Fun and creative things to do at home with the family - from DIY cardboard race cars to a treasure hunt

Children have so much energy that it can be difficult to come up with enough activities to keep them occupied, especially if you have spent a lot of money on pricey activities and you want to give your bank account a rest.

Not every fun family pastime has to cost money; some of the most fun activities are free.

These pastimes are not only a great way to keep your children entertained, they are also a wonderful way to strengthen your bond as a family.

Read on and prepare to get creative.

Play hopscotch

Before there was social media and gadgets of all kinds, children came up with many inventive games to keep themselves entertained - and one of them was the much-loved game of hopscotch.

For this game all you really need is a concrete pavement and a box of chalks. Draw a hopscotch outline, throw a stone, and get active.

Build a fort

It sounds simple, but the process of building the fort out of household items is part of the fun.

Blanket forts are easy to build; all you need to do is build a fort frame with cushions and pillows, then close up your fort from the outside by draping blankets over it.

Add a few cushions and pillows on the inside to make it feel cosy and you’re ready to relax.

Create your own cardboard car and have a race

With just a cardboard box and a collection of paints, you can build your own race car right at home.

Firstly, find a large rectangular cardboard box that you or your child can fit inside.

Use tape to seal the top of the box but fold one of the short flaps inside the box while leaving the other one outside of the box.

Equally measure and mark the long sides of the box into thirds using a tape measure and use a pencil to mark the three equal sides.

Use a box cutter or scissors to cut the sides of the top of the box to invent a flap and fold the top flap in half and tape it together horizontally and do the same with the back flap.

Use your creativity and imagination to paint the exterior of the box if you want to make it look more realistic; you can use acrylic paint or spray paint. Make sure you lay out some paper or newspaper on the floor to avoid any messes. Give the paint an hour or so to dry before continuing onto the next steps.

Once it’s dry, draw some doors on the sides of the box and cut them out. You can add windshields and windows to your car by cutting out sections of the cardboard.

You can create your car’s wheels by using paper or plastic plates and position them so that they are six inches from the car’s front and rear.

Why not include lights, a license plate and a grill to your car to finish the look? It’s up to you how detailed you’d like your car to look.

Add straps made out of two lengths of duct tape stuck together back to back, you are ready for a race with your family.

Ready, set, BAKE

Channel your inner Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith and organise a mini Great British Bake Off competition with your children.

With the right recipe you can create an abundance of delicious treats to enjoy.

Follow BBC Good Food kids’ baking desserts like a raspberry and pistachio tea cake, cornflake tart, watermelon donuts, iced biscuits, chocolate chip muffins, butterfly cakes or simple cupcakes.

DIY drive-in movie night

Using a similar technique to the cardboard race car above, you can create another vehicle for an indoor drive-in film.