It was 9:14am on the first Monday of the July school holidays when I found myself hiding in the pantry, stress-eating a family block of Whittaker’s while my two daughters argued over the “good” blue glitter.
I had planned beautiful Matariki crafts, homemade hot chocolate and meaningful family memories. Instead, there was PVA glue in the rug, glitter everywhere and approximately fourteen separate complaints before morning tea.
That was when I realised the secret to surviving the winter school holidays: lower the bar. You don’t need an expensive itinerary or a perfectly curated craft table. You just need a few easy ideas that keep the kids occupied without exhausting you.
The quick version
- Best for a rainy day: Indoor camping, Taskmaster, DIY pizza and a living-room obstacle course.
- Best free outings: The library, a local museum, puddle jumping and a winter beach walk.
- Best when you have no energy: An audiobook, movie marathon, cardboard-box challenge or living-room picnic.
- Best for tweens: Cooking dinner, op-shopping, planning a dream holiday or organising their room.
- Best of all: Many of these activities are free or use things you probably already have at home.
When are the July school holidays in 2026?
The 2026 Term 2 school holidays run from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 19 July 2026. Matariki falls on Friday 10 July.
These dates are based on the official New Zealand Ministry of Education school holiday calendar. Check your child’s school calendar for any additional teacher-only days.
Find the right school holiday activity
| If you need… | Try these activities |
|---|---|
| Something completely free | The library, a beach walk, old family photos or a dance party |
| A rainy-day activity | Indoor camping, Oobleck, an obstacle course or a puzzle |
| Almost no preparation | An audiobook, cardboard box, pyjama day or living-room picnic |
| Something for tweens | Cook dinner, go op-shopping, plan a holiday or organise their room |
| A screen-free idea | Board games, a time capsule, sock puppets or a family handshake |
| An hour of relative quiet | An audiobook, library visit, puzzle or room clean-out |
Jump to
Zero-energy school holiday activities
Cheap and free places to go
Rainy-day and messy activities
Activities that help you connect
Week-two survival activities
Frequently asked questions
A quick safety note: Choose activities that suit your child’s age and abilities. Supervise children around water, food, scissors, hot ovens and small objects, and check for allergies before food or sensory activities.
Zero-energy school holiday activities
These are for the days when you’re tired, it’s raining sideways and you do not have the emotional capacity to create a colour-coded holiday itinerary.
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The “find me” game
Ask the kids to find ten green things, ten soft things and ten things beginning with the letter B. Change the categories whenever they start losing interest.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Very low | Best for: Ages 4–10
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Indoor camping
Drag the duvets, pillows and sleeping bags into the lounge and let the kids build a winter campsite. Add torches, books and a picnic dinner if you want to make the evening feel special.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 3–12
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Have a glow-in-the-dark bath
Use waterproof LED bath lights or age-appropriate glowing bath toys, dim the bathroom lights and turn an ordinary bath into an event. Children should always be actively supervised around water.
Cost: Low | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Younger children
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Audiobook hour
Borrow a free audiobook through your local library app, pile cushions on the floor and declare a family quiet hour. Kids can draw, build with blocks or simply lie down and listen.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Very low | Best for: All ages
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Transform a cardboard box
Give the kids a large cardboard box, markers and tape. Challenge them to turn it into a spaceship, café, castle, car or secret reading den.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 3–10
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Enjoy screen time without the guilt
Choose a couple of family movies, close the curtains and make popcorn. One screen-heavy day during a cold, wet school holiday does not undo all your other parenting.
Cost: Free or low | Parent effort: Almost none | Best for: All ages
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Bake something from a packet
A packet brownie or muffin mix still counts as baking. The kids get to mix, pour and lick the spoon without you measuring seventeen different ingredients.
Cost: About $4–$8 | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 4+
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Let the kids cook dinner
Older children and tweens can plan and prepare a simple meal such as scrambled eggs, toasties, pasta or baked potatoes. Stay nearby for kitchen safety, but resist taking over.
Cost: Your normal dinner budget | Parent effort: Medium | Best for: Ages 9+
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Have a living-room picnic
Put a blanket on the floor and serve an ordinary lunch as a picnic. Sandwiches, fruit and crackers suddenly become much more exciting when nobody has to sit at the table.
