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School holidays are meant to feel like a break, but they can also be surprisingly stressful. Weeks to fill, kids with big energy, and the quiet worry of spending more than planned can make the holidays feel slightly harder than they need to be.
If you’re looking for some fantastic options to get the kids out of the house, here are 10 cheap activities for kids from ages 5–15 that you can try during the school holidays.
Before diving in, keep the following in mind:
This approach reduces decision fatigue and helps the holidays feel calm and planned, rather than hectic, which can be key when sticking to a budget.
Cost: Free
Best for: All ages
Water-based outings don’t need to mean full-day events or always revolve around swimming (though that is always a popular choice). Hit up your favourite aquatic environment and go rock pooling, shell collecting (when not in a national park, marine sanctuary, or nature reserve), sandcastle building, wildlife spotting, or try your hand at beach sports.
Cost: Free
Best for: Ages 6–15
Create a simple sports day using everyday items or gear you’ve got lying around. Whether it’s an obstacle course, throwing challenges, timed relays, or just a game of touch footy, there’s plenty of ways to bring out the competitive spirit and tire out the more active kids. You could even set up a recurring series of events over the holidays with a special prize for the overall winner.
Cost: Free
Best for: Ages 5–15
Many people love a good walk or hike, but you can always add an extra leafy layer to the experience. Increase the interactivity by searching for different types of plants, animals, or the signs that animals were there, and talk about them. You could even make observations or tell stories about what animals you think are hiding away. This is a fun activity for both curious and active kids, an excellent way to spend the day while learning things at the same time.
Cost: Free
Best for: Ages 7–15
Whether you ride for riding’s sake, explore a local area, or practice doing tricks, breaking out the wheels can be a wonderful activity to stay active and get the kids out of the house. You could even set out with a given destination in mind, like an ice cream store or lunch spot, and get a little treat at the end of your ride.
Cost: Free–$10 per visit
Best for: All ages
Community pools are not just for the hotter days or the heatwaves, but a fantastic option for a day of splashing around. Often separated by depths, indoor and outdoor, heated and unheated, there is something for almost everyone at the local pool. Just keep in mind that the hotter the day, the more people you might find there.
Beforepay on Budgeting: Long school holidays full of fun activities for kids can stretch budgets gradually, rather than all at once. Using the Beforepay budgeting tool to plan a mix of free and low-cost activities ahead of time can help you stay in control and avoid last minute spending.
Cost: Free - $40
Best for: All ages
Libraries offer far more than books, with free holiday activities, creative workshops, talks, reading programs, and more. The price will depend on the activity and the location, but on a whole, most activities will be on the cheaper side. And even if there aren’t any activities that appeal to the kids, there are still plenty of incredible books on every possible topic that can occupy days-upon-days.
Cost: $0–$10 per child
Best for: All ages
Turn movie days into a mini film festival rather than default screen time. Plan a theme that all movies have to stick to (or just pick the favs), prepare some snacks, build a cosy movie-viewing area with as many pillows and cushions as is feasible, and enjoy yourself. The only limit is your imagination and your budget. And if it goes really well, you could even make your movie fests a regular event!
Cost: Free–$20
Best for: Ages 5–12
There’s nothing quite like turning recyclables into crafty projects. Boxes can become forts, paper roll tubes can become telescopes or swords, empty cans can become bowling pins. The appeal of these projects will depend on the age or interests of your kid/s but can be an excellent way to encourage creativity and less screen time—especially if you get involved with them.
Cost: $10–$40 per child
Best for: Ages 8–15
Give kids a small budget and let them plan and cook a simple meal or snack. Or cook up a feed with help from the kids—pizzas are a classic choice, as are enchiladas, tacos, breadcrumbed schnitzels, and more. This not only builds up confidence and life skills, but doubles up as lunch or dinner.
Cost: Free
Best for: Ages 5–15
If you have the space, a backyard camp-out or indoor sleepover night creates a bit of novelty and excitement without requiring a lot of money or setup. It's as simple as just using what you have around the house. You can add card games/board games, spooky stories, stargazing, music listening, or movie watching to tailor each camp-out to your kids and the occasion.
There are many things you can do to keep your kids occupied on a budget and we hope we’ve given you some inspiration. But if unexpected costs do come up on the school holidays, Beforepay’s Pay Advance can help you bridge the gap until your next pay.
If you want to explore more fun adventure options, The Guardian has an additional list of 25 free school holiday activities around Australia, perfect for the summer holidays.
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