School holidays bring long days filled with excitement, but also the challenge of keeping little ones entertained without spending a fortune. Luckily, the best fun often starts at home, with everyday recycled goods that can be transformed into games, crafts, and adventures.

The Bottle Flip Game

One of the simplest but most addictive holiday challenges is the classic bottle flip. All you need is a half-filled plastic water bottle. Children can compete to see who can land their bottle upright on the table, floor, or even a marked target. Add extra fun by creating a scoreboard or setting up trick shots using boxes or chairs. It’s free, easy, and guaranteed to bring laughter (and a little friendly rivalry).

Cardboard Box Castles

Large delivery boxes or empty cereal cartons can become fortresses, pirate ships, or rocket launchers with a little cutting, taping, and imagination. Children can decorate with crayons or old magazine cut-outs to make their creations truly unique.

Toilet Roll Gardening

Save those toilet paper holders for a simple and eco-friendly gardening project. Fill each roll with soil, pop in a few seeds beans, herbs, or flowers work well and place them on a tray by a sunny window. Children can water them daily and watch as tiny shoots push through the soil. Once they’re ready, the rolls can be planted straight into the garden, as the cardboard breaks down naturally.

Bottle Cap Checkers

Save your bottle caps to create a recycled version of draughts. Paint or colour half in one shade and half in another, draw a grid on cardboard, and let the games begin.

Plastic Bottle Bird Feeders

With a little help from an adult, used plastic bottles can become bird feeders. Cut small holes, add a wooden spoon or stick for a perch, fill with seeds, and hang in the garden. Kids will love spotting which feathered friends come to visit.

Sock Puppet Shows

Odd socks find new life as puppets. Add button eyes, wool hair, and scraps of fabric for clothes, then let the children put on a mini play for the family.

These activities don’t just fill time they encourage creativity, teamwork, and a sense of responsibility for the environment. So, before recycling that bottle or box, ask: could this be turned into a game or toy? With a little imagination, the answer is almost always yes.

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus 

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