15 School holiday activities in Sydney: for all ages and interests
The school holidays are here, and whether you’re looking to keep young minds and bodies active or seeking meaningful ways to spend your break, Sydney offers an abundance of options. From budget-friendly free holiday activities to undiscovered experiences, at-home fun, and even opportunities to give back through volunteering, there’s something for everyone. Here at All Saints Grammar, we’ve rounded up a mix of exciting school holiday activities in Sydney for children of all ages, to help you make the most of the summer school holidays.
Free school holiday activities
There are many school holiday activities that don’t impact your wallet. We’ve rounded up a few ideas from gardens and museums to libraries, home activities and lots more.
1. Explore Sydney’s stunning outdoors
Sydney beaches: From the iconic Bondi Beach to family-friendly spots like Balmoral, Sydney’s coastline is perfect for sandcastle building, swimming, or a scenic coastal walk. Don’t forget to slip, slop, slap, seek and slide!
Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: Take a leisurely stroll through these lush gardens, enjoy a picnic with a view of Sydney Harbour, take a free tour, or let younger children discover the Calyx’s free exhibits.
Sydney Park: This urban oasis features rolling hills, cycle paths (including a children’s track), a skate park, large playground with water play areas, outdoor fitness areas, and plenty of green space for picnics or kite flying.
Barangaroo Reserve: Formerly a shipping container site, this six-hectare public park is perfect for families, offering harbourside paths and walking trails, pretty coves, magnificent views, idyllic picnic spots, cultural tours, public art and even a swimming cove. Use the new Metro to get there and it’s a complete day out!
Explore Sydney suburbs: A fun and inexpensive activity that may have you visiting places you otherwise might not frequent, is to visit Sydney’s varied suburbs. Fill a jar with small notes that each have a postcode written on them, then when you feel like exploring, have one of the kids draw out a note to see which postcode you will visit that day. Look up must-see things to do and see in that suburb, then away you go. You can focus on things that your children are interested in, whether it be food, markets, opp shops, nature, parks or street art.
2. Visit a museum
Art: Many of Sydney’s art attractions, including the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art, offer free admission and occasional holiday programs tailored for kids.
Maritime: For a nautical theme you could try the Australian National Maritime Museum where permanent galleries are free to enter.
History: The Rocks Discovery Museum delves into Sydney’s history with interactive exhibits in one of the city’s oldest areas. Housed in three buildings dating back to 1844, discover archaeological artefacts recovered from the precinct, and stories from the area.
3. Attend community events and libraries
Council programs: Check your local council’s website for free holiday programs and events. These may include sport, dance, craft, youth drop-ins, nature safaris, yoga, brick building, chess and more.
Libraries: often host storytelling sessions, craft workshops, and even coding classes, perfect for curious minds. Darling Square Library in Haymarket has a dedicated children’s area. Green Square Library in Zetland is a stunning award-winning underground library with large open spaces, study desks, a music room and children’s area. Marrickville Library has won a number of architectural awards with its public pavilion and play space.
Yellamundie Civic Place Library and Art Gallery in Liverpool opened a year ago and features a public art gallery, sunken courtyard, quiet reading nooks and a Create Space studio that hosts STEM and creative programs like 3D printing, coding, robotics and podcasting. Definitely worth a look as in 2024, the library was one of four finalists for the International Public Library of the Year award.
The State Library NSW offers tours, gallery exhibitions, performances, and more.
Home-based activities: creativity and comfort
Sometimes, staying in is just as enjoyable as going out and can bring you closer together as a family. Here are some at-home activities to help keep everyone entertained.
4. Creative arts and crafts
Engaging in arts and crafts activities supports the growth of fine motor skills as children work with tools like pencils, scissors, and various craft materials. These activities also encourage creative exploration. Additionally, arts and crafts offer a calming way to express emotions, contributing to mental health and emotional balance. Finally, they build self-confidence by giving children a sense of achievement and pride in their creations, fostering a healthy and positive self-image. Turn your home into a mini art studio with DIY craft kits, painting projects, or making friendship bracelets.
Engage older kids in more advanced projects like sewing, scrapbooking, or clay sculpting.
A cool idea for any age, is coloured rice. Mix a cup of rice and half a teaspoon of vinegar together, then divide into four and add a few drops of different gel food colouring to each batch. Spread out and allow to dry. Once dry use the rice to create 3D art by glueing the rice to a canvas or pieces of card to create unique patterns.
