Sometimes during school holidays or on the weekends the kids will be looking for fun and interesting things to do. We, along with the help of many parents, have compiled a list of great activities and things to do with the kids. Have a look today!
1. Meet with friends at a park and play with the kids on the playground. Push them on the swings or catch them on the slides.
2. Go to a local cycle way/bike track and go rollerblading. A great way to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine and exercise.
3. Go ice-skating- wrap up in your warm clothes and head to the closest ice-rink.
4. Have a movie afternoon- great for a rainy day. Rent a couple of good kids movies, make some popcorn and and enjoy the movies.
5. Cook some special treats or family favourites like Gingerbread men or cupcakes.
6. Go to an indoor play centre. Let the kids try out the playground and you can have a coffee with a friend.
7. Try Tenpin Bowling- make sure the bumper bars are up for the little ones.
8. Explore your local bird park, butterfly world or the zoo to see all the animals, birds and reptiles.
9. Get your bike helmets and go for a bike ride.
10. Organise a kid swap with friends who work. Your kids get to have their friends over for the day to play, and there are a lot more participants for games.
11. Browse through your local history museum, great to show the kids how things use to be.
12. Try Horse-riding- lots of riding centers provide lessons or short rides for younger children.
13. Visit a farm and see all the farm animals, you may be able to feed and pat some of them.
14. Take a day trip to a historic town or local attractions. Sometimes we never visit the attractions in our local area. Be a tourist in your own town.
15. Spend the day at the beach, go for a walk and play some games, take the Frisbee.
16. Camp out in the garden- kids of all ages will love this experience.
17. Have a picnic or lunch at the local park. Let the kids help pack their favourite lunch and snacks.
18. Do some Gardening with the kids make a herb garden pot, they are fantastic and useful too!
19. Smile! Get the camera out and let the kids take some photos download them on the computer and create a slide show.
20. Get out the play dough- buy some or make your own. This will provide hours of fun for you and the kids.
21. Have a Story writing competition. Help younger children write and illustrate a story.
22. Create a Treasure hunt in the backyard write out a list of things to find, and let them start hunting.
23. Bury a heap of old dinosaur toys and ‘artifacts’ in a sectioned off part of the garden and give all the kids a map and little spades.
24. Blow bubbles, try different shape bubble blowers for lots of fun.
25. Buy some cheap wooden photo frames and get the kids to paint and decorate them for their rooms.
26. Paper Mache…messy but always fun, create a bowl or a piggy bank.
27. Make masks from paper plates, with stick on ears and eyeholes.
28. Create a masterpiece- get canvas and paints and let the children express their creativity with Painting.
29. Play let’s pretend – play shopkeeper or mom/baby or anything you like.
30. Teach the kids to sew or thread with lacing cards.
31. Have a theme days – make it blue day so everyone wears blue, you eat blue food, use blue paints/materials for craft work, sing blue songs, etc.
32. Have a lazy day where everyone gets to stay in their PJ’s and relax.
33. Write and create a play -see who is great at drama and acting.
34. Conduct some simple Science experiments- see the internet for ideas.
35. Try your hand at scrap booking, with some coloured paper, kid’s photos and embellishments.
36. Grocery shopping- take the kids to the Supermarket and let them help you shop, cross off the items on your shopping list. Buy something easy to make together for lunch.
37. Board games Monopoly, Scrabble, Hungry Hippos, and more if there are a few kids have a tournament.
38. Card games from the simple Snap to Go Fish to Canasta for the older ones. Have lollies or chocolates for prizes.
39. Do a Jigsaw, set up a special area and let everyone help – the harder the better.
40. Make a Kite then take it outside on a windy day to fly it.
41. Go fishing in the river or sea and catch and release.
42. Catch local transport – take a train to Simons Town or a bus ride around the City.
43. Make birthday cards together – Grandparents and friends will love the creativity of your kids.
44. Lots of Local Libraries hold story-telling workshops during school holidays, and then the kids can borrow some new stories to read.
