40 ways to entertain your kids: Part 2

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6. Host a dance party

Invite around some of your daughter's friends, get a bunch of their favourite CDs and let them dance til they drop. All you'll have to do is provide drinks and snacks!
Best for: Girls
Age: 8+

7. Tire them out

Indoor play centres are becoming more and more popular. They're great fun, safe and allow you to relax while your kids run riot without fear of injury.

Activities include bouncing on trampolines, go up foam staircases and then coming down slides, climbing rigging and jumping into ball pits.
- For your nearest soft play centre, search at Ideas for the Kids
Best for: Girls and boys
Age: 4-12

8. Tie-dyeing

It may conjure up images of hippies, but tie-dyeing is a great way of jazzing up some of your kids old clothes and it's fun to do.

Basically, you gather up, fold, and tie your t-shirt (or other item of clothing) with rubber bands or string and leave it to soak in fabric dye.
- If you're a tie-dye virgin, here are some simple instructions
Best for: Girls
Age: 9+

9. Make a scavenger hunt

Come up with a list of odd and fun items for your kids to find. They can hunt around the house or your garden.

Suggested items can be: a cancelled stamp, a straw, a rubber band, a penny dated in a particular decade (before the kids were born, or perhaps have them find one in the year the birthday child was born), a toothpick. If you live in the country, or go to a park, some suggestions are a pine cone, a worm, a bug, a white rock, something red, a feather.
Best for: Girls and boys
Age: 8+

10. Make a sundial

Teach your kids how people used to tell the time before clocks and watches were invented. All you need is a compass to find out where north is and then put a stick in the ground and watch the shadow change position as the sun moves.
Best for: Girls and boys
Age: 7+

- Next: Try gardening or get dirty with worms