If you're looking for what to do during school holidays at home, check out these 25 amazing activity ideas and fun holiday activities for kids at home to beat school holiday boredom and make the most of their holidays!
From art projects and science experiments to fun school holiday games and indoor holiday activities at home for kids, in this article, you'll also find:
holiday at home ideas,
many fun rainy day school holiday activities to do at home,
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favourite things to do in the holidays at home.
So gather up your supplies and get started!
✨ Explore fun kids school holiday activities near you, including:
Some of the best kids holiday activities at home include:
Movie marathon
Reading marathon
Seasonal crafts and DIY
Fashion show
Learning touch typing
Learning a new language
Fun activities for kids online
Playing board games or guessing games
Making your own homemade indoor games
Fun balloon games to play at home
Fun ball games to play at home
Play indoor bowling
Completing a puzzle
Solving fun educational puzzles
Writing your own story
Making a dollhouse or mini animal house
Collage ideas
Exploring sensory art
Drawing your fantasy
Trying origami
Cooking competition
Making a movie
Indoor treasure or scavenger hunt
Giving the kids bedrooms a makeover
Planning for your next school holidays
Run a movie marathon
Who doesn't love a good movie on a rainy day? Shrek, Ice Age, Barbie, Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, etc. The list of possible movies to watch with your kids is endless and can include the best Netflix kids movies or the top 10 Disney movies. And with streaming services such as Netflix, Stan, Foxtel and Disney+, it has never been easier.
Why not settle down in front of the TV with some awesome PG-rated movies when you are stuck indoors? Here are our picks for the best PG and G-rated movies to watch with kids that are perfect for pre-schoolers, schoolers and teens.
Run a reading marathon
Running a reading marathon - a Readathon is one of the best rainy day activities for kids at home and any family that wants to get into reading.
Children benefit from reading because it helps them in many ways, including:
learn vocabulary and grammar;
understand the world around them;
build independence and
become more academically successful in the future.
In addition, kids become more creative and imaginative.
⭐ Uncover the surprising benefits of reading as a hobby!
You can create a competition for the whole family to participate. The first person who reads the most within a certain time limit wins a prize.
If you’re not in the mood for competition, read a good book together with the family and have a book club discussion about the characters or any interesting themes from the book.
Make some seasonal crafts and DIY
Have a winter holiday or birthday coming up? Why not make some cards or decorations together with your kids? Gather some coloured paper, glue, scissors, coloured markers and stickers and get crafting!
Kids benefit from crafting! It helps improve a child’s concentration and ability to follow instructions. Crafting can also help your child develop fine motor skills. Plus, it's a perfect rainy day activity for preschoolers and one of the top fun home activities for kids!
If you’re stuck for new ideas on crafts for kids, check out this Pinterest Board for seasonal craft projects for kids.
Host a fashion show
Go through all the clothing that you and your kids have come up with a few outfits and model them in the hall or living room! Sort through clothes to see which ones fit and which ones don’t, and discover some pieces that you can wear more often.
Hosting a fashion show for your kids is not only fun but also great exercise! The best part about it? They pretend to be celebrities, strike funny poses and strut on stage. You can even grab your camera and run a photo shoot after the show.
It's a perfect indoor activity if you want them to keep busy and out of trouble. This is also a great way to keep everyone active and entertained while giving the whole family plenty more bonding opportunities too!
Learn touch typing
Touch typing is a useful skill to have nowadays. With technology playing such an essential role in our lives, it’s great to teach your kids to become tech pros from a young age. Start with these two free websites:
Jungle Junior is a fun, interactive touch typing game for kids. Check out videos and practice typing different letters. Kids can learn and practice their typing skills while learning the alphabet, so this resource is perfect for younger kids who are learning to read and write.
Dance Mat Typing is another superb resource for kids to try. Better for older kids who are well and truly familiar with the alphabet, this indoor activity from BBC combines animals with funny voices and accents (and lots of puns!) as well as fun typing activities.
