Boredom busters: Keep the kids entertained over the holidays

09 Dec 2025

The weather is warm, the outdoors calls, but that doesn’t mean the kids won’t come up to you at some point and say those dreaded words… “I’m bored”! Luckily, we’ve got two fun and easy DIY projects that they can create (with a little adult supervision), and when they are done, can be used for endless fun! Let’s get started!

Walk the plank!

This easy do-in-a-day project will create a world of fun for the kids. They can use these walking planks alone or pair up with a friend, cousin or sibling and test their skills!

You will need:

• 1x treated pine fence paling, 140mm wide x 25mm thick x 1.8m long
• Saw
• Jig saw
• Sandpaper
• Paintbrush, including a small craft paintbrush
• Resene Quick Dry
• Painters tape
• Electric drill
• Rope
• Pipe insulation
• Resene testpots in the kids chosen colours. Fleur used Resene Dauntless, Daredevil, Green Leaf, Pirate Gold, Kingfisher Daisy, Red Berry and Stone Age

Step 1: Start by cutting the fence paling into two 65cm long lengths. Use a jig saw to round each of the corners. Use sandpaper to sand rough edges smooth and wipe away any dust.

Step 2: Paint both boards with one coat of Resene Quick Dry. On one of the boards, paint the edge with two coats of Daredevil. Divide the length in half and paint one half with two coats of Kingfisher Daisy. For a crisp line, use painters tape to mark off the other half and paint it with two coats of Red Berry. Remove the tape while the paint is still wet.

Do the same to the other board, use Dauntless for the edge and Pirate Gold and Green Leaf for the two halves.

Step 3:With a small paintbrush, paint on a footprint on to each of the halves using Stone Age.

Step 4: Use an electric drill to drill a hole on either side of each footprint. Each footprint needs its own rope handle. Thread a length of rope down one hole and back up the other hole on the other side of the footprint. Thread the rope through a short length of pipe insulation (about 15cm long). Tie a knot in the rope and push the insulation over the knot so that it covers the knot. Do this for the other three ropes. The length of the rope should be long enough so that the insulation handle is at about hip height.

Keep score with these colourful bottle catchers!

There’s always a little more rubbish and recycling over the festive season. But there are some fun ways to re-use bottle, like with this bottle catching game that the kids will love! They can also paint their catcher in whatever colour and creative pattern they like to make it their own!

You will need:

• 2 large plastic bottles
• Craft knife
• Sandpaper
• Resene Sureseal
• Paintbrush
• Painters Tape
• Scissors
• Knife with a pointy end
• Resene testpots in the kids’ favourite colours. Fleur used Resene Lemon Ginger, Bilbao, Wet n Wild and Tangerine

Step 1: Start by cutting the bottom off two large plastic bottles (Fleur used two 2.5 litre bleach bottles). Sand the inside and outside of the bottles with coarse grit sandpaper and wipe away any dust. Prime the inside and outside with one coat of Resene Sureseal. Allow to dry.

Step 2: Paint the inside of the bottle and halfway up the outside with two coats of Resene Lemon Ginger on one bottle and Bilbao on the other bottle.

Step 3: Once the paint is dry, use scissors to cut short lengths of painters tape and stick these to the outside of the bottles on the painted area.

Step 4: Paint over the whole of the outside of the bottles with two coats of Resene Wet n Wild over the Resene Lemon Ginger bottle, and Tangerine over the Bilbao bottle. While the second coat of paint is still wet, use a pointy knife to carefully lift up the corner of the painters tape and peel it off.

projects and images Fleur Thorpe

Published: 09 Dec 2025