Expert advice from Dazzle & Fizz: How to entertain the kids before Christmas

How can I entertain the kids in the run up to Christmas - it seems ages away until they can unwrap their presents?

Keeping the children entertained in the build-up to Christmas can be tricky. With Christmas adverts everywhere, the whole focus can seem to be overtly commercial.

There are lots of ways to entertain the children without spending a fortune, however.

Here are my top three festive activities to keep the children engaged, without a battery-operated toy in sight!

Christmas treasure hunt around the house: Keep the children entertained for hours with a cryptic treasure hunt around the house! Be aware of the age range of the audience and adapt the clues to suit. If you have a wide age range, organise the children into mixed-age teams, each with an older child as a team leader. The clues should be Christmas themed and build towards an end prize. Elongate the fun by choosing an end prize that requires making or creating. For example, hide a loot-bag filled with make-your-own-snow-globes as the end gift. The children can then build their snow globes straight after as a new activity.

Keep them active: With the short days it can be hard to keep children active. This can be a double problem, as children will inevitably eat a lot more treats at this time of year. Overcome this by encouraging active games that the children can play together. If you're tight on space, choose a competition that can be completed as individuals, such as a Wii tournament to keep them excited, engaged and active. It's an oldie, but a goodie - a game of Twister is active, fun and can be enjoyed by everyone. Or better still, take the whole family on a scavenger-hunt-style nature walk. Select 10 items the children must find or see on the walk, ticking each item off as you go.

Alternative advent calendar: For this, you will need either a reusable advent calendar, or 24 empty containers (jars with lids, or miniature fabric bags work well). Number the containers 1-24 - although you don't need to do 24, just use five if there's five days to go. In each container, write a charitable activity or positive task for the family to complete. For example 1) Donate 3 x canned goods to your local food bank. 2) Pick a toy to donate to a children's charity. 3) Spend time with an elderly relative. Complete each task as a family to redefine the spirit of Christmas and focus on giving as opposed to receiving.

Charlotte Melia, MD of bespoke party planning company Dazzle & Fizz

For more inspiration visit the Dazzle and Fizz website at dazzleandfizz.co.uk