Learn a new language
Learning a new language has been proven to be extremely useful for kids. According to Language Kids, language learning improves problem-solving skills, boosts brainpower and helps kids learn and appreciate different cultures.
Resources like Duolingo and Memrise are free to start learning a new language (or practice one you are currently learning) with activities and vocabulary games for various levels.
Choose from languages like French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Russian and more.
For fun learning and practising English, Lingokids offers a free plan of 3 videos, games or songs per day. This interactive app can be downloaded on your phone or tablet and is designed specifically for kids 2 to 8 years old.
Mindsnacks also offers many apps for learning various languages through gameplay. These kids games apps are free to download but come with paid upgrades.
Try fun activities for kids online
If you are looking for fun online classes & holiday courses for kids, check out this wide range of creative and educational online activity classes for kids! From online learning activities to coding and robotics, you'll find an online activity that is perfect for your child.
The online music lessons are an amazing way for kids to learn about rhythm and melody! While the yoga classes provide a chance to relax and de-stress, the online ballet and dance classes are a perfect way to get them moving!
If your kids love art, the drawing classes for kids offer a chance to explore their creative side! Explore these easy painting ideas for beginners for your kids and teenagers to try.
Play board games or guessing games
Playing board games or guessing games is one of the fun activities for kids to do at home!
Almost every family has at least one board game at home. Sit on the couch or floor and indoor play games, such as Monopoly, Scrabble, cards or any other game you’ve got.
Aside from board games, you can also try playing a guessing game. Pick a theme, for example, animals or cartoon characters. Then have a go at giving out clues and getting the other person/people to ask questions to guess your animal/character.
You can even come up with a unique spin to the game, for example, printing out images and playing a 'Guess Who?' style game.
Make your own homemade indoor games
If the kids are stuck indoors, bored with the board games for kids you have at home, and you're looking for fun things to do on holiday at home, there is nothing better than getting creative with your kids and making them feel like they're really involved in the process!
You can sit your kids down and make your own homemade indoor games for kids and fun games to play at home! Be it a card game, race to a hidden treasure, simple indoor game or funny indoor game for kids, let their imagination soar!
For your inspiration, check out this wikiHow article about how to make your own video game or this video below from the National Museum of Australia for new ideas for kids on how to make your own indoor games at home.
You may even choose to make a video game and learn some coding and game design skills.
Fun balloon games to play at home
Looking for indoor game ideas for kids? Try our favourite balloon games to keep boredom at bay.
Don't let the balloon touch the ground
We all know the classic Keep the Balloon Up game, so this time, try out the Don't Let the Balloon Touch the Ground game!
If you want to make it more challenging for older kids, they can juggle more than one balloon or keep one hand behind their back. See how long they last before giving up and then compare that time with someone else's score (or count).
Penguin Waddle
Another fun and easy indoor game for kids is called Penguin Waddle.
You can play it by placing the balloon between your child's knees and having them walk across without dropping it. You can even make things more challenging for older kids by putting some obstacles around.
If the balloon falls down before the kids complete their journey, they have to go back to the start. If you have multiple kids, they can be divided into teams to see whose team is faster so they enjoy some friendly competition!
Fun ball games to play at home
If you're looking for fun games to play at home with kids, it's time to play some ping pong! The game is called Catch the ping pong ball.
You'll need the plastic cups and a few ping pong balls or any small object that will fit in the plastic cup for this fun game of catch.
The game participants can start tossing the ball to each other to try and catch it in the cups, then take one step back to make this fun indoor game more challenging. A single player can simply throw the ball in the air and try and catch it!
Play indoor bowling
Have your kids ever wanted to bowl like a pro? Now's their chance! All it takes to set up your indoor bowling is some painter’s tape and plastic cups (plastic bottles or paper towel rolls) as your bowling pins. Use any ball to bowl to knock down as many pins as possible.
