Seven low cost school holiday activities

In need of some fun affordable activities to keep the kids entertained? We’ve done the hard work for you to find the best budget friendly school holiday activities.

1. Camping…in the living room
   You can of course go camping in the backyard but for some of us, June and July bring some pretty cold nights. In fact, in Sydney and Melbourne, temperatures can get as cold as 9°C. This means that the living room might be a more comfortable option and there’s no need to worry about any outdoor critters. You can either set up a tent or the kids can create a fort using sheets and pillows. Either way, it is always a treat for the kids to sleep somewhere out of the ordinary

2. Games night
   Your family might enjoy playing video games but as they can get quite pricey, take this time to unplug and grab a good old fashioned board game or puzzle. This is a great way to bring the family together and even teach the kids some new skills like strategy and teamwork. Local op shops often have low cost games to choose from so it’s easy to assemble a nice collection without spending a lot

3. Arts and crafts
   Whether or not you are crafty, there are heaps of templates online with varying themes – from Disney to DIY musical instruments. You can look them up, print the instructions or templates and see what your kids can create without having to be a craft expert yourself

4. A treasure or scavenger hunt
   Depending on the weather, this can be done inside or out. There are many scavenger hunt lists online that are good for a park or you can buy some treats and mix in some trinkets and messages and place them around your home or yard. You can design this yourself or again find something on the internet. Mykidsadventures.com provides heaps of information and ideas along with printable templates. If you have multiple kids, you can even have them design a treasure hunt for each other

5. Free museums
   From free art galleries to museums with cheaper days, you can check with your local museums to see what they offer. For the LEGO lovers, check out the Sydney Harbour Icons exhibition at the Museum of Sydney. The exhibition runs until the 31^st of July and some of the structures use over 130,000 LEGO bricks. If you live in Melbourne, see the Olympics come to life at the National Sports Museum. Running just for the school holidays from 27 June – 1 July, you can meet a real Olympian, test your goal kicking skills with AFL players and enjoy many other interactive drills

6. Movie night
   Pop the popcorn, grab the blankets, make a pillow fort and get ready for movie night. The kids can pick the first movie and you can pick the second. To make this night even better, find out if a neighbour has a projector you can borrow. Grab a laptop, put the movie in and connect it to the projector. Put up a sheet on the wall or outside and call it a drive-in movie

7. Make a time capsule
   For some of us, primary school was a time when we all put a note into a “time capsule” to be dug up sometime in the future. Making a time capsule with your family is similar only you get to include family memories; all you need is an old cookie tin or lunch box. Get the kids to find a few things that they want to “dig up” in a few years and get everyone to write a letter to themselves and to someone else in the family. You can dig a hole and bury it outside, but a better idea is to hide it in a drawer or in the basement

While school holidays can often take a hit on your finances, there are plenty of free or low cost school holiday activities to do with the kids. If you find you’re in a bind and need some emergency money for these coming school holidays, don’t hesitate to look up our personal loans.