8 great school holiday ideas

To keep children happy during school holidays, regular entertainment is a must. But costly days out and expensive getaways are not always failsafe or realistic ways to beat school holiday blues.

So how do you keep kids (and your sanity) in check without burning a hole in your hip pocket? Here are 8 simple ideas for school holiday happiness:

1. OSH-Clubs
   More than 150 schools in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT offer OSHClub holiday programs that are run during the holidays.  These clubs are designed for primary, and in some locations, preschool aged children and offer a range of supervised activities such as cooking, craft and various full day excursions. Although, depending on the activities planned, there is a cost involved, the 50% tax rebate and if eligible, childcare benefit (CCB) can be claimed - which helps to reduce fees.
2. Recreational camps
   For kids keen on sharpening up skills in sports like football, rugby, tennis and swimming an intensive school holiday program might be just the ticket. Most community-based sport camps run over several days but participation rates can often be limited to a single day or two. For children interested in outdoor pursuits some not-for- profit organisations like the YMCA and Western Australia’s Department of Sport and Recreation offer programs like camping and for older kids, canoeing.
3. Play dates
   Just like big people, children gain from social interaction outside the family home. Lining up a few dates for children to visit good and varied friends is a perfect way to keep kids happy and occupied. Although children should be encouraged to entertain themselves at home, a little structure can go a long way. Planning a simple treasure hunt or even giving kids ideas on what types of games to play is a good way to avoid tantrums and tears.
4. Leveraging family
   Day (and potentially night) expeditions to the homes of trusted, hands-on grandparents along with aunties, uncles and cousins (or close friends if no family nearby) is an obvious and great way to entertain children. Most family members have particular talents, so match your child’s stage and interests to these - e.g an eight year-old boy or girl might enjoy a spot of fishing with a fisherman granddad or learning how to make the perfect cupcake in the kitchen with nana? Thinking how to leverage shared mutual interests is also a great way to help form strong bonds between the generations.
5. Impromptu ad-hoc ideas
   Although mapping out holidays in advance is a good idea even the best-laid plans can go astray. Changeable weather, waning energy levels or sickness might make you think twice about things you had planned at the outset. Having an arsenal of ideas for rainy days or occasions when kids need to spend some quality, at-home time is as important as scheduling in other activities.
6. Get crafty
   Craft might not be every parent’s cup of tea but kids generally love it and the internet makes even the most uncreative parent an expert! From making bejeweled aluminum crowns to Paper Mache rockets there are hundreds of sites with great ideas for all ages and abilities.
7. In-house movies
   Trips to the cinema are costly so why not try to replicate the experience at home?  A must-see kid’s movie from your local video shop, microwave popcorn and a few comfy chairs or beanbags (and a bit of up-selling from mum and dad) is a fun and cheap way to entertain - particularly when the skies are grey.
8. The great outdoors
   It’s easy to become uninspired but children often find simple, outdoor activities a lot of fun so it’s worth having a think about what, at your doorstep, might appeal to your children. Things like taking a trip to a local headland or, if inland, taking the kids for an interesting bushwalk or looking to the humble backyard for ideas always pay dividends. Children like projects with instant gratification like helping to plant a herb garden or building a cubby house or DIY fort – which can be as simple as putting up an old sheet over an outside table and putting kid’s things inside.