You can create pyramids with those cups / bottles / paper towel rolls to make this fun indoor game for kids more challenging! Don't forget to keep track of the score. Otherwise, kids can simply aim to knock all the pins down in one turn.
Complete a puzzle
On rainy days, sit down on the floor or at the dinner or coffee table and complete a puzzle with your kids. If you don’t have a puzzle at home, there are some free online puzzles and games you can try as well, like these:
Online Jigsaw Puzzles is a website specifically for online jigsaw puzzles that you can solve for free. Pick an animal or nature puzzle or anything else from the many available on their site.
Lovatt’s Online Puzzles include sudoku, word search and other free play games.
BBC’s CBeebies also have a variety of puzzle and colouring games available for free on their website.
Solve fun educational puzzles
Looking for a screen time activity that will keep your kids busy and entertained and teach them essential skills on a rainy day? Check CodeSpark Academy and its online fun and engaging educational puzzles!
CodeSpark Academy is the perfect and fun way to introduce your little one to the world of coding! With The Foos, they'll be able to work their way through fun and engaging puzzles, learn how to code, solve problems and learn the basics of coding along the way.
Kids 5-9 years old will have a blast playing online games and solving hundreds of educational puzzles. CodeSpark Academy offers a 7-day free trial and access for up to 3 children per account.
Write your own story
Your imagination is the limit. Come up with a character or use a family member as a protagonist, then come up with an awesome story that they are a part of.
Play a word game together to build the story, or let the kids brainstorm a plot for an exciting adventure or scary tale by themselves.
It can be in the form of a book, a script for a play or movie (that you can act out or film together! Check out ideas below) or any other form of storytelling you want to try.
Storytelling and creative writing as a hobby can improve your child’s imagination and let them use creative thinking, problem-solving and language skills while having fun.
Make a dollhouse or mini animal house
Even on rainy days, you can always make time for fun with your kids! If you have some mini toys or dolls at home, grab a box or find a spare cupboard where you can build them a little house or apartment.
You can use materials from around the house to make furniture like beds and chairs or even other little things like cutlery, plates and food that you can sculpt out of polymer clay (if you have some at home).
I used to make dollhouses and crafts a lot as a kid, and it was my favourite crafting activity. I once even made a mini washing machine for my dollhouse.
To try this indoor activity with your kids, check out My Froggy Stuff on YouTube to get inspired. They make lots of videos on toys and doll crafts and have the best ideas to keep the kids entertained and engaged.
Let kids come up with collage ideas
There are so many kids creative activities at home to keep your kids busy, and this is one way you can do it. Let them use old magazines and flyers when creating their amazing collages. This will become one of their favourite school holiday craft ideas!
After finishing these creative projects, the kids will love seeing what they’ve created on the fridge because it's like having artwork right there in front of them or framing them to hang in their bedrooms. If collages need more fun, try adding some glitter for extra bling, but keep in mind things can get messy when glitter’s around!
Explore sensory art
Exploring sensory art is one of the interesting indoor activities for kids and a wonderful way to explore their artistic skills and create unique masterpieces.
If you're looking to keep your toddlers, preschoolers and older kids occupied during summer holidays or on rainy days, try these fun, creative indoor activities and school holiday ideas at home!
Put some music and let your child get creative! You'll see what masterpieces and original designs your kids created with the help of music. You can play several different songs and use different materials, from crayons to paint to markers.
💡 More creative ideas: If your child enjoys creating artwork, explore this list of easy acrylic painting ideas for beginners on canvas!
You can then display those artworks on your fridge, hang up in a gallery spot somewhere around home or frame them to hang in your kids’ bedrooms. It's an amazing rainy day activity for preschoolers and older kids!
💡 An extra tip: Divide your piece of paper into four parts, each part being a drawing for a different song. Then run this indoor activity and discuss any similarities you see in the artworks with your kids. How did each song differ, and how did it show in the artwork? How did each song make you feel?
