Keeping the kids entertained, and the inevitable excitement in check, are likely to be high up on your Christmas to-do list over the holiday season.

There's always that awkward period of anticipation to fill in the run-up to the big day and then, once the new year sets in, there's an open road ahead.

So how do you make fun-filled family days without creating more stress and incurring more expense when time is of the essence? Find out as we get creative with our 10 simple DIY Christmas activities.

On the 1st Day of Christmas...

Bake Some Cookie Bites

It's time to cook up some Christmas treats. Our slice-and-bake Cookie Bites taste great and make excellent gift-wrapped presents for grandparents or other friends and relatives.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup candy sprinkles

Directions

1. Beat the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat for a further minute. Gradually stir in the flour and salt and then shape the dough into 2 logs with a 1-inch circumference.
2. Roll each dough log in the sprinkles and then cover them in plastic wrap before chilling for at least 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with baking paper. Unwrap the logs and slice them into rounds that are about 1/2-inch-thick. Arrange about 18 cookie rounds spaced 1 inch apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for around 10 minutes until the edges are a light golden colour. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining sheets.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas...

Make a Bug Hotel

With bee populations in decline across the world, insect hotels are a great opportunity to offer an ideal habitat that encourages population growth. With more native bees and insects around, the chances are more local plants will get pollinated.

The best bit about building a new home for bugs is gathering together the materials you need.

Essential Supplies:

• Twigs and leaves
• Corrugated cardboard
• Small pots and cardboard toilet paper rolls
• Rolled up paper
• Wood chips, drinking straws and bricks with holes in

For the main structure, go for a strong cardboard box, like those used to pack bananas or mangos. Storage boxes can work well too.

Some boxes may already come with dividers but you can make your own with offcuts of cardboard or wood. Cut 3 or 4 lengths to fit the width and height of your hotel and then cut slots in each piece at the same regular intervals to connect them together.

Create a "welcome to your new home" sign before adding in your pots, paper and toilet rolls etc. The plan is to provide all kinds of nooks, crannies, crevices, tunnels and cosy beds for your bugs to get comfy in.

On the 3rd Day of Christmas...

Make Some Coffee Filter Flowers

You'll need coffee filters, washable markers, a plastic bag, a water spray bottle and pipe cleaners.

Flatten the coffee filters to a round shape. Draw colours on them in circles, scribbles or patterns. Place the coloured filters on the plastic bag and gently mist them. You'll then be able to see the colours blend.

Once dry, fold them back several times, and pull the centre to create a flower effect. Wrap some sticky tape around the base and attach a pipe cleaner for the stem.

On the 4th Day of Christmas...

Hold a Treasure Hunt

Gather together the following:

• Paper, envelopes and pencils to prepare the clues in advance
• A ‘treasure’ to hide: household items work well

Plan the hunt by deciding where to hide the treasure and work backwards. Let's say you hide treasure beneath the slide. The clue to the slide might be on the swing. The clue to the swing might be on the car roof etc. Draw pictures for the clues and/or write them for older children. Place the clues in envelopes and hide them along your "clue route." Give the kids the first clue when you're ready to go.

On the 5th Day of Christmas...

Organise a Matchbox Scavenger Hunt

Give each child a matchbox and a list of 30 items to place inside such as a used stamp, a coin, a squeeze of toothpaste, a drawing pin, a paper clip, a pebble, a rubber band, a button, a seed, a raisin, a blade of grass, a petal, a bottle top etc. Give them an hour to collect all 30. Prizes follow for everyone, of course!

On the 6th Day of Christmas...

Teach Them a Card Trick

This trick is as old as the hills but never ceases to amaze (until of course you know how to do it). Take a pack of cards. Without anyone seeing, look quickly at the 3rd card down and memorise it. Let's say it's the Queen of Hearts.

Place the pack down on the table. Pick up around a 3rd of the pack and place it to the right. Pick up another third of the cards from the original pile and place it to the right of the third you just put down. You should now have 3 more or less equal piles.

From the middle pile, pick up the top card and place it upwards on the right-hand pile. From the same middle pile, pick the next card up and place it upwards on the pile to the left. This means the next card down on the middle pack is going to be the Queen of Hearts. You know this but no one else does!

Ask one of your audience to pick up the top card from the middle pile, memorise it and then place it back anywhere in the middle pile. Pick up all the piles and form them into one single pack of cards again and ask someone to shuffle them as much as they like.

Take the pack back and randomly take out 9 cards, including the Queen of Hearts, as you work through the pack in front of your audience with the cards facing up. Arrange the 9 cards in 3 rows of 3 with the Queen of Hearts as the centre card. You can now tell your audience you've magically worked out that the Queen of Hearts was the card they picked up!

On the 7th Day of Christmas...

Go for a Special Picnic

Make this an early evening picnic as the sun goes down. Check local fire regulations but nothing beats roasting marshmallows on the beach. Incorporate a few games beforehand such as:

• Flip-Flop Kick: see who can kick a flip-flop shoe off their foot as far as possible
• A water balloon on a wooden spoon race (same rules as for egg and spoon)
• Sponge relay: 2 big sponges, 2 buckets of water, two jars & 2 teams of kids. Each player must dip the sponge in the water, run over the jar and squeeze the sponge out into the jar. The first team to fill their jar up wins!

On the 8th Day of Christmas...

Potato Printing

Cut potatoes in half and then cut out a shape on the flat surface. Dip into paint and press onto paper like a printing block. Use sap from leaves to make as a paint alternative. You can make birthday or Christmas cards or even wrapping paper with the designs.

On the 9th Day of Christmas...

Get Them to Brush Up on Their Geography

Make a family quiz that'll inspire the kids to learn more about the world.

Here are 10 questions:

• Name 6 European countries
• Name 10 capital cities
• Name 4 major rivers in different countries
• Where are the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge?
• Name a country other than France where they speak French
• Name a country other than Portugal where they speak Portuguese
• Which countries are famous for kimonos, kilts and clogs?
• Name the currencies of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore
• Which country does Father Christmas live in?
• Name 3 of the American Great Lakes

On the 10th Day of Christmas...

Make Mum or Dad Breakfast in Bed!

Whoever's been working hard to make Christmas extra special deserves a treat! Get the kids to prepare a special breakfast in bed for the busiest parent! It might sound like a chore but plant the idea a few days in advance. Kids then tend to start using their imaginations. They'll often come up with lots of helpful and interesting suggestions to make the breakfast really special.

Make Christmas and New Year Easier on Yourself!

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