Ah, the joy of opening the door and herding children outside. After being cooped up for so long during the winter months, children will love the space and freedom of the back garden or the park. After they have run around aimlessly, probably being very noisy, they will want something to do. You don’t need to spend much money to have buckets of fun in the outdoors – here are some of our family favourites.

Hide and Seek. The old ones are often the best and Hide and Seek is no exception. Hopefully you won’t need an explanation for this one – suffice it to say children seem to be born with the rules hotwired into their brains. Make it more competitive for older children by upgrading to House Hide and Seek – if you can touch ‘House’ (where the seeker starts counting) without being caught by the seeker you are safe!

Stuck in the Mud. A more frantic version of ‘It’. The person designated ‘it’ has to catch the others and shout ‘Stuck!’ when they are caught. The person caught has to stand still with legs apart and arms out. The aim is for "unstuck" players to pass between the legs of stuck players in order to release them. The game is over when all normal players have become stuck, leaving only the "stickers" left.

What's the Time, Mr Wolf? Younger children love this and it is a good one to play if there are only two of you. One player (or parent!) is Mr Wolf. Other players follow the Wolf and ask ‘What’s The Time, Mr Wolf?’ The ‘wolf’ answers with various times but when they decide to shout ‘Dinner Time!’ the other players must run to safety (a tree or picnic blanket). If you catch anyone, they become Mr Wolf.

Ball games. Urchin’s Not Just Cricket pack has everything you need for many games of cricket, badminton and football, all packed in a handy canvas bag. Or why not try croquet? Don’t be fooled by its genteel image – croquet can be fiercely competitive! If you want something easier and less structured, don’t forget the simple joy of Piggy In The Middle (unless you are the youngest and made to be Piggy endlessly when it can be the world’s most frustrating game).

Skipping games. ‘Apples, peaches, pears and plums, Tell me when your birthday comes…’ A simple skipping rope and a few rhymes will keep little girls occupied for ages. Urchin’s nice wooden skipping rope costs a few pounds, and visit www.littlegirlskipping.com for a huge collection of skipping rhymes.

Water and sand. A sandpit or a bowl of water acts like a magnet for toddlers and young children. Urchin’s Water and Sand Table is a great value buy for the summer garden.