5. Cooking and baking together
Resist the urge to focus on the mess that will be created – instead, allow your children to gain confidence and life skills by cooking on their own, or with your help. Younger children can decorate cupcakes or make simple cookies, whilst teens might enjoy trying out international recipes or preparing their first complete meal.
6. DIY science experiments
From creating homemade slime to growing crystals or building a mini volcano, the internet is a treasure trove of easy science experiments to do at home. Many require just household ingredients, such as magic milk. Just add dish soap and food colouring to milk for some beautiful explosions of colour!
7. Family movie or game night
Set up a cinema at home complete with popcorn, jaffas and a homemade projector, and give your kids a project and science lesson at the same time. YouTube has many instructional videos on making your own smartphone projector.
If your children prefer something a little more interactive, bring out board games for some friendly competition. Be sure to pick games that the whole family can enjoy, have finger food on hand to sate hungry players and create a winner’s prize which could be as simple as a cheer or group hug.
8. Gardening projects
Involve your children in planting herbs, vegetables or flowers or challenge them to design their own fairy garden. Hit the flower market and let the kids choose their own blooms to create flower arrangements for their room or to give to others.
Volunteering: make a difference
Encouraging children to give back to their community is a fantastic way to foster empathy and social responsibility, not to mention they could be picking up new skills that can be added to their resume to help them secure part-time work when they are ready.
9. Connect with your local Church and aged care facilities
Your local Church may have volunteering opportunities, whether it is visiting aged care facilities, helping make meals, gardening or collecting items for food or clothing drives among others.
Mother Maria of Paris Greek Orthodox Mission, part of the All Saints Belmore Greek Orthodox Parish & Community of Belmore, provides assistance to disadvantaged youth, families and the homeless. Students are welcome to assist through donations and volunteering.
10. Volunteer through child-friendly organisations
Our Big Kitchen is a community run, non-denominational, industrial kitchen where meals are prepared for distribution to needy people across Sydney. Volunteers of all ages help with a wide range of kitchen activities including cleaning, washing, chopping and preparing fruits and vegetables, sorting, packaging and labelling, setting up kitchen areas, and food distribution.
Kids Giving Back is a not-for-profit organisation that provides volunteering opportunities for children, teens and families across NSW. It works with more than 99 charity partners and offers a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
11. Raise funds for donation by doing odd jobs
Encourage older teens to raise funds for charity by doing odd jobs such as washing cars, washing windows, running errands, cleaning or selling unwanted items. It’s a great way for them to explore their entrepreneurial spirit, whilst helping a good cause.
Unusual activities for unforgettable experiences
We’ve found some surprising activities that fly under the radar and are less well known:
Open on the first and third Sundays of each month, The Sydney Bus Museum is a not-for-profit organisation based within the Old Tramshed at Leichhardt in Sydney’s inner-west. It helps to preserve a rare, and invaluable collection of historic buses dating from the 1920s to 2000. The museum also stages regular events.
This museum, located at The University of Sydney in Camperdown, hosts the Impressions of Greece exhibition bringing together ancient Greek artefacts with the landscapes and culture of modern Greece captured in the photographs of William J Woodhouse. A must see for an insight into Hellenic history and culture.
14. Angel Place
Hanging above Angel Place, an alley just off George Street is a collection of varied birdcages in an amazing art installation, Forgotten Songs. It features the sound of birdsong gently floating on the breeze and represents the 50 species of bird that once inhabited the city of Sydney.
This state heritage-listed sunken garden is one of the best kept secrets in Sydney. Redolent of the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, these immaculate gardens feature wide boardwalks, and entry is free. Budding photographers will love it! Previously a disused water reservoir, it was converted into stunning gardens in 2009 offering a place where you can relax in a peaceful city haven. The gardens have been restored with much of the original framework featuring towering rows of brick arches alongside modern metal and stone pathways.
With so many options to choose from, the school holidays in Sydney can be a time for learning, bonding, and creating lifelong memories. Whether your family prefers outdoor adventures, cultural discoveries, or creative days at home, there’s no shortage of ways to keep the holidays exciting.
All Saints Grammar is a co-ed PreK to Year 12 school in Sydney’s inner south-west. We believe that every moment is an opportunity for growth and joy, and we encourage our students to embrace new experiences. Part of our philosophy is the pillar of ‘Cultural, Social, Spiritual Connection,’ deliberately creating opportunities for students to learn the value of connectedness in providing them with a sense of belonging which enhances the development of their personal identity. To learn more about All Saints Grammar, download our prospectus.
