Holidays can be expensive so free activities for children are great. Here is a whole heap of free activities ideas for you and your kids during the next school holiday.
School holidays don’t have to be expensive; in fact if you use your imagination you’ll find plenty of activities that won’t break the bank. We wanted to make it easy for you, so we’ve put together a whole heap of activities using things you already have at home, and we’ve also included some cool places to visit that will not cost a cent. If you have any ideas for FREE Holiday Fun, please
email us and we’ll add them to the list.
Here goes…
- Have a potluck picnic with your children’s friends or other families in your neighbourhood. You could have it at home, or meet at a nearby park.
- Instead of going to the movies or hiring a DVD, why not swap some of your DVDs with a friend.
- Go on a bushwalk. Your local Visitors Information Centre will be able to tell you about walks in your area, or visit www.doc.govt.nz to find out about walks administered by the Department of Conservation.
- Do some baking. Cakes, muffins, biscuits, slice, loaves … it doesn’t really matter. Your children will love getting involved, and you won’t have to buy baking at the supermarket.
- Take your children to the library and get them their very own library card.
- Blow bubbles. If you don’t have a bubble wand already, you can make one by cutting out the inside of an ice cream container lid, and leaving just the frame. Dip the frame into a mixture of dishwashing liquid and water, and then wave it gently from side to side to release the bubble. You can also make bubble wands from the rings around milk bottle tops, or wire coat hangers.
- Make a mobile for the garden using shells, driftwood, leaves, pine cones, and any other natural treasures you can find.
- Go to a lake or river and teach your children to skim stones (or maybe they can teach you!).
- Get a ‘Parks and Reserves’ brochure from your local council, and visit a park in your area that you have never been to before.
- Make a new set of crayons for your child by putting all their short broken ones into muffin tins, and melting them down in the oven. Once the wax is melted, remove them from the tin and let the wax go cold. Tip out the giant, multi coloured crayons and they are ready to use.
- Make up a scavenger hunt for your children, with a list of things they need to find in your garden. Make it hard enough that it takes more than 5 minutes, but don’t make it so hard that it’s impossible for them to complete.
- Older children will enjoy a scavenger hunt that goes further than your backyard. Either go with them, or give them clear instructions about where they are and are not allowed to go. It’s also a good idea to give them a time limit, otherwise they might be gone all day!
- Do some arts and crafts using materials from around the home. Our craft articles have some good ideas to get you started. Check out our ideas for 4-7 year olds, 8-12 year olds, and teenagers.
- Challenge your neighbours or your children’s friends to a family cricket match at your local park.
- Take the whole family on a bike ride. If you are feeling really adventurous, check out some of the mountain bike tracks or bike friendly boardwalks in your region. Your local Visitors' Information Centre will be able to point you in the right direction.
- Build some sandcastles. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, sandcastles are always fun, and your children will enjoy the novelty of being at the beach in winter.
- Make your own mini golf course in the backyard using tin cans for holes, and all sorts of buckets, rocks and pot plants for obstacles.
- Go fly a kite. If you don’t have one, create one out of newspaper and string. Experiment with different designs, and have a competition to see which one flies the best.
- Visit your local SPCA, garden centre aquarium, or pet store. For more free animal antics, check out ‘Animal Lovers Activities’.
- Make a junk sculpture using all your recyclable rubbish, and anything else that would otherwise end up at the dump. Give your children lots of tape, string and space, and you’ll be surprised by what they create.
- Create a family bingo card game, where each child has to do a range of activities to complete the card. They might be silly things like ‘walk around the house backwards’, or more serious things like ‘do something nice for someone else in the family’. The first person to complete their bingo card wins.
- Make some fudge or other sweet treats and take them to a rest home or hospital. Your children will get a real buzz out of doing something nice for complete strangers.
- Take a trip to the local skate park and have a go. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy the thrills and spills - just make sure your child has the proper safety gear on before you start.
For more free ideas for the school holidays, check out any of our holiday articles. If you have a free idea you would like to share with other members, please drop Kerri a line.
Happy Holidays!
Useful Websites
www.learningmedia.co.nz
Learning Media is a state owned enterprise (SOE) which has a selection of online educational activities, at various levels, mostly for children ages 5 - 15.
www.ncwilkinsons.com/wilkieway/pages/home.php
The Wilkie Way website provides excellent numeracy products, including multiple free games online.
www.manyanswers.co.nz
Have fun online researching lots of different and interesting topics for children. This free resource is funded by the Minstry of Education, with involvement from many prominent public libraries around New Zealand.
Article Free Articles written by Kerri Tilby.