Making robots is a craft which will appeal to children of all ages and no cost to you anything. It will probably require some forward planning as to make the robot you will need to collect toilet rolls, cereal packets, tin foil and any other documents you can possibly think of that would make a good robot.

Creating a robot can be designed with the ability of the child. For example, you may need to help a toddler tape toilet rolls to a box to make its body then let them glue on buttons for eyes and the controls. Older children can probably manage with little or no help.

If you have poster paint, get your children to paint their robot creation afterwards. You will probably need to mix a little PVA glue in with the paint to get it to stick properly and avoid flaking. Create a Story Book or Diary for this you will need a drawing pad, notebook or you can create your own by stapling or sewing lots of sheets of paper together. Just tailor this kids craft idea to suit whatever materials are available to you.

Once you have the basis of your book, get your child to create a story in it. This can be written, photos or a combination of the two. Alternatively, they can use the book to document an event (such as their birthday), what they did in the school holidays, or write about their hobbies or their families.

Instead of drawing pictures they could take photos and print them out to stick in the book. For example, if they are writing a book about their family, they could take photos of their parents, siblings or pets. Or if they have made up a story about knights, dragons and castles they could set up the different scenes using Lego and take a photo of each scene.

Obviously, it is not a good idea to let your child use your £400 SLR camera for this. If you trust them, let them use your digital camera. Preferably, let them use their own children’s camera or borrow one for the weekend from someone who does have one. The Vtech Kidizoom is best for toddlers and the Lego digital camera is more suitable for older children.

Make Masks is a great free kids craft idea, which is only limited by your child’s imagination! They can be used for role playing games afterwards. A great material to use for this activity is fun foam if you have it (or you can purchase it from many supermarkets for around £1). But for an entirely free craft project, make the masks from the back of an old cereal box or paper. Ideas for topics include superheroes, favourite story book characters or animals.

If your children particularly interested in art based activities – and you have the storage space – that’s a good idea to have a basket or box dedicated to storing old boxes, plastic tubs and odds and ends to allow them to create their own craft projects whenever inspiration strikes.

Why not then consider giving your children wooden toys today, those classic hand crafted toys that won’t break and offer just as much stimulation as any modern toy. It’s a great purchase, and not only will it be a mainstay in their toy box, because it won’t break in three weeks, it will be around for generations, as an heirloom, should it be kept around.

Handmade wooden toys come in all shapes and sizes, from the classic wooden train sets to the exciting cars, planes, and helicopters. Any of the high flying or fast racing vehicles your child might want can be hand cut from wood. There are dozens of different styles and models as well, toys that will not look the same as some other wooden train, and offer the choice to purchase more of them in the future. The beauty of hand crafted toys is that they are always a little different.

Wooden toys are not solely vehicles and machinery though. You can find hand crafted wooden games as well such as tic-tac-toe, or building blocks. There are toys available for children of all ages, from the youngest playing with a clacker, to your seven year old daughter playing with her hand made wooden doll cradle, to your sons staging an epic battle scene with their wooden fleet of trucks, cars, and airplanes. The joys of handmade wooden toys is that they will be around for a lifetime, forever bound by the sturdiness of their design. They are fun and entertaining, but practical as well, and best of all, not beeping and flashing at three o clock in the morning.