How to cure a case of school holiday boredom.

Child: "I'm bored"

Parent: "Hi bored I'm mum/dad"

Okay, now that you've successfully disarmed them with your witty humour, it's time to make a game plan.

Here's how to occupy a child without having to leave the comforts of your own home.

1.Cookie/Cupcake decorating competition.

Two birds, meet one stone. This is the perfect way to keep the kids entertained for a couple of hours and sort out afternoon tea (avoid the 'I'm hungry').

All you have to do is get the kids involved in baking a batch of cookies or cupcakes (both from scratch and pre mixed packets are acceptable), then let them loose on whatever icing, sprinkles or lollies you can get your hands on. This is a sure way to get their creative juices flowing, and may even result in a cupcake for the judge ;)

How it works:

Each child receives an equal amount of cupcakes to decorate how they like, then they select their favourite for judging, either by a family member, friend or jim-bob over the road.

The winning cupcake decorator gets the prize, whether it's choosing the movie to watch that afternoon or a sticker, the winning treat is up to your discretion.

2.Movie marathon.

Rain or shine, a movie marathon is the perfect way to steal a few hours of peace. We recommend choosing a theme such as nature or comedy etc to save arguments when it comes time to picking movies. Alternatively you can select a franchise such as the Spy Kids movies.

How it works:

Jazz up the occasion by creating invitations for everyone attending. Get the kids involved by creating a box office (out of a box) and have them sell tickets and popcorn.

3.Go bug hunting in the backyard.

Bug hunting encourages children to explore their own backyard in an open-ended way. Get the kids outdoors these holidays with a hunt for butterflies, praying mantis, ladybugs and more.

How it works:

Get the kids searching around flowers, bushes and the bases of trees.

They can also turn over small or medium-sized rocks which are likely housing some creepy crawlies. We do recommend an adult is present in case a not so friendly bug is discovered.

Once they've found a bug, place some clean dirt in the bottom of a container and pick it up with a spoon or tweezers, then place it carefully in the container.

Kids can examine the bug through the container using a magnifying glass.

Once they're finished, they can keep their specimens for a day or two before returning them to the garden.

4.A fashion parade. AKA Dress Ups

This idea may not be suitable for the designer clothing queens out there, but if you happen to have a box of dress ups or aren't too precious about your own clothes, this is a great way to keep the kids busy.

They are guaranteed to find some hilarious fun in dressing up.

How it works:

Just place a light or lamp at each end of the hallway/room, grab the camera and pop on some fun music - then let the kids get creative.

Another alternative is to make spring cleaning your kids' cupboards fun and easy by getting them to model each item from their wardrobe on the catwalk.

As they dress up in all their clothes you can decide what still fits and what items can be handed down or donated.

Either way, the kids will love getting dressed up and pretending to be supermodels for the day - brave mums might even get the make-up out.

5.Indoor cubby house

Entertain the kids for hours on end with the challenge of creating their own indoor cubby house/fort.

How it works:

Scrounge up whatever pillows, cushions and blankets you can spare and get to work.

A great fort needs great foundations, so it's a good idea to give the cubby house structure with some dining table chairs or the table itself.

drape your blankets over the top and pack the inside with pillows and cushions to create a little sanctuary your kids can let loose in.

6.Craft time: Puppets & Dragonfly pegs.

Every parents knows the endless imaginative fun that can be had with a craft box, but here are two examples that are always a hit.

Puppets:

What you'll need - paper lunch bags (or alternatively use one of your lone socks), acrylic paint, scissors, glue, markers & cardstock paper. For next level fun, grab some google eyes, they are sure to make the kids laugh.

How it works:

Step 1 - Paint the front and bottom of your paper bag with the color of your choice. Let it dry completely.

Step 2 - Use your colored cardstock paper, scissors and markers to design a unique monster. Let your creativity take over! Think eyeballs, teeth, fun patterns, pointy ears and horns.

Step 3 - Sit back and enjoy as the kids put on a fun puppet show.

Dragonfly Pegs:

What you'll need - pipe cleaners, clothes pegs, google eyes, paint and glue.

How it works:

Step 1 - Have the kids paint the pegs, get creative with this part.

Step 2 - Glue 2 google eyes to the opening end of the peg.

Step 3 - Take a pipe cleaner and bend both edges to the middle and twist. Once you have two, criss-cross them and put them inside the clothespin.

Step 4 - For extra fun, hide the dragonfly pegs around the house and have the kids find them.