With the school holidays fast approaching and no homework or extramurals to worry about, there’s plenty of opportunity to spend quality time with your grandchildren. Here are some creative ways to keep them happily entertained whether they’re toddlers, tweens or teens.

1. Organise an outing

Exploring your neighbourhood and city with your grandchildren is a wonderful way to spend a morning or afternoon. Need some inspiration? How about visiting a museum or botanical garden, taking them to story time at your local library, packing a picnic and heading to the park, or going for a walk around the neighbourhood. If your grandchildren are younger, you may want to play the alphabet game where you try to identify something beginning with each letter along the way.

2. Get crafting

The Internet is a treasure trove of craft ideas and projects and no matter how young or old your grandchildren are, you’re guaranteed to find something they’ll have fun making. With Easter just around the corner, why not get them to make and decorate an egg basket for their Easter egg hunt? Or, if you recycle, bring out a few milk bottles, boxes and bottle tops and let them get creative!

3. Bake up a storm

Most children love baking and Google is your best friend when it comes to finding recipe ideas. Choose something your grandchildren love – it could be cats or crocodiles, diggers or dogs – and bake and decorate biscuits or cupcakes in your chosen theme. Alternatively, make healthy muffins or date balls that they can freeze and keep for school lunches when the new term starts.

4. Plan a cultural day

Choose a country you’ve been to, or one your grandchildren have enjoyed learning about at school, and spend the day immersing yourselves in its culture. Research interesting facts, point out your chosen destination on a map, use Google Earth to take them on a virtual tour of its main attractions, or find a video tour on YouTube. While you’re there, find the country’s national anthem and play it for them. You could even download Duolingo (a free language-learning app) on your device and learn to say a few words together.

If your grandchildren enjoy crafts, find a country-related one to do with them. For example, if you’ve selected Japan, try making an origami animal or painting a cherry blossom tree onto a paper lantern they can hang in their bedroom. End your virtual travel experience by making a speciality dish from your chosen country and enjoying it together.

5. Volunteer

It’s never too soon to introduce your grandchildren to the value of volunteering. If you already help out at a local charity, and it’s age-appropriate, ask if you can take your grandchildren along for the morning. If you don’t volunteer, phone a charity in your area and find out if there’s something they need – you may be able to make sandwiches with your grandchildren, for example, and drop them off once you’re done.