As the school year draws to a close and those long hazy days of summer approach, parents everywhere are wondering: What can I do to keep the kids busy?

Here's the simple, easy answer: Unlock their imagination and you will never hear "I'm bored" again! How? Here are six guaranteed boredom-busters:

1. Give them the tools to create. Fill a box - or empty laundry basket - with all sorts of non-breakable objects, like dress-up clothes and accessories, blankets, empty containers, old pots and pans, boxes, etc.

2. Surround them with books. Children can't dream about what they haven't heard about! Consider borrowing a variety of books from the library. You don't have to read them all even letting them browse on their own can be fun and educational!

3. Take a walk. Besides getting fresh air and exercising their muscles, a walk outside can stimulate their young and growing minds. Point out different flowers, noting shapes and colors. Fantasize about the shapes of passing clouds. Skip or walk zigzag; having fun makes learning easy. Collect some of nature's beauty (pinecones, leaves, acorns, seashells, rocks, etc. See Point #4).

4. Stimulate their artistic muscles. Supply colored paper, pencils, glue sticks, string. and your "treasures" collected from your neighborhood walks, and see what develops. You may have a Picasso-in-training!

5. Invent a hero/heroine. The most magical words in the English language are "Once upon a time" Don't worry about the plot, just make it fun: add sounds, crazy adventures, silly words. And don't forget to end your story with the second most magical words in the English language, "And they all lived happily ever after."

6. Simplicity It's reassuring for adults to know it's not about purchasing the most elaborate, expensive toy in the store. Joan Almon, coordinator of the Alliance for Childhood in College Park, Maryland, says, "A good toy is 90% child, 10% toy. The more explicit and elaborate it is, the less room there is for a kid's mind to take over."