Ideas to keep kids entertained during school holidays
Don’t know what to do with your children during school holidays in Sydney? Here are some tips we managed to collate after a brainstorming session with K.I.D.S over cookies and milk!
Parents always think that kids are fussy and can never be satisfied, but we’ve come to realise they are reasonable little people with a few quirky ideas about a fun day out. They are not three anymore; chocolates, treats and gadget time are just not going to placate them. So, from the Kids Handbook 101, let’s start by looking at the holidays from their perspective.
Pick interesting locations
Always pick places that have lots of activities or things to see. Why? Well, your boss isn’t going to ask you to write an essay on how you spent your holidays, right? No, that’s for the kids. And it helps to fill the pages if you take them to a place with lots of stuff to do or see.
Don’t try to weed in a little something for yourself, like an art exhibition or something similar. Chances are if the exhibits aren’t live and moving, you might have a situation on your hands, trust us. If you reallywant to educate your kids (sigh! some parents can’t just leave it alone) then pick an attention-grabbing site like the Australian Museum that has interesting exhibits, including dinosaurs. Kids really love dinosaurs, seeing the big skeletons and bones. Some of the exhibits are also life-like, coming to life when you are least expecting with sounds and head thrashing, bringing out of squeals of excitement! Now this is the kind of stuff that gets you an A on the holiday report.
Visiting Nemo & friends at SEA LIFE Sydney
After the museum, the show must go on! After all, kids are walking, talking bundles of energy. So whip out an ace and head to the aquarium, where the kids can plaster their faces on the glass and watch the big fishes swim by. Don’t try to correct them by saying the red and white fish is a clownfish and not Nemo, you’ll be fighting a losing battle. The penguins, stingrays and sharks will also put up a good show, keeping the kids on the hook.
Zoo time!
Next stop is theTaronga Zoo, or if you can convince your kids, save it for another day! Taronga Zoo, with its open spaces, means you will have a lot of running around to do. Sadly, you can’t keep your kids on a leash when even the animals roam free! Who said it’dbe a vacation for you, anyway? It’s kid time!
Heads up:You’ll hear a lot of, ‘we like the koalas, aww they are so cute and cuddly’, but ‘hate the monkeys’, ‘they are just plain mean and are generally the villains in our movies, didn’t you see the Jungle Book’?
Extra notes: If you can do the Roar’n’Snore sleepover at the zoo, you can get a lot of hugs and kisses for free, we know you parents are sappy for them. Just don’t take a picture and post it on Facebook as its super embarrassing for the kids, who think they are little adults in the making!
Here’s a clever win-win option
A Sydney Harbour cruise with your children will be a novel experience for them and for you as well. Imagine an afternoon out on a luxury catamaran cruising the picturesque harbour, listening to interesting commentary about the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, Fort Denison, Luna Park, Kirribilli House and seeing these magnificent sights up close – that’s education and experience all rolled into one! The children could even check out the Wheel House of the vessel and meet the Captain!
Time to play!
After a jam-packed day, you may find yourself at your wit’s end, but your livewires can keep going. Check out the Family Play town where the kids can indulge in some role playing; be a doctor or a dragon tamer or whatever their mind fancies, and the parents get to relax, sit on the side lines and watch in quiet exhaustion. Another option, probably an expensive one, will be to go toy shopping. You might want to ask the attendants to steer them in the direction of something that will keep them occupied for a few hours or hold their interest for a few days. Like we said, it’s going to be pricey, but it could give you that much-desired peace of mind. You can’t put a price on that, can you?
