11 Ideas to entertain young children on the cheap

With an society advancing in technology it's becoming second nature for many parents to pass their children the ipad to keep them entertained for a few hours. Reality though, is that sometimes it's good just to get back to basics (and inexpensive entertainment) 

It's also an opportunity to bond with your child and help them develop problem solving skills. I thought I'd share some ideas simple and inexpensive ways to keep the kids occupied.

1. Jigsaw Puzzle. Its a bit different when you physically have to fit pieces in together rather than move them around on a touch screen.
2. Bubbles. Get a few drops of to a bucket of water and a coathanger. Dip and blow.
3. Arts and craft. Glue, boxes, paper, milk cartons. Basically whatever you would have normally recycled. For ongoing projects I love paper mache but it CAN get messy!
4. Memory Game Have a tray of items eg kitchen tools. Bring them out on a tray and get the child to look over them for a minute or two. Take the items away and get the child to try to remember the items that were on the tray.
5. Hangman an oldie but a goodie.
   
6. Naughts and crosses. I suck at this game but it's good fun
7. Bowls. If you don't have a bowling set,  a orange and some plastic cups should do the trick.
8. Percussion/Singing songs. Don't have musical instruments? Don't worry and few pots and pans will do the trick. We also played ring-a-rosie as kids again, again and again...
9. Chasey. I loved this one as a kid running all over the yard "tagging" people. 
10. Local playground. They can run, scream and climb their little hearts out and you haven't spent a thing! Plus they might get to broaden their social circle.
11. Backyard Cricket. An old Aussie tradition that hasn't always required a cricket bat. A plank of wood, big stick or even an old racquet for the littlies and a tennis ball does the trick.