School holidays are here and every Mum and Dad will spend at least some of the next fortnight wishing that time would speed up. We've got some great ideas to help keep your sanity, keep the kids entertained and happy, and some awesome threads and toys as you share some valuable time with the little ones.

We all know the importance of imaginative play, and here at Tiny People we whole-heartedly believe kids should be kids. Encouraging our children to play and have fun, whether its dressing up as fairy princesses, throwing tea parties or playing with trucks and tractors, is a big part of raising happy and healthy children.

Never under-estimate the simple things, like building a pillow and blanket fort, a game of hide and seek in the backyard or making some play-doh. The best part is that these activities are low on costs and help ensure that screen time is limited.

When you need a little more inspiration, check out some of our great range of toys and dress-ups.

Holidays mean beach days and pool hangs, good for the soul and relatively inexpensive (apart from that all important afternoon ice-cream purhase!).

We have a great range of stylish swimwear, rashies and hats to keep the kids protected during beach walks, sandcastle building and pool games.

With the days getting longer and warmer its a great time for a Spring clean and some re-decorating. But if your kids are anything like ours, getting them on board with tidying-up can be a struggle (even though they are the ones creating most of the mess). Here are several ways for making it fun these school holidays.

Set a timer

A simple timer can have a big impact. Set the timer for 5 minutes and see how many toys / clothes / etc they can put away in that time. Or time them to see how fast they can complete chores you have assigned to them.

Pump up the tunes

Good music makes everyone a little more inspired, but if you've had your fill of Disney soundtracks, we suggest checking out these: 136 Songs Your Kids Will Love (That Won't Drive You Insane).

Hold a garage sale

Once the cleaning and sorting is done, a garage sale can be a great way to move on unwanted items. Get the younger kids to make colourful signs and posters to display and the older kids will love helping out with selling.

Reward the kids for all of their hard work with something new for their (clean) bedroom or playroom. Here are a few of our favourites:

One thing we can't say enough about is getting the kids back to nature. Be it a bushwalk, a camping trip, helping in the garden, or going fishing with dad, there is so much outside that we unfortunately can easily forget about in todays life. Australia has some of the most unique and beautiful natural environments in the world and these holidays are an opportunity to help our children develop a lifelong connection to nature

A new report from Planet Ark also shows that learning outdoors can help kids develop the crucial skills Australian teachers say they will need most to face major global challenges, as well as critical thinking, problem solving, resilience and emotional intelligence.

Even climbing a tree can be a great activity so make sure you ditch the devices and take the kids out in our beautiful natural world this holidays.