School holidays are here (again... how did that happen exactly?!) and while it's awesome having the kids around, let's be real, it's a juggle.

Between work and family life, it can be a lot to keep kids entertained for a couple of weeks - especially if you're not necessarily a swing-pushing, playground-loving parent or, if you've got tween or teen kids, you don't enjoy repeating "get off your phone" every hour on the hour.

Never fear though! I’ve put together 8 School Holiday Activities for Curious, Sporty and Creative Kids.

There's something here for everyone! Young, tween, teen girl or adult; adventurer or entrepreneur; chilled out or ready for action.

Let's dive in! 

1. Start A Side Hustle

Shark Tank meets school holidays! Kids are pretty clued in on what it means to be an entrepreneur nowadays and a lot of kids show early interest in starting business ventures. 

Ignite her entrepreneurial spirit, and put her problem solving and innovating thinking skills to the test these school holidays by helping her develop a side hustle. Start by talking about what excites her and energised, and move on to tasks she can work on herself with your guidance (and a small budget to work to) to kick them off.

Task her with coming up with the product or service ideas, making a list of what's needed to bring it to life (along with what they'd cost), defining who her target market would be and then the brand and design stuff (which they usually find the most fun), like a name and a logo. 

Shopify has an excellent (and free) business starter kit that you can download for free here, which includes vision boards, as well as branding and business exercises that can help her develop her idea.

According to social research experts Mark McCrindle and Ashley Fell, co authors of Generation Alpha, "Generation Alphas (kids born between 2010 and 2024) will need to be adaptive, constantly upskilling and retraining to remain relevant to the changes anticipated as they move through their working life".

How's about using the school holidays to steer them onto a path that will set them on a path to business savvy and problem solving early on.

2. Make a Deal With Destiny

You might already hit up Groupon, Scoopon or any one of the many (many) deal sites that offer activities and experiences, but this puts a fun new spin on it. 

Pick three numbers number between one and 10, then head to your favourite deals site. Most of them (possibly all of them) have a section for kids or family activities, and Groupon has one specifically for school holidays. Make sure the filter is set to your area,  click the link to the section that suits, then count down to the number you and your girl have chosen. That's your activity for the day!

If it doesn't fit in your budget or it's too far away, use your back-up number. If the same problem happens, whip out your third (I've never had to use the third back-up but you never know).

3. DIY School Holiday Camp

Create your 'holiday camp' with other parents. Each family creates a fun day of activities and has all the kids for that day. When you're only responsible for one day, you can pull out all the stops and make it action-packed and super fun.

Once you're done, the next family has the tribe and so on and so forth. Themes could be anything from a croquet day or beach fun, to slime making, scavenger hunting and bush walking adventures.  

There's nothing like a bit of healthy competition, so go all out! Make your ideas as fun as possible and try and 'out fun' the others 😉

4. Play 'Plant Shazam'

Are you the nature loving type? Maybe it's just me, but I LOVE plant spotting. Especially in spring.

Gamify your adventures to entice her into some nature time, too. Here's how!

Download an app like Pl@ntNet (it's like Shazam for plants; and you can access its basic features for free), then head out to a hiking trail or scenic walk. 

Plant identifications apps, like Pl@ntNet, allow you to scan the plants you discover. When it finds a match, it tells you what it is, how it grows and provides other interesting tidbits of info about the area you're exploring.

You'll also spot birds, lizards and other animals, and take in the spectacular scenery. Australia has some of the most beautiful and unique landscapes in the world. We’re so lucky to have such easy access to local national parks.

Pack a delicious picnic lunch (with plenty of water, of course) and set out to learn more about all native plants. 

Many of the national parks have waterfalls, rivers and gorges, so don’t forget your swimmers.

5. Seize the Cringe

You know why kids love TikTok dances? I do. THEY'RE REALLY GOOD FUN! (If you need convincing, click the pic below). 

Won't lie, it's cringe and awkward at first but once you get the tunes cranked up and some moves down, you'll be hard pressed not to feel great and enjoy the fun.

Head to TikTok and search 'tiktok mom dances' or 'tiktok mum dances' (there are less with the British English spelling but still plenty to choose from). You don't have to have an account to search so maybe choose a TikTok dance you think you can master and suggest busting out some cringe-worthy moves with your girl!

(Whether you actually let her post it or not is up to you. I did 😆)

While you're at it, check out the 'mom wisdom' trend. It started with this post and it's gone gangbusters, as things do on TikTok. It's a bunch of young people talking about the best advice their mums gave them. Type 'stitch @rendagrella' into the search bar to check out all the videos. So sweet 💕

6. Get a Move On

Love a good sweat sesh? Join me, Cleo (9) Poppy (12) our FREE 15-Minute Family Movement Sessions. 

We focus on a mixture of stretching, cardio and strength movements (and, most importantly, HAVING FUN!)

No equipment needed. Bring a water bottle and a can-do attitude. 

7. Hi-Tech Treasure Hunting

Geo-caching is a type of treasure hunt that's great fun for kids and adults alike - and MILLIONS of people worldwide have discovered the fun. Using GPS, the geo-caching community hide items like foreign currency, keyrings, trinkets, or booklets in waterproof containers.

Often they're hidden in plastic container under structures, in logs, behind rocks and many other weird and wonderful places. After registering on a geo-caching site, you'll put in your postcode, choose a geo-cache near you and then follow the clues and coordinates to find the treasure. It's a great way to enjoy and much-loved childhood pastime and explore your local area or holiday destination.

With 2,581,585 active Geocaches waiting to be found worldwide there's sure to be a few to choose from near you.

You can do something similar with Pokémon Go (remember that 2016 craze? It's still a thing!).

Travel between the real and virtual worlds by hitting your surrounding streets and discovering the Pokemon that are hidden around your 'hood.

8. Binge the Best

Raining outside or just feeling lazy? There's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned binge? Emphasis on the 'old-fashioned. None of this mindless stuff of now; take her on a trip to the past when TV was cooler and more interesting (okay, so we're biased but whatever).

Here's my list of the best blasts from the past:

• The Wonder Years
• Punky Brewster
• Sweet Valley High
• Gilmour Girls
• Round the Twist
• Saved By the Bell
• Goosebumps
• Dawson's Creek
• Felicity
• Salute Your Sports
• The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air

Remember these epic shows? Waiting every week for them to come on and debating on what could be next for the days to come? Loved it. 

Stick some popcorn on, throw on your Uggs and your Oodie, shut your mind off, sit back and relax.

Get involved! I'd love to hear your ideas.

Do you have any other ideas for the holidays that you enjoy as much as your girls? We’d love to hear from you.

Comment below or join in the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

Sarahx