It happens every single holidays.

Usually on day one, sometimes before you've even had your first coffee. 

"I'm bored."

Two words that can send a shiver down any parent's spine when you've still got two weeks to go. 

Here's the thing

You don't need an activity schedule that would make a cruise director jealous. You just need a handful of ideas that are actually doable in a real Australian family home, without specialist materials, or a budget blowout.

This guide has you covered. We've sorted everything by age so you're not hunting through ideas that won't land with your crew. Save it now. You'll be glad you have it.

Little Ones: Ages 3–5

At this age, the bar is delightfully low. Give them a container and some water and you've bought yourself an hour. Give them flour, oil, and food colouring and you're basically a hero.

1 . Sensory play bins

Fill a tub with rice, pasta, water beads, or kinetic sand. Add some spoons and cups and let them go. It keeps small hands busy for longer than you'd expect.

2. Homemade playdough with food colouring

Mix up a batch in their favourite colour and let them do the creating. All you need is 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, 2 cups boiling water, 1 cup salt, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 4 teaspoons cream of tartar

3. Cloud dough

Two ingredients: flour and baby oil. It's crumbly, mouldable, and genuinely satisfying. Google it, make it, thank us later.

4. Backyard mud kitchen

Pull out some old pots, spoons, and containers and set them up in the garden. Add water and dirt and you've got a full afternoon sorted.

5. Cardboard box play

A cubby house, a rocket ship, a car. The box itself is the activity. Raid the recycling bin and hand over a texta, then step back and let the imagination run.

6. Backyard picnic

Let them pack it themselves This one is extra fun when kids get to do the packing. Let your little one fill their own montii lunchbox with their favourite snacks, find a spot in the garden, and eat there. It's the same lunch they'd have inside, but somehow it tastes about ten times better outside.

7. Rock painting

Collect rocks on a walk, grab some paint, and let them go. Display the finished ones on the windowsill or leave them around the neighbourhood for others to find.

8. Watercolour painting

Simple, mess-controlled, and endlessly replayable. Set up a little art station and let them paint whatever they want.

9. Dress-up box photo shoot

Pull out the dress-ups and hand them your phone camera. Kids this age love posing and looking at the results.

10. Nature walk and collect

Head out with a bag and collect whatever catches their eye; sticks, leaves, rocks, seed pods. Sort and display them when you get home.

11. Bird feeder making

Roll a toilet roll in peanut butter, coat it in birdseed, and hang it in the garden. Then watch and wait.

12. Washing their toys

A bucket of soapy water outside, a brush, and permission to splash. This one is practically magic.

13. Painting with kitchen "brushes"

Celery stumps, forks, potato halves cut into shapes. Dip, press, repeat. The results are always better than expected.

14. Teddy bear picnic

Set up a picnic for the stuffed animals. Pack a little spread in their lunchbox, arrange the teddies, and let the imaginative play take over.

15. Park visit

Sometimes classic is classic for a reason. Pack a drink bottle, head to the park, and let them run.

16. Storytime at the local library

Free, air-conditioned, and genuinely delightful. Most libraries have school holiday programs. Definitely worth checking what's on.

17. Visit a botanic garden

A great excuse for a wander. Bring a snack, let them explore, and see what they notice along the way.

18. Visit a farmers market

Let them pick one thing they've never tried before. It's a low-key outing that turns into a conversation.

19. Cloud watching

Lie on a blanket in the backyard and take turns finding shapes. Simple, lovely, and underrated.

Primary Schoolers: Ages 6–10

Old enough to follow instructions. Young enough to still think a cardboard box is exciting. This is the sweet spot for activities that actually hold their attention for more than ten minutes.

1. DIY obstacle course in the backyard

Hula hoops, jump ropes, cushions, a timer. Get them to design it themselves and then compete against each other (or their own best time).

2. Baking afternoon: let them own the recipe

Pick a recipe and hand over control. The measuring, the mixing, the waiting. Yes, it'll be messier than if you did it. That's kind of the point.

3. Nature scavenger hunt

Write out a list of things to find — a feather, something red, a Y-shaped stick, an insect — and send them outside. Works in the backyard, the street, or a local park.

4. Build a fort, eat lunch inside it

Blankets, pillows, chairs. Once it's built, that's where lunch happens. Bonus points if they pack their own lunchbox to eat in there.

5. Create a "restaurant": kids make and serve lunch

They plan the menu, prepare the food, set the table, and serve the family. It's a full activity that ends in a meal. Win-win.

6. Make a homemade savoury treat for school lunches

Bliss balls, cheese crackers, mini muffins. Getting them involved in prep means they're more likely to actually eat what they've made.

7. Morning walk with hot chocolate

A short walk before the day gets going. Let them carry their own Montii cup. It sounds small but it's one of those moments that sticks.

8. Create a stop-motion animation

A phone, some figures or Lego, and a lot of patience. There are free apps that make it surprisingly easy, and the results are always pretty impressive.

9. DIY tie-dye

Rubber bands, food colouring, and a plain white tee or tote bag. Prepare for it to be messier than the tutorial makes it look. It's still worth it.

10. Design your own comic strip

Give them blank panels and let them create a story. Funny, action-packed, totally random. Anything goes.

