School holiday fun: 5 at-home activity ideas to keep kids busy

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School holiday activities don't have to be expensive days out with your kids. You can have a lot of fun at home with if you just do a little bit of planning and give them a teeny tiny bit of direction.

This often means yanking them away from computer screens and video games and the best strategy is to provide alternatives. So do a bit of research and have some suggestions ready. You'll also have to make your peace with a bit of mess here and there.

It's all just a delicate balance of hands-on/hands-off parenting. 

• Hands-on: make suggestions, set some things up.
• Hands-off: loiter nearby and wait for them to ask for help

If you need some inspiration, here are five different school holiday activities that will keep your kids busy on an at-home day.

They range from "easy-peasy" to "need a bit of help here Mum."  But they're all cheap and they're all different. You should be able to find at least one thing on this list that will pique your child's interest.

1. Make a chocolate ripple cake

If you've never made one of these, you haven't lived. It's the simplest and most satisfying culinary creation in history. Kids might need help with the whipping of the cream, but otherwise it's all kid-friendly.

2. Illustrate your favourite song or nursery rhyme

My kids love to draw but sometimes they hit a road block on ideas. A song or nursery rhyme can prove the ideal inspiration. Watch the video to see Henry illustrate The owl and the pussycat.  Just put the music on and let them go.

3. Perform your own Mythbusters experiment

We wondered: Can you make a raft out of pool noodles?  Watch the video to find out the answer, then try it yourself or choose from our great list of science experiments to perform your own.

4. Make a sock monkey

When everyone is sunburned and ready to stay inside for the morning, a sock monkey is a fun crafty project to wile away the hours and keep idle hands busy. You'll find all the bits in your sock drawer, get some buttons from the sewing basket or old clothes. If you don't know how to sew, you can watch the quick how to sew tutorial first.

5. Make your own shadow puppet theatre

This is an all-day project for kids who love to be theatrical and creative.  Watch the video for inspiration then go straight to the shadow puppet theatre page for all the instructions (including free printables for the Hey Diddle Diddle show.)