Cost: Your normal lunch budget | Parent effort: Low | Best for: All ages
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Play Taskmaster: Home Edition
Create ridiculous challenges such as moving a potato across the room without using hands, building the tallest tower from kitchen items or drawing a cat while blindfolded. Award points for creativity rather than perfection.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Medium | Best for: Ages 6+
Cheap and free places to take the kids
Sometimes everybody needs to leave the house before the walls start closing in. These affordable outings work throughout New Zealand and don’t require an elaborate plan.
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Visit the local library
Libraries are free, warm and filled with books, comics, puzzles and often school holiday sessions. Let the kids choose their own books while you enjoy a few relatively peaceful minutes.
Cost: Free | Weather: Any | Best for: All ages
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Investigate your local Bunnings
Some larger stores have indoor playgrounds, family events or weekend sausage sizzles. Check your local store before promising the kids anything specific.
Cost: Free or low | Weather: Rainy day | Best for: Younger children
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Explore a local museum
Many regional museums are free or request a small donation. Give each child a mission to find the oldest, strangest or funniest object in the museum.
Cost: Free or low | Weather: Any | Best for: Ages 4+
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Go puddle jumping
Put on gumboots and raincoats and search for the best puddles in your neighbourhood. Bring dry clothes and towels for the trip home.
Cost: Free | Weather: Rainy | Best for: Ages 2–10
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Walk to the dairy
Give each child a small budget and let them calculate what they can afford. It gets everyone outside and sneaks a little everyday maths into the holidays.
Cost: Around $2–$5 per child | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 5+
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Go op-shopping with a budget
Give each child $5 and challenge them to find the funniest outfit, best book or most useful object. Set expectations before entering so the outing doesn’t turn into a negotiation over a broken plastic keyboard.
Cost: Around $5 per child | Best for: Ages 6+
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Take a bus adventure
Choose a route you don’t normally travel and ride to a new library, park or town centre. Check fares and the return timetable before leaving.
Cost: Varies by region | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 4+
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Go plane spotting
Find a safe public viewing location near your local airport and watch the planes arrive and depart. Bring a thermos of hot chocolate and make up stories about where everyone might be going.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Low | Best for: All ages
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Browse a garden centre
Larger garden centres may have indoor displays, fishponds, cafés or small play areas. Give the kids a challenge to find five unusual plants or their favourite garden decoration.
Cost: Free unless you buy something | Best for: Younger children
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Take a winter beach walk
New Zealand beaches are often quieter and more dramatic in winter. Collect shells, look for interesting driftwood and finish with hot chips or a warm drink.
Cost: Free or low | Weather: Dry winter day | Best for: All ages
Rainy-day and slightly messy activities
These activities require a little more preparation and clean-up, but they can rescue a very long winter afternoon.
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Make Oobleck
Oobleck is a strange mixture that feels solid when squeezed but flows like a liquid when released. Make it with cornflour, water and optional food colouring.
Follow our complete Oobleck and natural slime instructions, and put it in the rubbish rather than pouring it down the sink.
Cost: About $3–$5 | Mess: Medium | Best for: Ages 4–10
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Draw on a window
Use washable window markers or chalk pens to create a giant temporary artwork on a glass door. Test the product on a small area first and supervise younger children.
Cost: Low | Mess: Low | Best for: Ages 3+
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Have a DIY pizza night
Use pita breads, wraps or ready-made pizza bases. Put sauce, cheese and toppings into small bowls and let everyone build their own dinner.
Cost: Your normal dinner budget | Time: About 30 minutes | Best for: Ages 4+
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Bake Anzac biscuits
Anzac biscuits use simple pantry ingredients and are forgiving enough for young bakers. Children can help measure, stir and flatten the biscuits before an adult handles the oven.
Use our easy Anzac biscuit recipe.
Cost: Low | Time: About 30 minutes | Best for: Ages 4+
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Have a fairy bread party
Put out bread, butter and hundreds and thousands and let the kids prepare a classic party treat. Add fruit and warm drinks to turn it into a small indoor picnic.
