Top Five School Holiday Activities For Kids In Melbourne

With the Melbourne school holidays upon us, parents around Australian begin to agonise about how they can keep their kids entertained across the school holiday period. Parents fear the bombardment of "I'm bored" from their kids while dealing with the constant challenge of limiting your kids time watching TV or playing on their iPad. It’s enough to send any sane parent crazy. It's also very important that your kids spend time outside, get sunshine, and spend time socialising, interacting and having fun with their friends. Every year more studies show that Aussie kids are overweight and obesity problems continue to grow. If you don’t teach your kids to develop good habits to stay active, these habits can often stay with them through adulthood as well. Fortunately, Melbourne has a huge number of opportunities for parents to keep their children entertained over the school holiday period. So what are some activities that will keep your kids active over school holidays?

1. Scream At Luna Park

With 2012 celebrating 100 years of fun-filled adventures, Luna Park continues to have a mix of heritage listed attractions and brand new thrill rides to satisfy all thrill seekers. The most famous of the Park’s attractions is its Scenic Railway Roller Coaster. A large wooden coaster that projects its passengers, at high speed, around the outside of the entire Park. Throughout the school summer holidays (17th December – 29th January) families can take advantage of Luna Park’s Family Pass for just $149.95! It's affordable for families who want to enjoy everything that the park has to offer, including unlimited rides all day long.

2. Enrol Them in a Camp

Australia has some of the best camps for kids in the world, throughout the year, and the school holidays are a perfect way to introduce your child to something new. Camps can be a cheaper alternative for childcare and at the same time giving kids an opportunity to interact with other kids, gain some sunshine and stay active. There are a wide variety of camps in Australia and it's important to choose one that your kid will enjoy and learn something new at the same time.

Sports Camps

Whether it's summer or winter there's always a sport to participate in for your child. Australian Sports Camps offer three day sports camps for kids between the ages of 6 – 16. If you’re at a stage in your child’s development where you’re unsure of which sport they might like to play, Australian Sports Camps offer a great way for kids to try something new and hopefully develop a lifelong love for their chosen game. Cricket, basketball, netball, football, tennis and soccer are just some of the sports on offer. Australian Sports Camps has a large number of camps in the Melbourne area.

3. Visit an Indoor Play Centre

Indoor play centres are the type of play centres that parents dreamed about when they were kids. These days’ kids have so many opportunities to stay active while having a tonne of fun at the same time. There are a variety of Play Centres throughout Melbourne! These can involve anything from trampolines, blow up slides, climbing walls, indoor dodgem cars and many other activities that can your kids amused for hours. It doesn't have to be for a special occasion either! Groups of parents are constantly seeing the benefits of gathering with a group of kids so they can have adult time while the kids play. Find out more: http://www.playcentral.com.au/ http://www.crocsplaycentre.com.au/

4. Head to Melbourne Zoo

The Melbourne Zoo is an iconic location and attraction in Melbourne. The Zoo is a great day out for the whole family that will be sure to keep your kids entertained for hours! Furthermore, it will provide them with plenty of physical activity. The Melbourne Zoo has a great school holiday schedule of wonderful experiences. These include expert Zookeepers sharing their stories, to up close and personal encounters with the animals themselves, as well as our vintage carousel, educational activities for the kids, and multiple shady picnic areas for down time between adventures The Melbourne Zoo has a range of school holiday activities for the kids. The Zoo offers a range of programs between the hours of 8:30am - 3:30pm. http://www.zoo.org.au/melbourne/whats-on/kids-go-wild

5. Try Ice Skating

O'Brien Group Arena is Australia’s largest and most respected ice arena and conveniently located in Melbourne's Docklands. The arena offers a range of fun activities that the whole family can enjoy. In addition, it provides equipment hire and skate aids to ensure that every one can learn and have fun. Just like the other options we've given, O'Brien Group Arena is a great way to get together a group of kids for special occasions, such as birthdays, and both adults and kids can have fun together. http://www.obriengrouparena.com.au/