20 Free Activities For Kids During The School Holidays
With the school holidays approaching, it’s best to get prepared with some easy and exciting activities to keep the kids entertained. Most parents don’t want to spend a fortune keeping their kids occupied, but rest assured – there are plenty of fun and free activities for kids that won’t require you to take out a small loan.
Read on for our top 20 free activities for kids during the school holidays that’ll make your children happy and your wallet even happier!
Overview:
- Go for a walk
- Enjoy the parks and playgrounds
- Splash in the waterparks
- Wander through the markets
- Watch the sunrise or sunset
- Hit the beach
- Have a picnic
- Visit the zoo
- Ride your bicycles
- Go fishing
- Get cultured by looking at art
- Go whale watching
- Head to the library
- Check for free days at museums
- Find a concert
- Look for local farms
- Visit your local botanical gardens
- Go camping
- Stargazing at night
- Become a tourist
20 free activities for kids these school holidays
1. Go for a walk
This is a simple one, but you can easily increase the level of fun by making it a scavenger hunt. Grab some trainers, a hat and a water bottle and take the kids for a walk around the gardens or neighbourhood streets. If you are lucky enough to live near the Hinterland, then head out on a real hike and try to incorporate a waterfall or other impressive natural elements for the perfect family day.
2. Enjoy the parks and playgrounds
There are tons of parks and playgrounds in most areas of Australia that your kids will love. It’s a great way to get the kids outside and potentially make new friends while playing. Not only is it fun, this school holiday activity is a great way to keep the kids fit and healthy!
For example, there’s St. Kilda Adventure Playground in Melbourne where kids can enjoy a flying fox, trampolines, a wooden maze, a giant ship and a castle. In Sydney, check out the playground at Darling Quarter where you’ll find a 21-metre flying fox as well as water features, climbing ropes, slides and swings.
3. Splash in the waterparks
With the summer school holidays being one of the hottest times of the year, why not splash around at a local waterpark for the afternoon. It incorporates the fun of a playground with the addition of staying cool. There is a reason why waterparks are a popular holiday activity and that’s because it is a must do.
4. Wander through the markets
Hitting up local community markets is always a good way to spend a morning with the kids. Often there’s live music and then you can check out all the stalls (you might even be able to sample some free food). Don’t underestimate the markets as there are so many stalls to see and the kids will find something interesting to look at.
If the markets are during the school holiday there may also be free activities and arts and crafts to join in.
5. Watch the sunrise or sunset
Drag the kids out of bed early one morning for a memorable sunrise. Do some research ahead of time to find a nice lookout where you’ll experience the best view. Take a few selfies and remember to pack up some coffee and pastries to munch on while you bask in nature’s beauty. Or if you’re not a fan of early mornings, head to a lookout and watch the sunset together.
6. Hit the beach
Those who happen to live near the shore will know this is an easy one. It’s always fun to enjoy some time on the beach, watching the waves roll in and building a sandcastle. Take the much needed dip to cool off or admire the impressive skills of some surfers out there.
7. Have a picnic
Easily incorporated with some of the above activities, a picnic is a great way to extend an activity and do something a little different. Bring some food from home that’s ready to eat or do your research and find a local BBQ so you can enjoy a warm meal. Picnics are always a fun, free way to eat food in a different space.
What could be an extra bit of fun for the little kids is to make it a dress up picnic or teddy bear picnic to make it a fun day out over the school holidays.
8. Visit the zoo
There is nothing more fun than going to visit the zoo over the school holidays. Easily a whole day’s worth of fun, the zoo is a great way to spend some free time with the kids and can be a fun educational activity for the kids to learn about the wildlife inside. There are many animal sanctuaries around Australia and most of them are free or have deals going over the school holidays for the whole family to enjoy.
9. Ride your bicycles
Break out the bikes! The whole family can enjoy the view from two wheels while getting some exercise and hopefully exploring a different part of town. Check out various bike tracks before you head out, so you might be able to add in a stop at a playground or cool lookout.