45. Go Swimming- head to the local indoor pool or to the beach or river.
46. See the latest Movie at the Cinema. Get your kids to tell you the storyline afterwards.
47. See what’s on at the Theatre or a live show. The kids will love you for this.
48. Make some music, play some music instruments or sing along to their favourite tunes.
49. Dress Ups- a family favourite. Find some outfits and play dress ups.
50. Make Plaster Models and then paint them in your favourite colours.
51. Make a collage- go to the park or beach and collect bark, seaweed etc and make a collage.
52. Bush Walk- head off the beaten path and go for a bush or nature walk.
53. Make a Movie – grab the video camera, write a plot, dress up and film your family as the stars of your very own movie.
54. Feed the Birds or the Ducks – get some stale bread and feed these feathered friends.
55. Make Paper Dolls – make a chain of paper-dolls and color them all in different colours.
56. Create a puppet show, use soft toys or make small puppets from socks or wooden spoons and put on your own show.
57. Beading – make some jewellery by threading beads, macaroni or small pieces of cut up straws on to string.
58. Build a giant sandcastle or sand scuplture – lots of fun for the beach or a challenge in the Sandpit.
59. Throw hoops – for small children try and throw a ball into a bucket and move it further away, or for older kids use a netball or basket ball ring.
60. Make juice – choose your favourite fruits and squeeze to make lovely fresh juice.
61. Have a skip-a-thon, get the skipping rope out and practice your skipping – who can skip the fastest, the longest, try running in together.
62. Go bird watching at the local park or wetlands and make a list of birds you see.
63. Do some leaf rubbings, collect an assortment of leaves and place them under paper then use a crayon/pencil to rub over the top.
64. Colour experiments – add flowers to jars with different coloured food dyes. Wait and see what colours they go. Works best with white flowers.
65. Play detectives – get some magnifying glasses and a notebook and go exploring. Write down what you see.
66. Face Painting is lots of fun and you can practice your skills on their trusting little faces.
67. Have a special morning/afternoon tea in the garden. With milkshakes or hot chocolate for the kids and lots of yummy treats.
68. Play rock, paper, scissors – have a prize for the best out of 10 games.
69. Do some colouring in – there are some great printable templates on the internet.
70. Visit the children’s grandparents or another special friend; take a picture or something the children have made for them.
71. Play computer games with the kids; find out which ones are their favourites, and which ones you can beat them at.
72. Have a game of hide and seek – lots of fun for the little ones.
73. Inside Treasure Hunt – make maps and have the kids follow the maps around the house to locate the prize.
74. Kick the soccer ball, set up some goals and try your luck.
75. Jump in Puddles, great wet weather fun, forget about getting wet and remember the fun of being a kid again.
76. Practice hitting the tennis ball to each other or hit it up in the air and see who can catch it.
77. Play Twister with the kids – get the game out and start spinning.
78. Put the music on, call the kids and dance around the lounge room.
79. Have a game of softball in the garden or the park.
80. Camp-out in the garden or living room depending on the weather.
81. Kids Bedroom Make-over. Every kids room needs a sort out once in a while and a new ‘look’. School holidays are the perfect opportunity. Search the internet for cheap ways to update their room.
82. The No Particular Reason Party – invite as many people as you like to bring a plate of finger food & a bottle.
83 Art Gallery. Inject a little culture into the holidays and discover your local art galleries.
84. Get to know your city: walk the streets, stop at the local cafes for a milkshake and enjoy the characters on the streets and all the old buildings.
85. Write an adventure story together.
86. Get the kids to put on a fashion show & join in. Make sure you film it or take photos for posterity; it’ll make great memories for the future.
87. Watch the sun set at the beach and take along a picnic supper.
88. Picnic in your local Botanic Gardens, there are always some close by and what is more relaxing than taking books and a picnic rug and spending a lazy morning doing absolutely nothing. If your kids are old enough, you may even have the luxury of being able to take your own novel and enjoy the beautiful silence.
89. Fairs & markets. Do a bit of research on the internet and find out where the best fairs and farmers markets are happening near you and spend the morning exploring one.
90. Make a scrapbook. Scrapbooking is all the rage at the moment. To make sure your memories last forever, take lots of of photos over summer and put them into a special scrapbook. Get your friends to add messages and drawings. It will be an amazing keepsake
HAVE FUN!
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