Top 15 School Holiday Activities For Kids and Students

In Melbourne, VIC

Summer is almost upon us and we all know what that means, school holidays equals bored kids. Never fear I have compiled a list of summer School Holiday Activities guaranteed to keep the kids busy. Making your summer holidays a breeze.

School Holiday Activities 1 – Funfields, water slides, pools, 25 different rides. Funfield is family and children friendly

School Holiday Activities 2 – Gumbuya World, recently had a massive upgrade and is a world renowned theme park. Guaranteed to have the kids begging to go back

School Holiday Activities 3 – Enchanted Adventure Garden hedge maze, tree surfing or enjoy the gardens

School Holiday Activities 4 – Werribee Open Range Zoo sit back and enjoy the bus tour see many animals on your mini African Safari

School Holiday Activities 5 – Melbourne Zoo take a picnic, Spot a leopard, or butterfly house is always a favourite spot

School Holiday Activities 6 – Myuna Farm in Doveton. Playgrounds, train rides, pony rides as well .Pat the animals or grab a tractor ride across the farm

School Holiday Activities 7 – Science works let the kids imaginations run wild

School Holiday Activities 8 – PARC Multi level water attraction everything you could ask for in one place

School Holiday Activities 9 – Mothers beach, Mornington take a walk along the iconic Mornington pier, grab an ice cream or take a dip in the bay

School Holiday Activities 10 – Casey Race Aquatic centre splash the day away

School Holiday Activities 11 – Melbourne Aquarium up close and personal with creature from the sea

School Holiday Activities 12 – Collingwood children’s Farm perfect for the whole family to experience daily life on a farm

School Holiday Activities 13 – Enchanted Adventure garden add a little magic to your holiday and bring your favourite fairy tales to life

School Holiday Activities 14 – VJunior a new way to experience the movies, lounge out in a bean bag chair or grab a ride on the huge slide

School Holiday Activities 15 – Lego land Indoors , air con and a perfect end to a perfect summer

Holiday Activities list by Tanya C.

Top 15 School Holiday Activities For Kids and Students

In Sydney, NSW

The summer school holidays are long, and the kids need to be kept entertained. But, don’t stress! We’ve compiled a list of the top things to do, to suit all budgets and families.

School Holiday Activities 1 – Featherdale Wildlife Park

The go-to for Australian wildlife, Featherdale Wildlife Park is home to Australia’s largest collection of native wildlife. Perfect way for the kids to get up close and personal with gorgeous kangaroos, koalas and more! Features paid experiences such as patting a dingo and holding a baby crocodile.

School Holiday Activities 2 – Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre

Location: Olympic Boulevard, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, 2127

Inspire the next generation of Olympians by taking them to the world-famous aquatic centre. Alternatively, just let them play around on the water slides!

School Holiday Activities 3 – Darling Quarter Playground

Location: 1-25 Harbour Street, NSW, 2000

With a water play area, sand pit, carousel, and more, this playground is the perfect place for kids to let off some steam. Located near the other activities found in Darling Harbour, there is plenty to do!

School Holiday Activities 4 – Luna Park

Location: 1 Olympic Drive, Milsons Point, NSW, 2061

A Sydney staple, Luna Park features activities and rides for children of all ages and tastes!

School Holiday Activities 5 – Sydney Tower Eye

Location: Level 5 Westfield Sydney (Corner of Pitt Street and Market Street), NSW, 2000

Take a trip to the mall to the next level by visiting the tallest structure in the city, and enjoy breathtaking views from the Observation Deck.

School Holiday Activities 6 – Taronga Zoo

Location: Bradleys Head Road, Mosman, NSW, 2000

Visit the zoo for some animal fun.

School Holiday Activities 7 – A good, old fashioned trip to the beach!

Beaches are aplenty in Sydney; so, spend the day eating ice-cream and playing cricket whilst soaking up the sun. Take a dip in the glistening ocean to cool off, but don’t forget to swim between the flags.

School Holiday Activities 8 – SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

Location: 1-5 Wheat Road, Darling Harbour, NSW, 2000

Always a favourite, let the kids be mesmerised by the marine life at the Aquarium.  Featuring amazing displays of sharks, dugongs, and penguins, as well as touch pools and stunning fish!

School Holiday Activities 9 – Fairfield Adventure Park

Location: Vine Street, Fairfield, NSW, 2165

Better for older kids and teens, Fairfield Adventure Park is the playground dreams are made of! With flying foxes, climbing equipment, and barbeque areas; this park makes for the perfect day out.

School Holiday Activities 10 – Australian Museum

Location: 1 William Street, Sydney, NSW, 2010

Museums are an excellent way for kids to have a fun day out, as well as learn something new! A dinosaur lovers delight, the Australian Museum also has exhibitions that focus on Indigenous culture and biodiversity.

School Holiday Activities 11 – Walking tours

Location: various

Get the kids away from screens and tire them out by taking them on a walking trail. Scattered around the city, Sydney is home to many beautiful walking tracks—just don’t forget the sunscreen.

