Ideas to entertain a small child indoors please

[EatsFartsAndLeaves]

Looks like it's going to piss with rain all weekend here, please could we have a thread of ways to entertain a small child indoors?

I'll start, mine is 4 and obsessed with vehicles so:

Painting his toy cars with poster paints

Use a bag of cotton wool balls to have a "snowball fight"

All the cotton wool "snow" falls on the road and causes a traffic jam and the digger truck has to come and carry each snowball away to rescue all the cars (Paw Patrol vehicles usually needed too for this)

Drawing on the kitchen lino in chalk, then blowing bubbles in the kitchen, then wiping off all the bubble mix and chalk with The Special Cloth (aka "child cleans the kitchen floor")

Use a big blanket to make a den

Baking zzzzz... can I make bread easily with a 4 year old without losing my mind? Does it have to be kneaded for ages?

Any more ideas welcome please, half term has used up all my reserves of Things He'll Sit And Do In Peace For A Bit.

Thank you!

This is a super easy bread recipe, no kneading & tasted amazing apparently (I hate cheese so didn't eat it).

Other ideas
Painting rocks
Make a volcano (bicarbonate & vinegar)
Play doh
Make cards (birthday, Father's Day etc)

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-cheddar-soda-bread

Build the tallest tower possible out of all the boxes in your cupboards?
jigsaws?
jobs (dusting, hoovering, putting stuff away etc).

On Sunday afternoon get out the wet weather clothes and go for a puddle jump in your wellies. Take the 4YO too if you are desperate!

Compost in a tray/baby bath and some diggers

Painting by 'driving' cars through Tray of poster paint then on to paper

Waterproofs and wellies and into the garden. They love it. Throw in some mud and they'll send ages out there!

Den building.

Indoor cinema with tickets.

Baking.

Those are my go to's that brighten up a dull day.

Follow Five Minute Mum on Facebook or Insta. There's a webpage too - wee.fiveminutemum.com. She sets up games in 5mins that you can play together and the child often then carries on playing alone (if you're lucky!!) I pinch all her ideas, they're great. Plus set and and clean up quickly too.

Those painting books that just use water my DCs loved those

Love the cotton wool ball idea will have to try that.
Ds 5 spent ages this weekend building dens with big cardboard boxes and blankets. He then spent even longer drawing pictures on the boxes with felt tips.

My quick go to's also include-

-Shaving foam on trays
-Gloop (corn flour and water)
-Afternoon bath
-Muffin pizza making - cut a muffin in half add tomato puree or pasta sauce then any pizza topping before putting under the grill)
-washing the sofas and hoovering (my DC are oddly obsessed with cleaning stuff with a bowl of warm water and bubbles and Hoovering!)

Junk modelling.
Use all the cardboard boxes and tubes etc from your recycling and a roll of sellotape and whatever other craft stuff you might have (paint and glue are only if you are feeling brave). My 4 and 8 year olds love this.
When younger, cutting and sticking with old magazines/ catalogues if you have them. I cut out pictures, they fight over who gets which picture and glue them onto some paper or card.

Thanks there are loads here we could try, phew!

I may also put the tent up in the garden and do stuff we normally do, but in a tent in the rain. I could even lie on a big beanbag in there with a book, I might quite enjoy that for half an hour.