Five free activities for the school holiday

A bike parade

Gather your kids and their friends together, decorate their bikes with streamers, make some signs for the front of the bikes and take the kids on a tour of the neighbourhood with a bike parade. You could even turn it into a scavenger hunt and each child could get points for the items they find.

Create an obstacle course

This is great for kids of all ages, take a bit of time to plan the obstacle course with your kids, planning is almost as much fun as doing the course! You can also time your efforts, create a leader board and give out medals for first place and the best effort in each category to ensure everyone is included. If your back garden is a bit small try your local playground, plenty of space and ready made obstacles.

Get your bake on to say thank you to emergency staff  

It’s an oldie but a goodie, kids love to bake! But don’t just eat all your delicious baking why don’t you drop off basket to your local fire or police station as a way of saying thank you. Just call ahead first to make sure it’s the right time for a visit.

A trip to the beach

It doesn't have to be summer for the beach to be fun. Pack some warm clothes, a thermos or two of hot drinks and the buckets and spades. Get the kids collecting shells, interesting driftwood, seaweed and building sandcastles. You could also try the baking soda and vinegar volcanoes - here's how: 

You’ll need baking soda, white vinegar, a tall slim container and some food colouring.

Dig a hole in the sand, put the container into it, add sand into the container until you’ve nearly reached the top. Pile sand around your container to make a ‘volcano’ shape. Tip in some baking soda, a little food colouring, a splash of vinegar and watch it fizz!

Go for a bush walk

The good old kiwi favourite, there are tracks for all ages and abilities around the country. Investigate which one will best suit the age of your children and go for a lovely walk. Do some research before you go on flora and fauna and see if you can spot some on your travels.