Our place has turned into DIY central at the moment. I’m not the crafty type, but slowing down a little is helping me to really enjoy being a mother of two under three. The busier I am I have a tendency to forget that life is all about the simple things, especially when it comes to my little ones.

I recently interviewed Dr Sheila Degotardi, senior lecturer from the Institute of Early Childhood at Macquarie University in Sydney, for an article for Woolworths Baby & Toddler Club on how to boost your child’s imagination with household items. Sheila explained that as parents we naturally want the best for our children, so it’s tempting to give them the latest whiz-bang toys, in the belief that all the bells and whistles will engage them in play and help them to learn. However, we really don’t need to buy cratefuls of ‘captivating’ toys to entertain our little ones when there’s an entire playground available to them within our homes.

Have a read of Household Items to Boost Your Child’s Imagination for some fantastic ideas on ways to entertain your little ones that won’t cost you a penny. Let them play with safe items around your home – using their imagination in whichever way they like, or you can show them how to convert something like a cardboard box into a fun and interesting toy, like the cardboard plane (above) that we made for our little man.