I'm meeting up with a friend in Belgium and taking her 2 kids (ages 2.5 and 5) on trip to Holland. We are trying to keep it simple and staying in one hotel in Leiden. Any suggestions about things to do there or in Delft, Gouda or other nearby places that both the kids and I will enjoy?! Besides the towns I mentioned, any other recommendations? We will be there only 3 or 4 days but want to make the most of it. I've never been to Holland so all will be new to me. Thanks! (P.S. We are leaving the kids with their dad to do a 2-day trip to Amsterdam for just us.)

Maastricht is a wonderful little town but may be a bit far depending on your childrens ages. In addition, there is a park up the coast about 1 hour north of Amsterdam, that is essentially an outdoor park detailing the history of The Netherlands. I do not recall the name but it IS in the Fodors book.

We just returned from a week just up the road in Lisse and I haven't gotten around to my trip report yet. We took our 4 year old son and just had a fantastic time! We did two specific things for him, both of which I'd highly recommend for anyone with kids.
The first was going to a place called Linnaeushof which is Europe's largest outdoor playground. It's in Bennebroek about 10 km north of Lisse. We spent a whole afternoon there and had a riot. They have a ton of things for kids (and adults)of all ages and the only thing you have to pay for once you're in the gate is the go-karts. Our favorite was the giant slide! Their website is www.linnaeushof.nl Definitely worth setting aside time to do. Make sure to go on a day when it's not raining, and even though they have a restaurant there, we saw lots of people picnicing.

The other thing was going to Madurodam in Den Haag. www.madurodam.nl It's a place with 1:25 scale buildings, bridges, airports, etc from around the Netherlands. John had lots of fun there and kept asking to go back. It was a bit expensive at 11 euro for adults and parking at 5 euros, but I didn't mind too much since the proceeds were going to charity. Note that in Holland, most places charge admission for kids 4 years old and over, although reduced a bit.

When I asked John on the way home what his favorite part of the trip was, he categorically replied "everything". A miracle for a four year old! We found a small wooden shoe factory and also a cheese farm just south of Gouda that we all enjoyed too. Feel free to email me if you'd like more info on any of this. [email protected]

When you go to the Linnaeushof, take bathing suits for the kids if it is warm. There's a big spash pool.
In Delft, you can rent a paddle boat and paddle yourselves through the canals. Kids love it! There is a wonderful ice cream shop called "van Bokhoven" just 50 yards from the Market square, also a good ice creap shop ON the Market square that sometimes has licorice-flavor ice cream. You could also take a horse-drawn carriage ride through town. On Thursdays there is a big open-air market on the main square and on Saturdays there is an antique-and-junk market nearby; these can be really fun but perhaps too crowded for little kids.
From Leiden you can get a bus to the beach, or you can rent bikes and ride if you feel energetic. You can buy kites and fly them on the beach - great fun with kids!
Don't miss Madurodam.
In Leiden, go to Naturalis - the fabulous natural history museum. There is a special exhibit about dinosaurs, "Dino Argentino" there until August (?).
Enjoy!

These are great suggestions. Thanks, all!