Imagination - The key to all adventures. Babies and small children will play with simple things like empty boxes, clothes pegs, pots and pans. To them they are all sorts of things because they use their imagination. They don't expect to be entertained with expensive toys or computer systems they just need to touch and feel things to have fun. Simple songs with actions will be remembered well beyond childhood years and hopefully be passed on to the next generation of children needing to be entertained. Dressing up, making things out of cardboard and paper, the possibilities are endless all that is needed is a little imagination.

Birthday parties used to be simple affairs, nowadays our children expect to have an entertainer or bouncy castle at their parties. Whatever happened to pass the parcel or blind mans buff? The more entertainment we provide for our children the more they seem to need.

Today's society seems to dictate the trend, maybe we should all try and steer our children gently back to simple entertainment. Switch the 'telly' off, dig out the board games, if you can survive the moans and groans of your children then you might just be able to persuade them that entertainment needn't be just by means of televisions and computers. You can have fun together. You can talk and communicate and entertain each other. Go out to the theatre, see a pantomime, all good fun ways of entertaining the whole family. Memories are precious, if you have a great family night out and have fun together, you will keep the memory for a long time.

Small children used to be given colouring books and pencils, now the trend is to plonk them down in front of the television and let it entertain them. Who knows what information they are subjected to. Children will learn to be inactive, not a healthy pastime.

How often have you heard the words "I am bored". Does this mean the child needs to be entertained? Certainly not, if you were to suggest that you can find something for them to do you will find that your child miraculously finds something to entertain them.

Something as simple as playing with a ball can be healthy, amusing, fun, and the more people taking part in the game the merrier. Which one of us hasn't been involved in a football game or game of cricket or rounders, which has grown into an incredible amount of people on both sides. Who cared who won? Playing and entertaining you was all that mattered and it was healthy!

Interaction with others will stand our children in good stead by teaching them social skills and encouraging them to lead a healthy active lifestyle. So encourage your children to go on out there, go with them, entertain, be entertained and have fun !!!

Rachel Branston is the author of a childrens' book series "My Travels with Trevor". Each book can be supplied as a personalized child book with your child's name. http://www.trevors-tales.com.