Once again thanks goes to the lovely Seana Smith from Sydney, Kids, Food and Travel for collating some of the best Sydney has to offer these school holidays. Be sure to check out Seana’s blog hellosydneykids.com.au
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The Easter Long Weekend is just over and now we have to start thinking about the school holidays. When looking for kids activities in Sydney don’t forget to have a look at the website of your local council. Councils often run great activities as well as their vacation care programs, and they are usually pretty cheap and cheerful.
Listed below are a few other options to have a look at, but don’t forget to chill out on the sofa watching TV with the kids too!
Kids At The {Opera} House
There are a couple of shows at the Sydney Opera House these school holidays.
- The Listies in 6D is for children over five years. The Listies are a comedy duo and their new show is all about the movies.
- Room On The Broom is for children over three years old and is a musical adaptation of the well known picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Sceffler.
- Free Creative Play – Running from April 13 – 28 from 10am – 4pm. The program is aimed to enable active and engaged learning for children through exploration, play, creativity and imagination. Trained educators and facilitators lead and support children throughout the creative play process, encouraging them to participate, learn and develop their own creativity.
Who wants to be a comedian? Harness the absurdity of The Listies in our free Creative Play area during the April school holidays! Enjoy the installations and participatory activities for ages 4 and up. Creative Play is where kids become the artists!
Kids In {State} Library
The State Library NSW offers several school holiday events for children, from toddlers to over 10s only. There are stories and discovery tours like:
- Up Late at the Library! Animal adventures
- Storytime at the Library
- Picture yourself on the Goldfields (free)
- Tour: The Mysterious Mitchell
- Digital Stories
Find our more information and make bookings at Kids @ the library.
Luna Park Special Easter Savings
These school holidays Luna Park is offering a special deal which knocks at least $10 off the price of usual peak season day-long tickets. Check out the prices here Ride Pass Prices.
But did you know, if you go three times in one year, it’s well worth buying an Annual Pass, these make a great birthday gift we’ve found.
Sports and Activities’ Camps
There are many on offer and they can cost heaps or a little. Word of mouth is my very favourite way to find a good one and failing that check out the local papers, local websites or Sydney’s Child.
I live in the northern part of Sydney and here are the ones I recommend:
- Kids Exercise Holiday Program, Forestville – My kids have loved these energetic camps, which are really well priced. You can choose the length of your day and Sue, who runs them with a bunch of young helpers, is a mum of three boys and a delightful person.
- Autumn Holiday Workshops at Pittwater Sports Centre Narrabeen – Long days can be catered for at this holiday camp in a sports centre, making them popular with local working mums and dads. Not cheap but great quality.
NSW Dept of Sport and Rec Kids Holiday Camps
NSW Sport and Rec Dept offers many different types of kids’ activity camps each school holiday. These are for children aged 7 – 16 years and take place at various locations around NSW. Most are residential camps but there are day camps at Berry and at the Sydney Academy at Narrabeen. These camps are high quality with excellent staff.
My older boys have done the day camps at Narrabeen and loved all the outdoor activities. More info dsr.nsw.gov.au/kidscamps
Coastal Walks and Bush Walks
These April school holidays make a great time for family walks. The weather is cooler than summer so less chance of being fried!
Check out all the walks on my blog here – Walks with kids
You can also check out the 10 beautiful coastal walks described on the website Walking Coastal Sydney. This website has been put together by the Sydney Coastal Councils Group and there are iPad and iPhone apps too.
Day Out – Take the Ferry to Manly
Walk along the Corso to the ocean beach, play around the rocks at the south end, then follow the walkway south to Shelly Beach.
Let the kids have a play, enjoy a picnic in the shade or buy some snacks from the Sandbar. Or go mad and have a much posher meal at Le Kiosk.
Day Out – Take the Bus to Bondi
Then walk to Bronte, if the children are the walking type and not likely to go wild and leap off the cliffs. It’s the most gorgeous walk, and not too long.
Bronte Beach is the most lovely spot for children, with a terrific playground, great rock pool and the ‘Bogey Hole’ plus a little train for extra mini-thrills.
If the children aren’t walkers, just take the bus straight to Bronte. Bondi can wait.
Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park
Australian Walkabout Wildlife Park is a great spot to visit just north of Sydney, an excellent place for a bush walk too. You might have overlooked it as you headed out to the Reptile Park, which is further away.
There are lovely walks through the bush here and lots of Australian wildlife to meet. You can read my full review of the park here.
Row Boats on Parramatta River
New this year are some vintage row boats for hire on the Parramatta River. You can find them on the southern bank of the river between Church Street and Wilde Avenue.
Prices start at $10 for a half hour, and if you fall in don’t panic as council has a water safety instructor present.
Find more things to do on a day out in Parramatta at the website www.discoverparramatta.com.
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Seana Smith is a Sydney-based, Scottish-born mother of four children and author of four books. Seana’s latest book is ‘Sydney’s Best Beaches for Kids,’ the indispensable guide to all the best and safest beaches, baths and ocean pools for Sydney families.
Sydney’s Best Beaches for Kids is a 50 page digital book. Beautifully designed, this digital book is downloaded as a PDF and can read on your desktop, laptop or mobile device for only $7.99. You can buy it here. Seana blogs at: ‘Sydney, Kids, Food + Travel.’
If you live in Sydney, feel free to add your favourite school holiday kids activity below.