Spring school holidays are nearly here and if you're anything like me, you've already Googled "things to do with kids these holidays" at 10pm the night before they finish for the term. 😂
So I put together some of the things that actually work in our house, the ones where the kids are entertained, I'm not completely exhausted by 11am and, ideally, nobody's cried yet.
Bonus: most of them cost almost nothing.
The Hacks Nobody Talks About
Check the perks you already have
If you're with Telstra, check your Telstra Plus account before paying full price for movie tickets. They offer discounted tickets at cinemas around Australia, and you can use your Telstra Plus points for eligible tickets too.
The new Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom comes out on 17 September and I'm pretty sure we'll be making a trip to see that one, Shaun is one of Flossy's favourites. 😂 I just checked through my Telstra login and an adult ticket is $12.50 and a child is $10.50, so even with the $3.60 booking fee, the two of us can go to the movies for $26.60. I'll take that!
Check Telstra Plus movie tickets →
Your local library is seriously underrated
I've just checked our local library's school holiday program and there are at least FIVE activities I think Flossy would love, completely free, already organised and, most importantly, I don't have to think of them or set them up myself. 😂
Definitely check what your local library or council has planned before the holidays start.
Turn a Bunnings trip into an outing
Flossy is five and currently completely fascinated by watching things grow, so we're going to make a Bunnings trip out of choosing some flowers and maybe a tomato plant she can eventually pick for her lunchbox.
Spring is a great time for planting plenty of flowers and warm-season veggies in Queensland, so the timing works. I am absolutely no green thumb though, so wish us luck. 😂
Easy Activities That Actually Work
Backyard movie night... or just dinner outside
No projector required. Blankets and pillows on the grass or trampoline, prop up the laptop or tablet and add some fairy lights if you have them.
But if even that sounds like too much effort, Flossy has started asking to eat dinner outside when there's a nice sunset, and I've actually loved it.
We've started doing our High, Low, Gruffalo while we eat:
- High: best part of your day
- Low: not-so-great part
- Gruffalo: something funny, weird or different that happened
It's such a simple thing, but I find out SO much more about her day than I ever get from asking "How was school?" 😂
The 20-minute nature scavenger hunt
Screenshot this one:
- Something yellow
- A leaf bigger than your hand
- Something smooth
- Something that makes a sound
- A feather
- Something tiny
- A flower
- Something that smells nice
- A funny-shaped stick
- Something you've never noticed before
Hand them the list and enjoy however many minutes of peace you manage to get. 😂
Make lunch the activity
Nothing complicated. We did cheese and Vegemite scrolls recently because the ingredients are easy and Flossy could actually help.
You'll need: 1 sheet puff pastry + Vegemite + grated cheese + 1 egg
Spread a thin layer of Vegemite over the pastry, sprinkle with cheese, roll it up, slice into scrolls, brush with beaten egg and bake at 200°C until puffed and golden. Activity and lunch sorted in one hit.
The easiest dinner we've had in a while, fish tacos
I found this one through Supermarket Swap and wasn't sure whether Flossy would be into it. She demolished them... and then asked for them again the next night. 😂
You'll need: Birds Eye Wild Caught Hoki Fish Fingers + a bag of premade coleslaw + wraps.
Fish fingers in the air fryer, coleslaw in a bowl, warm the wraps. Bob's your uncle. Dinner done.
I grabbed the fish fingers at 50% off at Coles too, so I've been keeping an eye out for them to go on special again so I can stock the freezer.
Make a Yes Day jar
The trick here is that you decide what's going into the jar. 😂
Breakfast outside, build a fort, dance party before dinner, make pizzas, PJ day, movie and popcorn, draw portraits of each other, post someone a letter, camp in the backyard, choose an extra treat...
They think they're in charge. You've already approved every option. Everybody wins.
The Snack Situation 😂
Starting as a Prep mum this year, one thing I've found weirdly tricky is snacks and lunchboxes. There's SO much information about what's good, what's not, what's got too much of this or not enough of that... sometimes I just want someone to tell me what to put in the trolley. 😂
One account that's made this so much easier for me is Supermarket Swap. She shares really simple supermarket swaps and I've found quite a few things through her that I now keep on hand for school, outings or those days when I've prepared absolutely nothing.
My "I Didn't Prep Snacks" Stash 😂
For when you're heading out and you haven't prepared a single thing:
- Eatrite Brown Rice Tamari & Seaweed Crackers - crunchy, easy to throw in the bag and Flossy actually asks for these
- Nudie Nothing But Kids Apple Juice 200ml - handy little size for outings
- Tamar Valley Yoghurt Pouches - easy, no spoon required
- True Fruit Straps - great when I need something I can just grab and throw in the bag
- Cobs Popcorn - individual bags are perfect for outings and lunchboxes
- Tom & Luke Snacka Balls (Peanut Butter Cacao) - these may be more for me than Flossy, but they still count 😂
- A handful of grapes or strawberries - into a container and we're out the door
That's genuinely the whole system. Nothing Pinterest-worthy happening over here. 😂
Getting Out Without the Stress
One thing I have learnt is that getting out is much easier when I don't spend 20 minutes looking for drink bottles, sunscreen and someone's missing hat.
I pack my Maxi Tribe Bag the night before with the things I know we'll need, water bottles, sunscreen, snacks, spare clothes, hat, wet bag, wallet and keys. Then if we decide we're going to the beach, park, movies or somewhere completely unplanned, most of it is already there.
The bag I pack the night before →
A Few More Ideas Worth Bookmarking
- Local pool - check whether yours has school holiday sessions or activities
- National parks - find a kid-friendly walk and pack morning tea
- Museums and galleries - check their school holiday calendar; there's often more on than you'd expect
- Swap playdates - they come to yours one day, yours go to theirs another. Why aren't we all doing this more? 😂
Anyway, that's my list so far. Will we do all of these? Absolutely not. 😂
But if even one of them gives you something to do when you hear "Muuuum, I'm bored" for the 47th time, I'll call that a win.
And if you've got a ridiculously easy school holiday idea that I need to know about, please send it my way. I'm going to need ideas for week two as well. 😂
Krystal x
Founder, Kove & Co