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 2025/26

Summer holidays: Monday 22 December 2025 to Monday 26 January 2026 (Eastern division); Monday 22 December 2025 to Monday 2 February 2026 (Western division)

Autumn holidays: Tuesday 7 April to Friday 17 April 2026

Winter holidays: Monday 6 July to Friday 17 July 2026

Spring holidays: Monday 28 September to Friday 9 October 2026

Enjoy the life aquatic at our local swim centres

Our local aquatic centres Manly Andrew “Boy” Charlton Aquatic Centre and Warringah Aquatic Centre offer intensive swim programs to improve technique and give extra confidence in the water, while Warringah Aquatic Centre also offers giant inflatable fun during the school holidays, excluding public holidays and weekends. Both the Manly and Warringah 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

Little Lane Workshops is a family-run art, craft and lifestyle studio on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and is the lifelong dream of husband and wife team Carl and Sonia Stackhouse. They cater for all ages through their open age workshops on weekends, while the kids have school holiday workshops, after After School Art & Craft Club and birthday parties.

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 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 Bikes or Northern Beaches Cycles.

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 also have school holiday programs offering a range of fun activities.

Another great destination is Bounce Cromer, a fun and active trampoline centre that also features dodgeball, climbing walls and high ropes.

Cheeky Monkeys Play House Vacation Care offers a wide range of fun and exciting activities, including both incursions and excursions. Activities include art, craft, Lego, science experiments, days at the park, cooking sessions and bowling. Government rebates are available to eligible families. Breakfast, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea are all included.

Tinkertank at Manly Library 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.

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’ imaginations running wild.

Explore the property or bring your buckets and spades and set up base on the 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.

Wander through the free museum, book a tour or dine in the award-winning Boilerhouse Kitchen & Bar.

Dive into a rockpool

We are lucky to have 15 stunning beachside rockpools along the Northern Beaches coastline. Pack a picnic and sunscreen, and head to one of your choice; we love them all but there’s something particularly appealing about the pool tucked into the rocks at Bilgola Beach (pictured).

Set sail

Keep your kids busy with a 1-, 2- or 3-day sailing camp run by Manly Sailing and catering to ages 7 to 17 years. The camps 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,  kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, beach volleyball and coastal trekking.

Snorkel Cabbage Tree Bay

Any season is a great time of year to head underwater, and the Northern Beaches has some amazing snorkelling spots. One of the best is Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve in Manly. Join a tour or hire goggles and snorkel and take the kids to explore this incredible underwater world of 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, a towel and sunscreen.

Go on an adventure

These holidays the Sydney Academy of Sport is hosting 3-day Adventure Camps designed for children aged 9-12 years. The two camps will run 12-14 January and 19-21 January, 9am-4.30pm, and cost $273. The kids will enjoy exhilarating outdoor activities including kayaking, abseiling, archery, BMX riding, stand-up paddleboarding, sailing and bushwalking. Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided by the academy’s team of chefs.

Dance the day away

Kids Up Front Drama Academy has performing arts Holiday Camps 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, OOSH Northern Beaches vacation care is great for school children aged 5-12 years, Monday-Friday, 7am-6pm.

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.