10. Go fishing
Grab a couple of fishing rods and head to your nearest fishing area to see what you can catch. Be sure to check the fishing laws around your area and whether or not you need a licence, so you can be sure you won’t end the fun before it even gets started. You may even be able to enjoy your catch for dinner!
11. Get cultured by looking at art
Be inspired and check out your local art galleries and museums. They often have free days (or some that are free all the time) where you can take the kids to soak up a little culture.
This is a great way to immerse yourself and your kids in a bit of culture and a great activity to do if the weather is not ideal. Some exhibitions will even have school holiday activities to do at the end of the exhibition related to the show itself.
12. Go whale watching
If you’re in the eastern part of Australia near the ocean, then you’re more than likely to see some whales during this time of year. But, perhaps you’ve never actually gone to take a look. Use the school holidays as a reason to take the time to watch for whales – it’s a sight worth seeing. Google your area for the best places to catch views of the magnificent creatures.
13. Head to the library
Most libraries host school holiday activities, and the best part is they’re free! Everything from story-time and crafts to puppets and music can be found at your local libraries during school holidays. So check out your local libraries’ website and plan which free events you and the kids will attend.
14. Check for free days at museums
Many museums offer either free days, free exhibitions or free workshops during school holidays, so it’s worth doing some research to see what you can find. Allow your kids to explore the world’s past and learn some amazing new facts about history that maybe you didn’t even know.
15. Find a concert
Throughout the year and especially during school holidays, venues around town will often run free concerts. Whether you’re looking for a band that caters to young kids or something a bit more “grown up” for your teens, you should be able to find something to keep them entertained!
16. Look for local farms
If you have some animal lovers on your hands, they are bound to enjoy a visit to your local animal farm for free or at a small cost. For example, Collingwood Children’s Farm in Melbourne is $5 per person or $20 for the whole family (two adults and up to four kids). For that small amount of money, you can spend the whole day on the farm feeding chickens, milking the cows, riding ponies and more!
17. Visit your local botanic gardens
Almost every botanical garden is free for visitors. While kids may not be immediately drawn to a garden, most gardens offer kids activities from simply identifying plants and flowers throughout the gardens. Many botanical gardens are gorgeous to view, giving your kids a sensory experience that will make them curious to see more.
Depending on where you are in Australia some botanical gardens offer walking trails, playgrounds and picnic spots your family can sit and enjoy a free school holiday activity any day of the week.
18. Go camping
Do you enjoy camping with the family? A great activity for the kids to do during the school holidays’ is to go camping. And if you’re too busy to take the time off to go camping, why not pitch up the tent in the back yard and let the kids spend the night outside but still safe. That way the kids still get the camping experience and you don’t have to spend any money or go anywhere.
19. Stargazing at night
While some school holiday activities take time and money to organise, think of simplistic activities to do with the kids that are still exciting and different. Do some research and pick a cloudless night to let the kids stay up past their bedtime and stargaze using a telescope or simply sitting in the backyard or at the beach.
Do a bit of digging to find easy star constellations to look out for. Who knows, you might be lucky to see a shooting star or the international space station fly past.
20. Become a tourist
What to do when you are bored over the school holidays? Why not become a tourist in your own town/city for the day, explore touristy things or explore a new suburb you have never been to before and see what exciting things you could find.
For example, do you live in Sydney but have never visited the Sydney Opera House? Go with the family and make the day feel like a holiday in your own town/city.
Use these school holidays as an excuse to check out our list of fun school holiday activities to do for the kids! And just because these kids’ activities are free, it doesn’t mean they aren’t fun! And while you’re busy not spending any of your money during these holidays, think about how much you can put toward paying off debt.
Start the school holidays the right way
If you really want to spoil your kids these school holidays or take them on a trip but need some extra cash, consider a small personal loan with Swoosh. We offer a variety of small loans up to $5000. If you have any questions about this blog or our personal loans, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
