Activity ideas for kids during the school holidays

By: kelly

TAGS: entertainment holiday kids school tips

Believe it: I love school holidays. Sure, there’s an adjustment period for the family as we settle into a new routine and find the balance between excitement and relaxation. The key to finding the balance is to organise enough outings to keep the children busy, while planning activities at home in between, when everyone (including Mum) can recover and regroup. Keeping this in mind, I’ve put together school holiday activities and ideas to help make your experience a positive one. You’ll find backyard games for the lazy days at home, exciting outing ideas, learning activities and general tips on how to make these school holidays fun… and survivable!

Backyard games and other activities

Backyard games are fantastic for lazy home days. The holiday activities I’ve detailed below are easy to prepare and fun to play.

Cotton Wool Games

Cotton wool balls are cheap and have many uses, besides cleaning cuts and grazes.

1. Cotton wool ball race
   How to play: Position two children at one end of a table. Give each child a cotton-wool ball and a straw. The object of the game is for the children to blow the cotton wool ball to the end of the table using the straw. The cotton ball that reaches the end of the table first wins! If the cotton-wool ball falls off the side of the table, the player must pick the ball off the ground and start at the beginning.
2. Let it snow
   How to play: Buy two large packets of cotton wool balls and place in a large bowl. The object of the game? Throw cotton wool balls in the air to make “snow”. You’ll be surprised how kids will play this game. Keep the cotton wool balls to use for craft.
3. Cotton ball throw
   How to play: Mark out a starting line and place a bucket a couple of metres away (depending on the age of the children playing). The object of the game is to throw the cotton-wool balls so they land inside the bucket. The winner is the one who has the most in the bucket at the end of the game.
   Tip: Mark each player’s cotton wool balls with a different coloured marker so counting is easy.

Cubby-house

Children are incredibly resourceful and imaginative, so activities that take advantage of these tendencies are great. To facilitate this, an idea is to allow children to build an outdoor cubby house, especially for the holidays. Recently, my children and I visited a second-hand shop for items to make a cubby house. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved. This activity combines the outdoors, creativity, ingenuity, construction and environmentally friendly play (and it’s cheap too).

Balloon Games

I always keep a packet of balloons in the cupboard for the school holidays. The humble balloon provides hours of fun holiday activities for children.

1. Balloon High
   How to play: The object of the game is to keep the balloon off the ground. No holding. If the balloon hits the ground, that person is out.
2. Balloon Race
   How to play: Each player should stand at a starting line and place a balloon between their knees. The object of the game is for each child to jump to the finish line while keeping the balloon between their knees. If the balloon falls, the player must stop and place it back before continuing. The winner is the one who reaches the finish line first. For a holiday twist, have the kids decorate the balloons first with a marker.
3. Water Balloons
   How to play: Fill balloons with water and place in a bucket. Children can throw to each other carefully, trying not to break the balloon, do water fights, or aim for a target.

Ball Games

There is something very “Aussie” about playing ball in the backyard, and these activities are a hit with the kids when they are off school.

1. Poison Ball
   How to play: Divide children into two teams. The object of the game is for the team on the outside of the circle to roll the ball and hit the feet of the children on the inside of the circle.
2. Backyard soccer
   How to play: Mark out two goal areas on opposite sides of the designated area. The object of this game is to kick as many goals as possible.
3. French Cricket
   How to play: All you need is a cricket bat and a tennis ball. The playing field is the backyard (great on the beach too). In French cricket, the batter must remain stationary with legs together while the fielders aim for the legs below the knees. The fielders try to catch the batter out, while the batter tries to avoid being caught, or hit on the legs. There are many rule variations, some of which can be found here.

Streamers

Streamers are not just for parties. The light-weight material is perfect for flying in the wind too.

1. Kite Fly
   How to play: Break a piece of streamer for each child and allow them to run around in the wind.
2. Doctors, Nurses and Vets
   How to play: My children have found streamers to be useful for many role-play activities. They make for nifty bandages, so I’ve been told.
3. Dancing
   How to play: Tie together five or six lengths of the paper and tie at the top. Twirl and dance and watch the colours swirl.

Out and About

Staying home the entire holidays is a sure-fire way to make your children stir-crazy. To avoid this, I plan holiday activities and day trips between lazy home days. This gives the children excitement and an opportunity to see and learn new things when they are not at school.

1. Museums
   Museums run interesting holiday activities, workshops and exhibitions. You can find your nearest museum and see what holiday activities are running by clicking the links below.
   Queensland Museums
   Victoria Museum
   Northern Territory Museums
   Western Australia Museums
   Canberra Museums
2. Theme Parks
   Visit a theme park for a day of full-on excitement. I found a comprehensive list of theme parks in this link from BYO Kids: Theme Parks in Australia
3. Kids’ Activities
   There’s often time in the school holidays to pursue special activities like art, dance, horse-riding, bush walking, holiday camps and swimming. Check your local council for community programs or you may find this link helpful: School Holiday Directory: Holiday Activities and Ideas
4. Geocaching
   Out of all the school holiday activities, Geocaching is a personal favourite. The idea behind Geocaching is to locate hidden containers found in various places outside, called geocaches. This is done by following Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. This family adventure combines the excitement of finding a new place and the thrill of hunting treasure. It brings together the perfect mix of technology and nature. It can be done any day, anytime and anywhere in the world. This adventure costs next to nothing and can take anywhere from 30 minutes or an entire day. If you haven’t already, give Geocaching a go: Geocaching in Australia

Family Holidays

If your family plans a vacation in the school holidays, prior bookings are essential. Be aware, the cost of accommodation is dearer at this time. Also, it’s a good idea to check the location before you book, to make sure there are plenty of activities and attractions to suit your family.

School Holiday Tips:

1. Stock up on colouring pens, paper and other crafty items.
2. Pull out toys that haven’t been played with for a while. For example: board games.
3. Make use of your local parks, or even drive a little further and explore a new kids’ park.
4. Have some “quiet” or “rest” during the day.
5. Invite friends over to play.

When at home, keep the play momentum by leaving items out rather than packing everything away each day. The children can then pick up where they left off come morning. And find interesting activities for the children to participate in. The holiday period gives children a chance to explore creatively through freedom and opportunity. This may be hanging at home, learning new things at a museum, going on a family holiday or doing new activities. Balance the days out with days at home and enjoy variety. Happy holidays!

What’s your favourite thing about the school holidays?

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