Cost: Low | Parent effort: Low | Best for: All ages
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Build a living-room obstacle course
Use cushions, chairs, blankets and masking-tape lines to build a course. Keep the route away from sharp furniture, fireplaces and anything that could topple.
Cost: Free | Energy level: High | Best for: Ages 4–10
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Make homemade playdough
Making the dough is part of the activity, and the finished product can keep children busy long after the mixing is over.
Try our easy no-cook playdough recipe. An adult should handle the boiling water.
Cost: Low | Time: 10–15 minutes | Best for: Ages 3–10
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Open a nail salon
Let the children paint your nails or practise with child-friendly polish. Put an old towel underneath everything and keep polish away from mouths and eyes.
Cost: Free if you own polish | Parent effort: Low | Best for: Ages 6+
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Try kitchen-sink science
Put a bowl in the sink and combine baking soda with small amounts of vinegar to make fizzing potions. Add a little food colouring and dishwashing liquid for extra foam.
Cost: Low | Mess: Manageable | Best for: Ages 5+
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Build a hot chocolate station
Set out warm hot chocolate with marshmallows, sprinkles and whipped cream. Adults should prepare and check the temperature of hot drinks before serving them to children.
Cost: Low | Parent effort: Low | Best for: All ages
Print the 50-Activity Checklist
Pop it on the fridge and let everyone choose their favourite school holiday activities.
School holiday activities that help you connect
Not every holiday activity has to produce something impressive. Sometimes the best memories come from doing something silly together.
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Hold a family board-game tournament
Choose several short games instead of committing everyone to a four-hour Monopoly marathon. Create a simple scoreboard and let the overall winner choose dessert or the evening movie.
Cost: Free | Best for: Ages 5+
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Look through old family photos
Show the kids photographs and videos from when they were younger. Tell them the funny stories they may not remember and ask what they think has changed.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Very low | Best for: All ages
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Plan a dream holiday
Give the kids an imaginary budget and let them choose a destination, accommodation, activities and meals. Older children can research real prices and see whether they stayed within budget.
Cost: Free | Learning: Geography and budgeting | Best for: Ages 8+
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Interview each other
Write funny questions on slips of paper and take turns answering them. Try questions such as, “If you were a potato, how would you want to be cooked?” or “What would you name a pet dragon?”
Cost: Free | Best for: Ages 5+
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Have a “yes” hour
For one carefully controlled hour, try to say yes to reasonable requests that fit your safety rules and budget. Establish the boundaries before the hour begins.
Cost: You decide | Parent effort: Potentially high | Best for: Ages 4+
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Teach them an unusual skill
Try juggling, card shuffling, paper aeroplanes, simple origami, knot tying or balancing a spoon on your nose. The skill does not have to be useful to be memorable.
Cost: Free | Best for: Ages 6+
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Start a jigsaw puzzle
Choose a puzzle appropriate for the youngest person participating and leave it somewhere the family can return to throughout the week.
Cost: Free if you own one | Best for: Ages 5+
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Create a family handshake
Combine high-fives, elbow bumps, spins and ridiculous sound effects. Use the handshake when you drop the kids back at school if they’re brave enough.
Cost: Free | Best for: All ages
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Hold a taste-testing challenge
Use familiar, age-appropriate foods and ask children to close their eyes while guessing each one. Check allergies and choking risks first, and never pressure a child to taste something.
Cost: Use what is already in the fridge | Best for: Ages 5+
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Let them give you a makeover
Use washable, child-safe products and let the kids create your new look. Take a family photograph before washing everything off.
Cost: Free if you own suitable products | Best for: Ages 5+
Desperation tactics for week two
By the second week, everyone has eaten all the good snacks, the lounge looks permanently occupied and the children have started saying they’re bored before breakfast. It’s time to bring out the survival activities.
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Declare a pyjama day
Nobody has to put on proper clothes. Add a movie, books, blanket fort and breakfast-style lunch to make laziness feel like a planned theme.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Very low | Best for: All ages
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Organise and sell old toys
Let older children sort through toys, books and clothes they no longer use. Decide together whether to sell, donate or pass the items to another family.
