Sydney School holiday ideas
These Sydney School holiday ideas are tailored around junior school kids.
Last school holiday nearly broke me, three weeks of school holidays. That is a very long time to entertain a 5 year old who is exhausted from school but not too tired to moan about being bored.
I tried to do something new every single day and have something special planned. It did not work. I got to week 3 and was worn out. I forgot how critical they can be.
Some of my better Sydney school holiday ideas were documented on our Instagram account.
I was coming up with ideas and they were being shot down left right and center. In part this was because I hadn’t planned in advance. I was completely taken aback when then first Monday rolled around.
This school holiday will be different. I am going into it full attack mode. I am going to plan it and knock it out the park. (Probably not). (Probably will still receive a lot of criticism).
So, coming up in this post is 14 days worth of Sydney School holiday ideas.
Sydney School holiday ideas
Week 1
Feel free to flip this around and mix them up a bit based on your schedule and the weather. For me, I have two kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays so have to make sure the activities are good for kids aged 3 and 6.
I also have husband around on the weekends so it helps keep the schedule a bit less schedule-y and varied.
None of these ideas are sponsored, these are just what we will do or have done in the past.
Remember for the first weekend Play World is on at Darling Harbour and it looks amazing!! We won’t be there but will be offering up some free Family Passes on our Facebook Page. So keep your eyes peeled. I had nearly forgotten that we were offered these but couldn’t use them ourselves, definitely want one of our readers and their families to get to enjoy them.
Monday
If the weather is good I’ll take my son to play mini-golf. He loves it and without his sister in tow it is really manageable. Pittwater Golf Centre is close to us so that’s where I’ll take him.
We’ll then do a scoot along Dee Why beach before going to get sister from day care.
Tuesday
With only one child, I will head over to Watsons Bay by Ferry. When we get there we’ll have a play at the playground, a walk up to the lookout and then lunch at Doyles or the Tea Garden.
If you’ve got slightly older children you should do the Heritage Walk (the Lighthouse Walk) my 5 year old can do it but he does get bored if he’s without a friend.
There are also some great activities on offer at Watson’s Bay Hotel. You just have to book quick because it can be really hard to get into one of the activities.
If I can’t get moving quick enough in the morning which often happens, I will take the Ferry into the City and take my son to have lunch with his dad. Just the three of us, we’re hardly ever together just like that.
Wednesday
My kids LOVE Alexandria. Love it! We drive in and spend the whole day there.
First we visit Sky Zone down, then have morning tea or lunch at The Grounds or Grandma’s and then we find a park or playground to run around in.
This time we’re going to take our bikes and try out Sydney Park with its specialised kids track. There is also one in Hallstrom Park in Willoughby and in Centennial Parklands.
Thursday
This is my day off. My son will go to Aussie Gems for some nerf wars and slime making classes. Aussie Gems is based in French’s Forest and really great fun for little boys. I don’t have a little girl so can’t attest to that just yet. Maybe when my daughter is in Kindy she will also go to a thousand birthday parties there too.
Friday
With the kids together I will take them to an indoor playground. It’s easy to manage and neither can really escape. For us, Kidz Connexion in Oxford Falls is most suitable. It’s big but not to big but not so small as for the kids to get bored.
Some of the other play spaces we love are Wannabees at Hornsby, Nubo in Alexandria and Sandbucket Play Centre in Narrabeen.
Saturday and Sunday
Take a day trip or if it’s in the budget an overnight trip. A sneaky little trip to the Blue Mountains is always great. If you’re thinking further afield Hunter Valley or Canberra are both kid friendly, as long as you know where to go and what to do. Drop me a note on Facebook or a comment under this post and I’ll let you know where we stayed and what we did.
Day trips up to the Hawkesbury River, either Wiseman’s Ferry or by train to Brooklyn is such fun.
Week 2
Monday
My son is off to a local club to do Bricks 4 Kidz. There are loads of new options available but at $90 a day it seems a little steep so he will just be doing a quick session at the Harbord Diggers. I know that there are still some places available if you give them a call. At $18 a session it should be quite a simple short session.
Tuesday
I’m really hoping for a beach day where we can just spend some time together playing in the sand and swimming. On these types of outings I find out so much about what’s going on his life when he thinks I’m not really prying.
We have so many favourite beaches but I think his favourite is Clareville.
Here is our best beaches for kids, if you’re thinking about heading to the water.
Wednesday
The Sydney Observatory has been on my to do list forever. This school holiday I am definitely taking the kids to check it out.
Thursday
Without the littlest its a great opportunity to go on a walk with my son. I then don’t have to worry about finding somewhere to do a toilet break every second or where she can get something to eat.
My son loves the walk along Curl Curl headland but I’m hoping to take him through the Warriewood Wetlands to see the waterfall.
There are a lot of great walks with kids in Sydney, North Head, another great walk is along Balmoral Beach, paved the whole way it’s so easy with a scooter and then there is Berry Island Reserve.
Friday
With both kids, they love animals so I’ll take them to Taronga, Featherdale Wildlife or Golden Ridge Animal Farm. Each is very different from each other and great for kids.
Saturday and Sunday
Our weekends over school holidays are generally times when we go our for lunch or brunch. We’re not having to rush between Saturday sports or birthday parties so we get to take it easy. The best spots I’ve found are Harbord Diggers, The Grounds of Alexandria, The Newport and Coogee Pavillion.
The school holidays are also peak kids movie season so there will definitely be something on for my husband to take the kids to see. This way they get to have an outing and I get to have a rest after dealing with my son 24/7.
If there is nothing on that piques your fancy, try the Hayden Orpheum they have some great kids movies on throughout the year.
♦
Some other ideas that won’t break the bank
I find that school holidays can be really expensive. You want them to have a great time so you spend money taking them out or eating out. Or, you’re so exhausted that you book them into holiday camps that also end up costing a heap.
Here are some really Sydney School holiday ideas that won’t break cost you much:
- Local activities – Bunnings, Shopping Malls and Officeworks generally run activities during the school holidays that are free. I know that Warriewood Square and St Ives Mall have excellent activities during the school holidays that are well worth getting into.
- Library time – visiting the library is completely different nowadays. There are some amazing libraries in Sydney and you don’t have to take out books. Pop in for a visit, play with some of the games on offer or colouring in, whatever it is your library has, and then read two books together. That breaks a morning up beautifully.
- Swimming – if the weather is not great this holiday, we will still be swimming, we may just take it indoors.
- Visit the Birdlife Discovery Centre at Sydney Olympic Park, I’ve never been but it does look interesting.
- Check out the Wallabies at Kuringai Wild Flower Garden.
- Walk across the Harbour Bridge.
- Picnic at Wendy’s Secret Garden or the Botanical Gardens.