Draw your fantasy
Unicorns don't exist, but they can be in your imagination and your drawings. Give your kids a piece of paper and a pack of pencils, and let them draw their wildest dreams. A unicorn in space? Why not?
If your child is not much of a drawer, try colouring instead. There are lots of resources online, including free printables to use with your kids.
Try origami
Try the Japanese art of paper folding - origami. Research has shown that origami helps develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills and improves concentration. There are heaps of awesome tutorials online for your family to try, like these here:
Cute Monster Bookmark Origami
Easy Koala Face Origami
Origami Koala For Older Kids
Run a cooking competition
Why not let your kids learn some useful cooking skills while having fun? Hold a Masterchef-style cooking competition to see who can make the healthiest meal for dinner or the most mouth-watering dessert.
Cooking with kids can have lasting impacts on their healthy eating habits, their food preparation skills, independence and teamwork skills (when cooking together with others). Raising Children have some great tips for cooking with kids of various ages to make the best out of this indoor activity.
We all know that kids love a tasty lunchbox treat, and if you're looking for some easy ideas to pack one in your child's school bag or just as a snack while you are stuck inside, then check out these easy lunchbox recipes to cook with kids here.
Some sweet tooths might go with the best hot cross bun recipes while others will prefer something savoury snacks and healthy vegetable muffins.
Ready, Set, Action... Make a movie!
Do you have an aspiring actor in the family, or do you want to simply act out your favourite story or play? You don't need incredible costumes or props, a fantastic location, professional equipment, or editing software to make a movie at home. Rather you'll need just ideas and some awesome people around!
The iMovie app is free and easy to use on Apple devices. Kids can try their hand at editing and putting footage together to make a film. It's great fun, too, with cool templates to edit and funky music to add to your movie.
This is an excellent indoor activity for the whole family that makes happy memories you can look back on in the future. So grab a camera and get the kids acting!
Organise an indoor treasure or scavenger hunt
Before trying this indoor activity, it's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the difference between a treasure hunt and a scavenger hunt.
In a treasure hunt, a set of clues guides you to find a specific item or 'treasure'. These clues can be presented at the start of the game or hidden around the house for each player to find.
In a scavenger hunt, there are items on a list that must be found. The aim of the game is to 'scavenge' and find the most items within a time limit.
You can try to run your own treasure or scavenger hunt or mash the rules together to create your own special twist. The whole family can participate in the indoor scavenger hunt! The aim is to have great fun and not play the game perfectly.
Give the kids' bedrooms a makeover
Move the bed, hang up a picture or photo, reorganise the desk, etc. - you can change up your child's room in so many ways. Or you can just clean together with the kids.
Either activity can be made fun, and the skills learnt can be useful later in life. It's excellent teaching your kids to be tidy and organised from an early age as it will improve their habits in future study, work and everyday life.
You can put on a movie or some music to make the process more enjoyable.
💡 More ideas: If you're interested in exploring more hobbies that involve music, check out our article "Is Listening To Music A Hobby? Let's Find Out!"
Plan for your next school holidays
With so many exciting places to visit with family, like national parks, wildlife parks and many exciting family attractions, why not get exploring activities for kids to plan for your next Australian school holidays together?
Check out fun school holiday activities for kids, family fun ideas, indoor holiday activities, and much more!
💡 A quick tip: Consider allowing each member of the family to choose one fabulous destination they want to visit in particular locations and try to create an itinerary with those places. You can map out your adventure and teach the kids some vital geography skills.
We hope you’ve found this list of ideas on what to do during school holidays at home helpful.
So, next time when you're looking for holiday at home ideas, rainy day school holiday activities to do at home, family fun activities at home, indoor holiday activities for kids, be sure to try out some of the fun activities for kids at home we shared.
Let us know which ones were your family’s favourite holiday activities you love doing for kids at home.
If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends and family so more kids know what to do during school holidays at home!
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