School holidays arrive with the best of intentions. Two weeks of quality family time. Adventures. Memories. Getting the kids off screens.
By day three, you're googling "things to do with kids NZ winter" and considering paying $40 per child for an indoor trampoline park just to get through the afternoon.
It doesn't have to be that way. The activities that work best during school holidays — the ones kids actually want to do, not just tolerate — are usually simpler and cheaper than the ones that require booking in advance.
Here's a practical guide to school holiday activities in NZ that hold attention, work for mixed ages, and don't require a second mortgage.
Start with what actually keeps kids engaged
Before listing specific activities, it's worth thinking about what makes something genuinely entertaining for kids rather than just occupying them.
The activities that work tend to share a few things:
• There's a clear goal or outcome — something to achieve, beat, or finish
• They work for a range of ages so siblings can play together rather than separately
• There's a physical element — something to do with their hands or bodies
• They can be picked up and put down — not every activity needs to be a full-day commitment
With those in mind, here's what works.
Games that genuinely entertain — indoors and out
Simple enough for a four-year-old, strategic enough to keep a ten-year-old interested. Giant Connect Four works indoors on a rainy day and outside when the weather clears. The large discs are satisfying to drop, the game is quick to play and quick to reset, and the competitive element means kids want to keep going.
For mixed-age families it's one of the most reliably inclusive options — younger kids can play and win against older ones, which matters for keeping everyone invested.
The tension of a Tumbling Tower is something kids never quite get over, no matter how many times they've played it. That moment before a pull — the held breath, the collective lean — is the same every time. The collapse is always satisfying.
The Backyard Chats Tumbling Towers have conversation prompts on each block, which adds a social layer that works well for kids aged eight and up. It turns game time into actual conversation time, which parents tend to appreciate as much as the kids do.
A Kiwi school holiday staple. The BYG Backyard Cricket Set comes with a semi-soft ball which means it works in a backyard, a driveway, or a park. Solid wooden bat, proper wickets, carry case included — it's the game that gets grabbed every time the sun comes out for more than twenty minutes.
Works for ages five and up. The bowling distance and batting rules can be adjusted on the fly to keep it fair for different ages.
Often thought of as an adult game, Cornhole works brilliantly for kids. The throwing distance can be adjusted based on age — a five-year-old stands much closer, a twelve-year-old can play at full distance — and the scoring is simple enough that kids can track it themselves.
One of the few games where kids and adults genuinely compete on even terms, which makes it a good choice for a family afternoon where everyone wants to be involved.
Tabletop games for inside days
For the days when it's genuinely too cold or wet to be outside, having a few compact tabletop games already out and accessible makes a big difference. Sling Puck, Tabletop Connect Four, Shut the Box, and Reversal all work on a coffee table or kitchen bench and can be picked up spontaneously rather than needing a dedicated games session.
The key is having them visible and accessible rather than stored away. A game that's already on the table gets played. A game in a box in a cupboard doesn't.
Low-cost activities that don't need buying anything
Not everything needs a product. A few reliable school holiday activities that cost nothing:
• Scavenger hunts around the house or neighbourhood — kids make their own lists once they've done one
• Cooking something together — a weekend morning spent making pikelets or a batch of biscuits holds attention better than most
• A family movie afternoon with snacks — sometimes the simple version is the right version
• Setting up a mini tournament with whatever games you already have — a bracket on a piece of paper makes any game feel like an event
The school holiday mistake worth avoiding
The most common school holiday trap is over-programming. Trying to fill every day with an activity creates a logistical burden for parents and, counterintuitively, makes kids harder to entertain — they start expecting something new every day rather than finding something to do.
The better approach is to have a few reliable options available — games that are already set up, a couple of outings planned but not every day — and let kids fill the gaps themselves. Boredom is actually fine. It's where creativity starts. The games just need to be there when they're ready for them.
Get the kids moving before the screens come back on
All of the games above are available with free NZ shipping from Backyard Games NZ. If you're looking for something that keeps kids genuinely entertained through the school holidays — not just occupied — these are the ones worth having on hand.
