If you’re currently scrambling for things to keep the kids entertained, we’ve got you covered.

The school holidays are nearly upon us, and with them comes the challenge of keeping the kids entertained without losing our minds or remortgaging the house. Of course we love getting out and about with our kids, but we can’t head to the movies, water park, mini golf or Easter Show every day. It’s exhausting and those family passes and show bags don’t come cheap. Luckily Big W have got you covered with some awesome deals on boredom-busting products that will keep the kids happy and entertained without leaving the house.

Enjoy a carpet picnic and cartoons on the Polaroid 55-inch UHD TV.

After a busy morning of activities, my kids love to chill out watching their favourite movie or cartoon series. We set up a ‘carpet picnic’ with pillows, popcorn and a fruit platter and they settle in for an hour or two of TV joy. Problem is, with one TV in the house I also end up watching Zootopia for the 85th time (damn you, Judy Hopps). These school holidays I’m getting organised and buying a new TV for the spare/mess room. The Polaroid 55-inch UHD telly is my pick of the bunch. It has four times the resolution of a full high definition TV and exceptional clarity with over 8 million pixels. That’s way more than my sleep-deprived brain can even compute. It’s also on sale for $549 at Big W, which saves you $150.

Watch and learn with the Samsung 10.1-inch tablet.

I fall more into the “technology is part of life” rather than the “my child only gets 5 minutes of screen time a week” camp. For us, it’s all about moderation, and you know, maintaining some semblance of sanity. When it comes to touchscreens, the Samsung Tablet 10.1-inch tablet is a great option and for $348 (a saving of $100), it’s great value. Load it with some of the incredible learning apps on offer and it’ll give your kids a fun and engaging way to brush up on their maths and reading skills before the next school term starts.

Catapult some cream with the Pie Face game.

Not afraid of things getting a bit messy? Buy some cream in a can and get your kids involved in the popular Pie Face game, on sale at Big W for only $25. Russian roulette in style, players take turns putting their face through a cardboard cut-out and turning a small handle. You never know who is going to get a face full of dairy and hilarity ensues when someone eventually cops it. If your kids rope you into playing the game with them, remember Cleopatra bathed in milk so a dairy facial might be just what you need for a youthful glow.

Turn on your old school spellcheck with Scrabble original.

If you’re not overly keen on getting dairy up your nostrils, you might want to opt for the more traditional and less suspenseful game of Scrabble. Some of my favourite memories of my childhood are of playing Scrabble with my family over the holidays, even when my competitive sister cheated and tried to convince me that “wyzi” was a word. For those of you who haven’t heard of Scrabble (all two of you), it’s a game where players score points by placing letter tiles on a grid to spell a word. It helps kids (and adults) improve their spelling and introduces you to words you’ve never heard of, some of them legitimate.

Keep them guessing with Guess Who.

The final pick in my fun games trifecta is Guess Who, a two-player guessing game that will keep the kids occupied for hours (#bliss). Each player gets a pile of cards with images of people on them and has to guess which card their opponent has through a series of questions. Only yes or no answers are allowed so not only is it tricky, it’ll dissuade your child from pursuing a career in politics. For only $25 at Big W, it’s a great (and cheap) way to keep the kids whinge-free while staying indoors.

Bury your nose in 16th Seduction by James Patterson.

Now that we’ve got the kids assorted, what about you? We all need a bit of holiday escapism and a good bit of thriller fiction is just the ticket. Big W has a great range of books for $16 as part of their Big Book Bonanza and my pick is 16th Seduction by James Patterson. It’s the newest addition to the Women’s Murder Club series that sees Detective Lindsay Boxer deal with a deadly conspiracy. It’s the kind of book that’ll make you forget to check Facebook and Insta for an hour and for $16 it’s less than the library fine I’ve been ignoring for 22 months.

In addition to the awesome deals above, Big W is also offering 40 percent off all Fisher Price toys and has LEGO Batman Mini Figurines for only $4.75 – bargain!

Get prepared for fun and relaxing school holidays by heading to Big W and loading up on games, tech and toys. It’ll help you enjoy some time at home while keeping your sanity (partially) intact.

What is your fave way to have family fun at home?

This content was created with thanks to our brand partner Big W.