School Holiday Activities 12 – Art Gallery of NSW and Museum of Contemporary Art Australia

Location: Art Gallery Road, Sydney, NSW, 2000 & 140 George Street, The Rocks, NSW, 2000

Get the kids cultured (for free!) at Sydney’s finest art galleries.

School Holiday Activities 13 – Sydney Observatory

Location: Upper Fort Street, Millers Point, NSW, 2000

At 140 years old the Sydney Observatory is the oldest in Australia. Situated in stunning parklands, it is an educational way to learn about the planets.

School Holiday Activities 14 – Ferry trip

It doesn’t need to go anywhere fancy, but taking your children on a fun ride around on a ferry is a unique way to travel! Or head to Cockatoo Island, stay overnight, and show-off Australia’s convict past!

School Holiday Activities 15 – Royal Botanic Garden

Location: Mrs Macquaries Road, Sydney, NSW 2000

The Botanic gardens are the ideal place to get in touch with nature and have a lovely picnic. Have a wander around the Harbour to the iconic Opera House and Bridge.

Become tourists in your own city, and give the kids school holidays that they won’t want to end—even when you do!

Holiday Activities list by Rachel C.

Top 15 School Holiday Activities For Kids and Students

In Brisbane, QLD

Being in the Sunshine State there are a vast number of school holiday activities that parents are able to do to keep the little ones entertained. I have decided to split the list into 3 sections being free activities, cheap activities and expensive activities.

Free School Holiday Activities

Some of my favourite activities with my children are going to any of Brisbane’s numerous parks. Some great ones I regularly attend are New Farm Park, Waterfront Park, Bulimba Memorial Park, 7 Brigade Park and Captain Burke Park.

All of these have plenty of different activities and attractions to keep the little ones and bigger ones entertained.

Cedar Creek is my favourite local water hole in the Brisbane area, although it can be hard to find for the uninitiated it is a great respite from the heat especially when there has been rain around.

After a walk past the houses and down a small track you are greeted by a beautiful swimming hole and a great little waterfall. There aren’t any facilities once you have parked so make sure you are prepared for this.

With the warmer weather comes beach days and our state certainly provides some great ones. Some of my favourites include Woorim on Bribie Island, Southport, Burleigh Heads and Coolangatta. These beaches offer plenty of different options as well as swell and beach conditions and are a great day out for the whole family.

If you want the family to get wet but don’t feel like getting sand in your shoes then Settlement Cove Lagoon at Redcliffe is a great option.

There are plenty of BBQs and toilet facilities as well as areas for the smaller children and bigger children. It also includes a playground to give the children a break from the water for a while.

Just around the corner from me is Teneriffe Community Place which is a great little free centre for kids offering arts and crafts and other services. They also offer games night and clown labs and as the name suggests are a community based initiative.

Cheap School Holiday Activities

One of my favourite days out is visiting Bribie Island and stopping in at Sandstone Point Hotel. They regularly hold events as well as having a massive green space, outdoor playground, animal farm, indoor play area and lolly shop for the kids.

They offer a number of different restaurants and parents can relax with a drink whilst the kids keep themselves amused.

Play centres will be crazy over the holidays but they are a good way of tiring the kids out as long as you can stand the noise. Chipmunks are one of my kids’ favourites and a regular stop.

Walkabout Creek Wildlife Centre and Enoggera Reservoir are down as a must do for my children and I over the holidays.

The Centre is a great place to start and then meander down to the water for a swim and a play and if you’re feeling adventurous there’s a number of bushwalks as well as paddleboard hire, BMX tracks and fishing.

GOMA (Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art) and the Brisbane Museum both offer cheap options for children over the holidays. GOMA currently has Purple Reign which is an immersive secret garden and the museum offers regular special attractions.

Rugbytots is a rugby based program designed for children aged 2 to 7 and holds classes in venues across Brisbane and the state.

It is a great way to introduce your children to ball skills, coordination and teamwork and prepares them for club rugby if you decide to take that path. Best of all it is open to both boys and girls.

Slightly Expensive School Holiday Activities

Any of the many theme parks are a great day out but they are going to cost you some money. However at the end of the day as long as the kids are smiling and have had a great time then it is worth it.

I have found the One Pass to be good value as you only need to visit twice over the space of the year to be saving money.

Sea Life Sunshine Coast is another great day out for the whole family. It’s a great interactive learning experience with plenty of different shows and experiences for the kids.

Top Golf is new to the Gold Coast area but is already getting rave reviews and looks like great fun for the whole family.

It caters to all skill levels and the lighting and game like mode will keep kids of all ages entertained.

Playtime brings the old arcade experience back for everyone to enjoy. Again like play centres during the holidays it will be loud but there are plenty of different games to keep the kids entertained and they can even host parties.

Zero Latency is a free roam virtual reality game that brings laser tag into the digital age. It is designed for the older kids 13 years and up, so this would be perfect for older families as will give the parents a chance to play with their children and potentially earn some cool points.

The games go for approximately 45 minutes and it takes an hour all up so it is a great way to spend some time in the afternoon.

I hope this list of activities helps anyone searching for things to do over the holidays to keep themselves and the rest of the family sane. There is certainly plenty to do and much more out there to explore.

Holiday Activities list by Benjamin V.