School Holiday Entertainment

Tips to Survive the School Holidays

It barely seems like the school term has started before the final week rolls round and it is holiday time again. Whether you are going to be caring for your children, grandchildren or neighbour's children for the holidays, read on for some school holiday entertainment lifesavers.

• Childcare Services
• Children's Entertainment

The activities and children's games you undertake in the school holidays will depend on a number of factors, including the age of your children, the number of children you have, whether you and/or your partner will be working, and what your income is. We have compiled a number of ideas for school holiday entertainment, many of which have little or no cost - so read on for inspiration!

Get Outdoors
When the weather is good, get outside and enjoy it, remembering to wear sunscreen and a hat. Get back to nature and go on forest walks looking for native plants and animals.

Dust of your bike and tackle a trail in your local park or forest.  For the more adventurous, try something like one of the many mountain biking tracks around the country using disused railway lines. You can stay at accommodation along the way, and take as long as you like to complete them. Alternatively if you don't want to complete the full distance you can have day trips and bike short sections of a trail, as they are often accessible at many points from the main road. 

If walking is more your thing, there are hundreds of walking tracks throughout New Zealand - from short hour walks to several days. The Department of Conservation website has information on walks in National Parks including important information on equipment required.

Hands-On Fun
Depending on the age of children, there are plenty of activities that they can do themselves, or ones which you can join in:

• Plant vegetables which will grow over the following term. Try quick sprouting seeds like radishes or bulbs for spring. You could also paint pots for seeds or herbs.
• Baking is an age old activity to share with children. Favourites include gingerbread men, muffins, and bread.
• Plan a trip to the beach (making sure it'll be low tide), and collect shells to make a shellbox or decorate a cheap wooden frame. Get a book on sea life from the library and then look for creatures in rock pools.
• Make your own Christmas gifts, for example chocolates, Christmas crackers, bread dough tree ornaments, painted pots, or mini Christmas cakes or steam puddings.

Wet Weather Wonders
Many local museums, libraries and other tourist attractions run activities over the holidays to fill in a couple of hours. Also check the local paper or jump online to see what movies are being released for the holidays. Most public swimming pools are now indoors, so are not weather dependent.

Have a spring clean.  Get your children to go through their clothes for things they no longer fit, or toys that they no longer play with. If you have the time, sell them online, or take them to a second hand store.  You can always donate them to local charities to help out families in need too.

Be a Kid Again
Think of all the things you used to do as a kid that you really enjoyed, and chances are, kids today still enjoy them. Flying a kite, a picnic in the park, going swimming, playing hopscotch, hide and seek, painting pictures, or making models.

Check out ideas for crafts and activities online. There are a lot of resources to help you, and ideas to prompt you to fill in the time.

There are still times when a computer game or DVD are appropriate, especially if the family can sit down together and enjoy it. Remember to make these a treat, not the norm.

Childcare Services
If you are working and not able to provide full time care for children during the school holidays, there are school holiday programmes in most cities and major towns in New Zealand.

You can apply for the odd day or the full holiday period. Childcare subsidies for school age children may be available through Work and Income for this, depending on your income and family situation.

Enjoy your holidays, and before you know it they will be back at school.

Looking for more information on school holiday entertainment for the holidays? Check out the NZS.com directory.

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Family images from Flickr: Kids Tandem, Kids Classroom and Hands.