The ultimate Northern Beaches school holiday guide
Get the kids out and about with the best school holiday activities on the Northern Beaches.
Here we’ve put together a long list of suggestions to keep the young ones entertained over the break while keeping them active, fit and healthy in both mind and body.
NSW School Holiday Dates 2024
Autumn holidays: Monday 15 April to Friday 26 April 2024
Winter holidays: Monday 8 July to Friday 19 July 2024
Spring holidays: Monday 30 September to Friday 11 October 2024
Summer holidays: Monday 23 December 2024 to Thursday 30 January 2025
Enjoy the life aquatic at our local swim centres
Our local aquatic centres Manly Aquatic Centre and Warringah Aquatic Centre offer intensive swim programs to improve swim techniques and give extra confidence in the water. Warringah Aquatic Centre offers giant inflatable fun during the school holidays, excluding public holidays and weekends. Both pools are heated to a comfortable temperature, making them a great place to take the kids swimming, even on a wet day!
Get art smart
If u like ART is a leading visual arts school for children and teens. Located in Brookvale, it offers a variety of school holiday workshops and believes that everyone can be creative.
Manly Art Gallery also offers a variety of creative workshops for children.
Get on your bike
The Northern Beaches is well known for beautiful, family friendly bike paths that are perfect for a great day out with the kids.
One of the family favourites is Narrabeen Lagoon Trail, an easy and flat 8.4km loop with beautiful views of the lake.
If you’re in Manly and up for a bit of a challenge, take the kids for a cycle up to North Head – if you’re lucky you might even spot an echidna en route.
If you don’t have your own bikes, you can hire them from Manly Bike Tours or Narrabeen Lakes Bike Hire.
Learn about our environment through play
The Coastal Environment Centre offers a school holiday program with a difference. With a unique theme each day, your child will learn about our natural environment through a range of fun and interesting activities, such as using a microscope to investigate curious creatures found on a rock platform. This is a fantastic opportunity for children to learn about their local environment and how to help preserve it. Programs generally run 10am-3pm unless otherwise noted.
Explore the great indoors
If it’s a rainy holiday, why not check out your local library, where you’ll discover puzzles, board games and Lego to keep the kids occupied indoors. They have also have school holiday programs offering a range of fun activities.
Another great rainy day destination is JUMPd, a local family owned indoor trampoline centre in Brookvale. The kids’ trampoline area is designed for children aged less than seven years with a height of less than 120cm. There is also a Ninja Xtreme course ideally suited for older teens.
Cheeky Monkeys Play House Vacation Care runs Monday to Friday during the Spring school holidays. They offer a wide range of fun and exciting activities, including both incursions and excursions! Activities include art, craft and Lego, science experiments, days at the park, movies and putt putt golf. Government rebates are available to eligible families. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are all included.
Bricks 4 Kidz offers one- and two-day workshops in Collaroy, Balgowlah and Forestville. Their holiday programs combining Lego and robotics teach kids how to make things spin, roll, turn and rock. The kids can build everything from skyscrapers and pirate ships, to Star Wars characters and superheroes. But be sure to get in quick because classes book out.
Tinkertank in Brookvale is a creative hub for children aged from five to 16 years. The fun and informative school holiday camps will get the kids learning about 3D printing, animation, robotics, design and coding under the guidance of an amazing team of mentors. Fun is the aim of the game – less talking and more action!
Jump in a kayak
Kayaking is a great activity to do with your kids. Pack a picnic, rent a double kayak (if you would like to have some control) and explore Sydney Harbour. Find a secret beach and maybe even a waterfall! No prior kayaking experience is required.
Take a slide at Manly Waterworks
Manly Waterworks is an iconic playground located right in the heart of Manly, where the kids can slide and swim while you watch on from the spectator area with friends and a coffee in hand. The water is heated, so no excuses.
Step back in time at Q Station
Set amid the beautiful Sydney Harbour National Park, Q Station at North Head is the perfect place for kids with its 33 hectares of rolling hills, open space and paved tracks, plus private beach access to Sydney Harbour and an amazing back story that will have the little ones’ imagination running wild.
Explore the property or bring your buckets and spades and set up base on your very own protected, private beach from sunrise to sunset. Or if you’re keen to get out on the water, kayaks are available to hire from the Visitor Centre.
Q Station also provides access to many amazing bushwalks that go along the stunning harbour coastline. Spot kookaburras, bandicoots, fairy penguins, majestic white-bellied sea eagles and frilled-neck lizards in this nature lover’s paradise.
For a guided tour try the Wildlife Explorer Tour.
Wander through the free museum, book a history or Ghost Trackers family tour or dine in the award-winning Boilerhouse Kitchen & Bar.
Dive into a rockpool
We are lucky to have 15 stunning beachside rockpools located along the Northern Beaches coastline. Pack a picnic and sunscreen, and head to one of your choice; we love the pool tucked into the rocks at Bilgola Beach.
Set sail
Keep your kids busy with a 3-day adventure and sailing camp run by Manly Sailing. The holiday camps are aimed at two age groups – 7-11 years and 12-15 years – and are the perfect way for the kids to get out on the water, have fun and meet new friends.
Manly Sailing also offers an ‘adventure camp’ where the kids will get to try multiple activities on the water and in the surrounding area. Activities include windsurfing, sailing, kayaking, snorkelling, paddle boarding and hiking.
Any season is a great time of year to head underwater. Hire goggles and snorkels and take the kids to explore the underwater world of Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. Keep your eyes peeled for large blue gropers, Port Jackson and friendly Wobbegong sharks, cuttlefish and, if you’re lucky, weedy sea dragons.
Learn to surf
The Northern Beaches is the perfect place to learn to surf in Sydney. Enrol the kids in a surf school and they will be standing on a surfboard in no time at all. Most companies supply wetsuits, so all you need to do is turn up with a pair of swimmers, towel and sunscreen.
Dance the day away
Kids Up Front Drama Academy has a Performing Arts Holiday camp at Stella Maris College Theatre, Manly, where specialist tutors work with enthusiastic boys and girls, teaching singing, dancing and drama. The program culminates on the last day with a wonderful musical show for parents and friends to enjoy.
The Northern Beaches is lucky to have its own theatre, Glen Street Theatre, which offers quality children’s shows that are great for all ages.
Juggle work and home with vacation care options
If you have to work these holidays and need help to keep your young ones entertained, Northern Beaches Vacation care is great for school children aged 5-12 years, Monday-Friday, 7.30am-6pm. They have exciting excursions, discos, craft and sports days with a difference.
Another option is Camp Blue, located in Stella Maris College in Manly, which uses the local facilities (park, lagoon and beach) to make sure their camp is diverse, unique and never boring. Their philosophy is to satisfy and grow each camper’s individual curiosities and interests.
Walk this way
The Northern Beaches is surrounded by beautiful native bushland and has amazing walks that the whole family can enjoy during the school holidays. Some beautiful options include Dee Why Headland, Palm Beach Lighthouse, Shelly Beach and Warriewood Wetlands. If you need some inspiration, have a look at our Hello Manly website blog, ‘Five picturesque walks to get your steps up.’
Always check with each individual business before making your plans.