11. Backyard Olympics

Set up events, make a leaderboard, hand out prizes (snacks work great). The competitiveness kicks in immediately.

12. Kite making and flying

Paper, sticks, string. Find some wind. This one takes patience but when it finally flies, it's very satisfying.

13. Friendship bracelet making

Embroidery thread and a bit of determination. Good for keeping hands busy while listening to a podcast or audiobook.

14. Learn a magic trick

A quick YouTube search plus 20 minutes of practice and they'll have something to show at dinner. Expect them to do it about 47 times.

15. Start a holiday "100 things" challenge list

Write a list of 100 things they want to do, make, or try. They don't have to finish it, but having the list is motivating in itself.

16. Trip to the skate park or pump track

Scooter, bike, or board. Fresh air, movement, and usually some new friends.

17. Ride a bike around your street

Sometimes the simplest activity is the right one. Grab the helmet and go.

18. Organise a movie night

Let them be in charge of the whole thing. Movie choice, snack prep, seat setup. Give them a budget and step back.

19. Backyard obstacle course

Timed, with a leaderboard Yes, it's on the list again. Because at this age, adding a timer and a whiteboard scoreboard takes it to a whole other level.

Tweens: Ages 11–13

The key here is autonomy. Give them the idea and then mostly get out of the way. Tweens respond well to feeling trusted and in charge — so lean into that wherever you can.

1. Cook a full meal independently (supervised) 

Pick a recipe that's a bit of a stretch — a proper pasta dish, a stir-fry, maybe even a homemade pizza. Let them run the whole thing from start to finish.

2. DIY tie-dye or fabric printing

Give them an old white tee or tote bag and let them experiment. No two come out the same.

3. Start a holiday journal or sketchbook

Writing, drawing, sticking things in, documenting the holidays. It's creatively open enough that it doesn't feel like a school task.

4. Learn a new skill: origami, macramé, photography

Pick one, find a tutorial, practise it. These are the kinds of things that start as a holiday activity and turn into a proper hobby.

5. DIY room refresh with what they already have

No new purchases necessary. Just rearranging, reorganising, and making the space feel like theirs. Tweens love this one more than they'll admit.

6. Plan and lead a family games night

They choose the games, they run it, they keep score. Hand over the remote and let them host.

7. Backyard movie night 

They organise the snacks and set it up. This is essentially event planning. Let them handle the logistics: blankets, screen setup, snack prep, movie selection. You just show up.

8. Photography challenge

One theme per day Shadows. Textures. A single colour. Macro shots. Give them your phone or an old camera and one rule per day. The results are usually genuinely interesting.

9. Start a mini business

Candles, greeting cards, baked goods, pet sitting for the street. The scale doesn't matter. The hustle is the activity.

10. Make a playlist for every mood and explain their choices

A creative project that gives you a window into who they are right now. Also: great music.

11. Host a themed dinner party for the family

They pick the theme, plan the menu, set the table, and cook (or at least contribute to cooking). It's ambitious and that's the point.

12. Watch a documentary, then make one

First, pick something they're genuinely curious about. Then let them make their own short documentary on a topic they choose.

13. Start a book club with one friend

Pick a book, read it, meet up to talk about it. Simple and surprisingly nice.

14. Learn a new physical skill

Skateboarding, juggling, a musical instrument, a new swimming stroke. Something that takes actual practice to get right.

15. Write a letter to their future self

To be opened in five years. What do they hope for? What do they think will be the same? It's a quiet, reflective activity that they'll love finding one day.

16. Make a family or friend time capsule

Collect items, photos, written notes, and seal them up. Set a date to open it.

17. Create a vision board for the rest of 2026

Magazines, printed images, their own drawings. Goals, aesthetics, dreams. Let them make it completely theirs.

18. Go on a sunrise walk

Yes, this requires waking up early. But there's something genuinely special about watching the sun come up, and tweens who agree to go usually come back glad they did.

19. Plan a long weekend bike ride

Route, snacks, timing. Let them organise it from start to finish, then go do it together.

One Thing We've Noticed

Most of the best activities on this list; the picnics, the restaurant days, the scavenger hunts, the fort lunches; have one thing in common. Kids are way more invested when they have their own gear.

Letting your little one pack their own Montii Lunch Box for the backyard picnic, or carrying their drink bottle on the nature walk, turns a simple activity into something that feels like a proper outing. It sounds like a small thing. But it genuinely makes a big difference to how much they get into it.

The Honest Truth About School Holidays

Some days will be brilliant. Everyone will get along, the activity will work exactly as planned, and you'll feel like you've absolutely nailed it.

Other days will be chaos. Someone will refuse, something will spill, and you'll be counting down to bedtime by 11am.

Both are fine. You don't need to do every idea on this list. You just need a few that work for your family, your kids, and the kind of day you're having.

Save this guide, pull it up when you need it, and go easy on yourself in between. You need some rest + relaxation time too. 

What's your family's go-to holiday boredom buster? We'd love to see your adventures! Tag us on Instagram @montii.co and share your holiday moments, Lunch Boxes, and everything in between. We’ll be featuring some of our favourite community posts.