Cheap School Holiday Activities
ARE YOU RUNNING OUT OF THINGS TO DO IN THE HOLIDAYS?
School holidays can be an expensive time for your family. Most people acknowledge they spend more money during school holidays than at other times of the year.
Here are some ideas from MoneySmart for cheap or free activities you could try with your kids during the school holidays.
With some planning, a modest budget and a bit of creative thinking, there are plenty of free or cheap activities you can do at home with your kids. Here are some ideas to get you started.
School holiday activities at home
Plant a vegetable garden
Even if you only have a small outdoor area you can create a simple vegetable patch with your kids. If you don’t have a yard, you could plant seeds in pots and even decorate the pots. It is a good idea to choose fast growing plants so the kids can see the results quickly.
Camp out
Who says you need to leave the house to go camping? Why not set up a tent in the backyard and have a night out camping. If the weather is bad you could set up your tent inside the house instead.
Cooking
Plan a day of cooking or baking with your kids – you could even have a cooking competition with members of the family. This is usually a popular activity because you get to eat the results.
Movie night
Borrow some movies from your local library, pop some popcorn and you’ll have an authentic cinema experience in your home. You could even move your TV outside for the night and create an outdoor cinema under the stars.
Arts and crafts
Try face painting, papier mache, building a collage, painting or making masks or beaded jewellery. Use craft materials from around your home rather than going out to buy special items. It’s amazing what you can create from buttons and odds and sods from your kitchen drawers. Options are only limited by your creativity and imagination.
Build a cubby house
Who doesn’t love a pillow fort? Try building a cubby out of boxes, sheets or other things around the house. Putting sheets or blankets over a washing line or kitchen table can be a quick, fun way to make a hideout for your kids.
Read a book
Get your children to pick a few books you can read together as a family over the course of the school holidays. Don’t buy special books when you can borrow books for free from your local library.
Treasure hunt
Hide some things around the house or yard and write some clues or create a treasure map to lead your kids on an exhilarating adventure with a prize at the end.
Dress ups
Let your kids lose in your cupboard and see what costumes they can come up with. It’s amazing what they can do with a few scarves, hats and coats.
Playdate
Invite one or two of your child’s friends over to play for a low cost day at home. Provide paint and paper, bats and balls or dress up gear and the kids should be able to keep each other entertained.
School holiday activities out and about
Depending on your budget and transport options, there are plenty of low cost school holiday activities away from home.
Libraries
Visit your local library and attend their free story time. Libraries also run other school holiday activities like arts and craft and computer and simple electronics courses for older kids. Keep in mind you might need to reserve a space for some courses.
Museums and galleries
Many local museums and galleries have free entry and offer creative and interesting school holiday programs, sometimes free or for a small fee. These programs are perfect for budding artists, archeologists and scientists.
The beach
Going to the beach, national park or river during the warmer months is a fun and free activity the whole family can enjoy. Build sandcastles, go for a swim or a bush walk – but remember the sunscreen.
Go fishing
If you have fishing gear, take your kids fishing. This can be an enjoyable day out even if you don’t catch anything, but if you are lucky you might snag a free fish dinner. Remember to make sure you get a fishing licence if it is required in your state.
Go to the park
Take your kids to the local park. You can pack a picnic, walk the dog or fly a kite on a windy day. A lot of parks have playgrounds and climbing equipment as well as bike trails, cricket nets or basketball hoops you can use for free.
Shopping centres
Shopping centres often host free school holiday activities that your children might enjoy, including live entertainment, plays, music or art and craft activities.