too frequently!

Ages: 3-5 years

K IS FOR KAZOOS

Pick a day when your nerves are steady and set your young ones loose on some homemade kazoos. For this you’ll need short cardboard tubes, non toxic markers, waxed paper and rubber bands. Cut the tube down to five inches and decorate with the markers. Then cut a four-inch square of waxed paper, place it over one end of the tube and secure it with the band. Show your child how to place their mouth over the open end and hum to create a wacky sound. Then set them the task of playing a song together.

Ages: 3-5 years

L IS FOR LAUNDRY BASKETBALL

A giant laundry basket is perfect for a happy game of toddler basketball. Put a large plastic laundry basket or multiple smaller baskets – one for each child – and several medium plastic balls outside. Then demonstrate the art of dribbling, show them a slam dunk, and let them practise. Alternatively, play indoors by throwing scrunched up pieces of paper into the target.

Ages: 1-2 years

M IS FOR MELTING MONSTERS

Kids like to chatter about monsters so here’s a game to make them disappear.

Gather together large sheets of drawing paper, non toxic washable markers, masking tape and a spray bottle full of water.

Prepare a safe drawing space outside and give each child a sheet of paper on which to draw scary monsters. After all the drawings are done, tape them to a vertical outdoor surface. Then give each child a small spray bottle filled with water to spray away their monster; they’ll get a kick out of watching ’monsters’ melt. But be prepared with lots of paper, because children will want to do this again and again.

Ages: 3-5 years

N IS FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD NUMBER TRAIL

Celebrate the simple pleasure of an afternoon walk with a mathematical scavenger hunt. Walk down your road without your child and create a list of clues or questions about things in your neighbourhood that have a number associated with them, for example: How many flower pots are there in Mrs Wilkinson’s garden? Give these written clues to your child, set off on a walk together and watch their interest in their local neighbourhood grow. And don’t forget to reward them for their efforts when they get home.

Ages: 6-10 years

O IS FOR OUTSIDE THE BOX

Here’s a way to tap into your child’s creative thinking abilities. Create a list of real-life places and ask, ’What gadget would you invent to make things easier or better in this place?’. For example, ’What gadget would you invent to make a barn better for cows?’ Then ask them to write their answers down and talk about their ideas.

Ages: 6-10 years

P IS FOR PASTA NECKLACES

Simple and cheap craft-work can be endlessly fun, especially if the weather’s bad. Buy a large bag of a cylindrical pasta and a big ball of string. Start the project by threading a long piece of string through a pasta shape, and knotting it at the end to create a ’stop-gap’. Then show your child how to thread pieces of pasta on to the string, one piece at a time. Finally help them to knot the necklace.

Ages: 3-5 years

Q IS FOR QUIZ MASTER

It’s easy to make up simple quizzes that will keep kids entertained for hours.

Arm yourself with blank index cards, non toxic markers, paper and pencils and an egg timer. Mark up the cards with letters of the alphabet, omitting the letters Q, X, Y and Z. Create another set of cards with familiar categories like names, foods or colours. Then select one child to be Quiz Master. That child will announce the start of the game, draw a letter and then a category from the decks, set the timer and ask their fellow contestants to write down as many items in that category as they can think of beginning with the chosen letter. Make sure the children take it in turn to be in charge!

Ages: 6-10 years

R IS FOR RE-PAINT THE FENCE

Getting your kids to paint your house or even the pavement might sounds dangerous, but this way isn’t. Fill a small plastic bucket with water and then give your child lots of brushes, a paint tray and small paint rollers.

After filling the bucket with water, set them loose on the patio, fence or house. You’ll find they’re very persistent painters despite the designs evaporating within minutes in the sun.

Ages: 1-2 years

S IS FOR SEASIDE

If it’s freezing outside, then that’s the perfect opportunity to create the seaside inside. Using lots of props begin to make a seashore in the front room. You don’t need to go out and buy things – just look around the house. Find beach-coloured blankets or sheets, plastic buckets, spades, beach balls, bath suits and sunglasses.

Also – try inventing characters who might be at the beach, like lifeguards.

Ages: 3-5 years

T IS FOR TELEPHONE

A young child’s fascination with adult gadgets never wanes, so let them enjoy themselves in the grown-up world. Find a child-safe telephone or toy mobile phone, a notepad and crayons. Then give your toddler a notepad and ask them to take an important call from the office.

Finally help them to call a relative or a friend.

Ages: 1-3 years

U IS FOR UNPLUGGED PLAY

Dare to unplug the television and see what happens. Playing is important in developing a child’s creativity, sense of achievement and ability to connect with others. Leave your kids alone in the front room after turning off the TV and listen in as they start to amuse themselves.

Ages: All

V IS FOR VERY BIG FEET

This is a lovely game that your child can play on their own. All you’ll need is a kitchen timer and a large die. Set the timer for seven to 10 minutes, get your child to roll the die on the floor and that number will dictate how many steps they can take. Once they have taken their steps, they can roll again. The aim is for them to get as far as possible before the timer goes.

Ages: 3-5 years

W IS FOR WHAT’S THAT YOUR EATING?

This simplified version of charades is good for a few laughs. The first player thinks of a food and silently pretends to eat it without props. The other players have to guess what it is. The wide range of possible pantomimes – such as peeling, slicing or dipping – makes this a very appealing game for children.

Ages: 6-10 years

X IS FOR X-FILES

As you become familiar with all your children’s favourite games, start noting them down so you don’t forget them. Put them in a child-friendly folder or index box and encourage them to look through it whenever they moan that they’re bored. Put them in alphabetical order and it’s a learning tool too.

Ages: All

Y IS FOR YOUR HIGHNESS

Turn your home into a castle full of lords, ladies and knights. You could use colourful towels for capes, and coloured tights and belts to help kids dress up. Use props to turn your household into an heroic kingdom – with a castle, a dragon’s lair and other locations – and give children endless scope for creating imaginary adventures.

Ages: 3-5 years

Z IS FOR ZOOM, ZOOM

This absorbing, simple game, with a great name, will get your little ones excited. With six or more tennis balls, a small bucket and a slide, position your child on the other side of the slide, hand them one ball at a time and get them to drop them down the slope one by one. Encourage them to say ’zoom’ each time. Once all the balls have gone, have your child play ’pick up’ and put all the balls back in the bucket. They’ll want to play it over and over again.

Ages: 1-2 years

• Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner is published by Workman priced £12.99