It can be tricky keeping children and grandchildren entertained, especially when you're juggling everything else from work to chores.
We've put together our five favourite reader's tips, tricks, and crafts to create easy and fun games to keep everyone entertained - not only with the finished product but in making it too!
With a little time, some creativity and bits and pieces you'll probably find in your own home, these DIY games prove that you can have lots of fun with just a little creativity and imagination!
Top 5 children's crafts
1 of 5On track
My seven-year-old son Zak loved playing with his race cars, but never had a track to whizz them around on. One afternoon, I gave him a roll of masking tape and told him to make a track on the carpet. Once he'd finished playing, I pulled the tape up without leaving a mark on the carpet. Now, he spends hours making racetracks, car parks and motorways, all of his own creation. Jayne Nevin, St Helens, Merseyside
2 of 5Are you feeling locky?
As a busy mum, I'm always looking to entertain my three kids for free. I took two empty cat food boxes and turned them inside out, so they were plain and brown. Then, I wrote a note from the kids' Lego figures asking them to turn the boxes into houses for them. I gave the kids crayons, glitter and stickers. They spent hours decorating boxes that would have been thrown away. Claire Hawnt, Arnold, Notts
3 of 5Ready, jet set, go!
My son Finn, three, loves the idea of going into space. So I decided to make him his own jet pack from some bits I had in the recycling. I used my trusty glue gun to secure the cardboard tubes onto the cardboard box. Then I decorated it with a Scottish flag and used coloured paper to create flames. Now Finn loves zooming around the house with his rocket pack on his back!Sarah Bamforth, Lockerbie, Dumf & Gail
4 of 5Alphabet sweet
Once my family and I had finished a selection box of chocolates, I decided to make my children Lewis, seven, and Lola, three, a game. I cut one tray into pieces and placed a sticker on each shape. Then, I placed the matching letter on the intact tray. My kids love matching the pairs and they're improving their fine motor skills too. Amy Atkinson, Bolton, Gtr Manchester
5 of 5Don’t lose your bottle
I had lots of empty milkshake bottles in the recycling bin, but thought there must be a use for them. So I washed out the bottles and removed the labels, before arranging them as skittles on the garden patio. They were perfect for a game of outdoor bowling. Rachael Christmas-Cleak, Ivybridge, Devon