Keep them quiet for a while...

My 2.5yr old daughter has recently been following me, saying 'I want to make jewellery'...obviously something that she has seen her mummy do! So I have allowed her to share my work desk (kitchen table). She started with sticking my drill bits into a bit of wood and adding some old beads (and anything else she could find on the table). She was doing it for ages and looked like she was really enjoying it (and so did I as it kept her quiet for a bit and I was able to do some polishing next to her).
So the next day, I have cut another bit of wood especially for her, pre-drilled some holes and stuck in some old bits of wire. Gave her some old beads and she was off threading everything on, apparently 'making Xmas trees'.
She loves doing it and keeps adding to her Xmas tree every day.
It just shows, all the expensive toys you can get these days but all kids want is just something new and exciting to keep them occupied, no matter how much it cost...
Try it yourself (keep them supervised though, careful about putting beads in their mouth etc...safety comes first!)