It seems like we just came out of endless weeks at home with bored kids… oh wait, we did! And now they’re home again?! It’s the winter school holidays and with the wetter weather, it can be the trickiest fortnight of the year to keep them busy. We’ve got 10 screen-free school holiday activities to bust the boredom. Best of all, they’re mostly free!
1
Primary-school-aged kids love documenting their daily thoughts, insights and adventures in words and illustrations. Set them up with a ‘special’ notepad, pencils and stickers, or even a lock-and-key diary to keep it fun!
2
A great activity for the whole clan is a good old fashioned bike ride. Explore the neighbourhood on wheels… don’t forget the raincoat! You could pop into your favourite cafe for a hot chocolate before riding home.
3
Enlist the kids to declutter, reorganise and refresh their bedrooms. Check out snazzy spaces for cool kids and the ultimate teenage retreat for ideas.
4
Set out a platter of sliced capsicum, onion, mushrooms, olives, ham, cheese, pineapple and let kids assemble their own pizzas. You could even make your dough from scratch.
5
The bush, a botanic gardens, a coastal trail, a sculpture garden… there are so many outdoor trails to be discovered. Google ‘nature walks for kids’ to find some awesome ideas in your area. You could even set a checklist of things to spot! Animal tracks… berries on bushes… wild flowers…
6
Put your heads together to write a story as a group. Scary, funny, rhyming — you decide! — just pass the pencil and paper to the next collaborator after each paragraph.
7
Let the kids spend the day choreographing some fresh dance moves that the whole family has to learn after dinner.
8
Streaming services like Spotify, Audible and Apple Podcast have great kids’ programs, such as ‘But Why: A Podcast for Curios Kids’, ABC’s ‘Animal Sound Safari’ and ‘This Kid Life’. They’re great for a rainy afternoon.
9
Keep the kids busy all day by letting them parade every single costume in the dress-up basket.
10
Get Out With Kids has a state-by-state breakdown of local things to do and places to see. (Just check with your local venue before setting out to make sure it’s open.)