Siobhán O'Neill-Whyte, Director of Mams.ie, joined Damien to share some of her top tips on keeping kids busy during the summer holidays.

The website has loads of great resources and ideas, but Siobhán discussed her favorites on air.

On rainy days, she recommends getting board games, such as the family version of Cards Against Humanity, which she and her family enjoyed playing during the lockdowns. She said this is a good one because it encourages the use of imagination.

Another great idea for rainy days is the cinema, which can be expensive, but Siobhán suggests going when the Kid's Club is on during the morning. She recommends some great movies that are in the cinema now and ones that will be coming soon.

In terms of holidays and staycations, she says bringing buckets and spades is a good idea, especially when near the beach or woods.

Encourage your kids to go and collect shells or stones and then paint them. Siobhán had her kids paint different flags on what they collected and they were occupied for hours.

If the weather is good enough, plant a wildflower patch in your garden. Not only is this great for the bees, but it also gives kids a great sense of satisfaction when they see the flowers begin to grow.

She is also a firm believer in bubbles. Kids love bubbles and will play with bubble guns and wands for hours on end trying to pop them and blow the biggest one.

With teenagers, Siobhan says it can be a bit more difficult trying to engage them in activities, but suggests different ways to challenge them.

She recommends Carlingford, Tayto Park, or Skypark, which is an aerial adventure centre with zip wires, archery, and climbing walls.

If your teenager is moping and sulking, she says you should leverage with them by saying something like, "if you help me with the dishwasher, we can go to X next week."

Siobhan suggests many more activities and websites throughout the chat, which you can listen to in full by clicking the link in this podcast.

For more Deise podcats, click here.