Cost: Free | Bonus: A tidier room | Best for: Ages 7+
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Host a living-room dance party
Close the curtains, choose a family playlist and let everyone select one song. It burns energy without requiring you to leave the house.
Cost: Free | Energy level: High | Best for: All ages
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Make a time capsule
Include letters to your future selves, drawings, photographs and a list of everyone’s current favourite things. Write a future opening date on the container.
Cost: Free | Best for: Ages 5+
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Write letters to grandparents or relatives
Children can write a letter, make a card or draw a picture. Walk together to a real post box and let them post it themselves.
Cost: The price of a stamp | Best for: All ages
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Wash the car
Choose a mild day, provide buckets and sponges and let the kids help wash the car. Keep children away from the road and bring everyone inside if they become cold.
Cost: Low | Mess: High but outdoors | Best for: Ages 4+
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Put on a sock-puppet show
Use odd socks, paper, wool and washable markers to create characters. A couch, table or shoebox can become the stage.
For a more elaborate version, try our shoebox puppet theatre.
Cost: Free or low | Best for: Ages 4–10
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Create a quiet-time challenge
Set a realistic amount of time for everyone to play, read or draw independently. Use a timer and offer a small shared reward, such as choosing the afternoon snack or family movie.
Cost: Free | Parent benefit: Potentially enormous | Best for: Ages 4+
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Have breakfast for dinner
Serve pancakes, eggs, toast, hash browns or cereal at dinnertime. Children love the mild rebellion, and the meal is usually easy to prepare.
Cost: Your normal dinner budget | Best for: All ages
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Have an early family night
Put on pyjamas, dim the lights and finish the day with books, an audiobook or a calm family movie. After a busy fortnight, everyone may genuinely need the extra rest.
Cost: Free | Parent effort: Very low | Best for: Everyone
More school holiday inspiration
- 9 Matariki crafts for kids
- How to make Oobleck or natural slime
- The easiest no-cook playdough recipe
- Easy Anzac biscuit recipe
- How to make a shoebox puppet theatre
Frequently asked questions
What are some free July school holiday activities?
Free school holiday activities include visiting the library, exploring a local museum, building a blanket fort, walking on the beach, making a cardboard-box creation, looking through old family photographs and holding a living-room dance party.
What can kids do at home during the winter school holidays?
Children can build an indoor campsite, make Oobleck or playdough, create an obstacle course, bake biscuits, listen to an audiobook, put on a puppet show or start a family puzzle. Choose activities based on the children’s ages, your available space and how much clean-up you can tolerate.
What can I do with the kids when I have no energy?
Try an audiobook, family movie, living-room picnic, cardboard-box challenge or pyjama day. You do not need to provide constant entertainment. Independent play and quiet time are valid parts of the school holidays.
How much screen time is okay during the school holidays?
Aim for a realistic balance rather than perfection. Break up longer periods of screen use with meals, movement, sleep, creative activities and time outside when the weather allows. The right balance will depend on your child’s age and your family’s circumstances.
How do I manage the school holidays on a limited budget?
Start with libraries, parks, beaches, local museums and activities using things already at home. Give each child a small holiday budget and let them help decide which paid activity or treat matters most to them.
How can I work from home while the kids are on holiday?
Plan your most independent activities around important calls, prepare snacks in advance and explain when you can and cannot be interrupted. Audiobooks, puzzles, movies and clearly defined quiet-time challenges can help create short working blocks.
What should I do when siblings keep fighting?
Build separate quiet time into the day instead of expecting siblings to play together continuously. A snack, change of scenery or ten minutes outdoors can also help reset everyone before tensions escalate.
You don’t have to make every day magical
You are not a cruise ship entertainment director. If the kids spend part of the holidays eating cereal, watching more television than usual and wearing trackpants for several days, they will be okay.
The pressure to make every school holiday magical, educational and Instagram-worthy is exhausting. Sometimes the real win is sharing a laugh over misshapen biscuits, getting outside between rain showers and reaching the beginning of Term 3 while everyone is still speaking to one another.
If everybody is fed, warm and reasonably happy, you have officially survived the July school holidays.
