There’s no excuse for kids to sit staring at screens in their free time, not when there’s a wealth of other fun ideas around come rain or shine.

On top of the chocolate eggs many children have been enjoying a diet of TV and computer games this Easter.

New research has found that watching television and videos are many mums’ back-up plan during the school holidays, backed up by previous studies suggesting children often spend more than two-and-a-half hours a day watching TV, and nearly two hours online.

But although most parents would like their children to do something other than just stare at a screen all holiday, sometimes the British weather scuppers any entertainment plans they may have.

Indeed, new research found that more than half of Mums say it’s harder to entertain the kids when it rains and three-quarters admit that staying indoors all day often leads to arguments and tantrums.

The publication of two new activity guides hopefully means this hair-tearing situation can be avoided.

Garden designer Dawn Isaac has created her 101 Things for Kids To Do Outside Book, packed with ideas ranging from quick 10-minute activities like building a human sundial and making twig stars, to party games, treasure hunts, simple gardening projects like planting an alpine colander, and more organised tasks such as making a mud pie kitchen or holding a mini Olympics.

“I think there are parents all round the country who are panicking and trying to think of what the kids can do,” says Isaac, “and sometimes the solution they come up with is very expensive.

“None of the ideas in the book are expensive, they’re just using things you can find round the house or that are quite cheap.”

Mother-of-three Isaac stresses that a huge garden isn’t necessary for most of the activities – the mini-vegetable garden, for example, is created in an old pot, and there’s a herb garden that grows in a wheelbarrow.

“It’s trying to be realistic,” she says.

“Gardens are shrinking, and most people don’t have that much outdoor space, although they can usually get to a park.

“But saying ‘Let’s go down to the park’ to the kids often isn’t as attractive to them as the electronic equipment indoors, so the idea is to sell it to them a bit more.”

She acknowledges children may still prefer to take the TV or computer games route, so she suggests parents could try the approach she has with her three children of keeping one weekend day a week, and perhaps more in the holidays, as a ‘screen free before three’ day, when the TV and other screens aren’t allowed on until after 3pm.

“I’m not anti-screen, it’s just finding the time to do other stuff,” she explains.

Isaac adds that, depending on the age of the child, the idea is for parents to hand kids the book and leave them to it.

“The best things when you’re a kid are when adults aren’t involved, so the idea was always to make it for the kids to do themselves.”

She also points out that while parents might have a problem with rain, kids generally don’t mind getting wet, and there’s very little in the book that can’t be done when it’s raining.

  • 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside by Dawn Isaac, Kyle Books, £14.99