6 low budget family activities for the school holidays

Family having a picnic

The September school holidays are coming up which means your kids will be home for two whole weeks. If you’re out of ideas on how to keep them occupied during the holiday period, fear not! We have some creative, low budget (or free) activities that will keep the kids happy and allow for some family time!

Have a day by the water

The September school holidays are coming up which means your kids will be home for two whole weeks. If you’re out of ideas on how to keep them occupied during the holiday period, fear not! We have some creative, low budget (or free) activities that will keep the kids happy and allow for some family time!

Take a day trip to the musceum

There are lots of museums around Australia that are great for a daytrip with the kids. Many are even free! Here are our suggestions:

  • New South Wales: The Art Gallery of New South Wales hosts free activities and workshops for kids during the school holidays. The Powerhouse Museum is also great for kids and has lots of interactive activities (free for children under 16). 
  • ACT: Spend a day at Questacon (free for children under 4 years old, $17.50 for kids between 4-16 if you buy tickets at the centre). Alternatively, if your kids love science, check out the public sessions at the CSIRO. 
  • Victoria: The Melbourne Museum is free for children under the age of 16 and it has lots of exhibitions on at the moment, including Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature, Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs and a Digital Art Workshop. 
  • Queensland: State of Play at Queensland Museum is free for kids and it has 5 levels of exhibitions to keep the kids occupied.
  • Western Australia: The Perth Cultural Centre at the WA Museum is free and has a range of things to explore, including public artwork from local and international artists, an outdoor play area for kids and a wetlands area that sustains plant and animal life. 
  • Northern Territory: Visit The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory for free and explore a range of exhibits. They also have a Discovery Centre that offers self guided arts and crafts. 
  • Tasmania: The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery offers family friendly exhibitions that have been created to inspire children and adults. Check out the museum for free.

Have a trivia day (or night)

Test your brains and your general knowledge with a family trivia event! You can get the questions online or write them yourself. It’s so easy.

Have a family picnic

Get the kids to help pack the picnic basket with some yummy treats and have a picnic. This could be at the local park, by the beach or even in your own backyard. You could even teach them how to cook something special for you all to enjoy at the picnic.

Make a board game as a family and play it together

Get out the arts and crafts kit and put your creative hats on. All you need is some cardboard, pens and your imagination to create a unique board game to play with the whole family. 

Teach them the importance of money

While they’re home for the holidays, why not teach your kids the valuable lesson of how to save and spend wisely? You can even make it fun by giving them a small amount of cash and letting them choose what they want to spend it on so they can understand just how much things cost. You could also help them set up a savings account so they can watch their money grow over time.

There are plenty of great accounts to pick from, perfect for getting the kids learning about money. Compare some of the top savings accounts below.

Compare savings accounts - last updated 9 December 2023

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^See information about the Mozo Experts Choice Savings Account Awards

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