Kids have so many things to see and do during these school holidays. Photo: Relics Exhibitions, Facebook.
School holidays are just around the corner, which means the kids will be sitting around the house with nothing to do. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of the best things for them to do across a broad range of interests and ages.
Whether your kids love Lego, basketball, art, movies, science or more, there’s something to keep them busy this week.
The Junior Builders School Holiday Program is the perfect hands-on activity for your creative child. Image: Master Builders ACT.
Junior Builders School Holiday Program
When: 28 September to 1 October, various times
Where: Master Builders ACT, 1 Iron Knob Street, Fyshwick ACT 2609
Cost: Tickets start from $100 | Book online.
Calling all junior builders! Are you looking for a fun, engaging, and educational activity for your child this spring school holidays?
Join Master Builders ACT for their Junior Builders program, a hands-on, construction-themed holiday experience for kids aged 6-15. This unique program will ignite your child’s creativity and curiosity while teaching fundamental construction skills in a safe, supervised environment.
Kids can make all sorts of fun things, from nameplates to pencil caddies, wall frames, planter boxes or birdhouses.
RELICS creators Jackson Harvey (right) and Alex Towler (left) with the piano installation. This is Lego as you’ve never seen before. Photo: John Lomnicki.
RELICS: A New World Rises
When: 19 September to 31 January, 2027
Where: Canberra Museum and Gallery, Corner London Circuit and Civic Square, Canberra City
Cost: Tickets from $15 to $23 | More information online.
Part nostalgia trip, part immersive art experience, RELICS: A New World Rises transforms forgotten objects into extraordinary Lego worlds. Created by Lego Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler.
A refrigerator becomes a cryogenic wellness resort. A Volkswagen Beetle powers an underground energy revolution. A grandfather clock becomes a time machine. Across more than 15 large-scale installations, tiny civilisations have adapted to the objects humanity left behind, each filled with hidden details, layered narratives and unexpected humour.
RELICS combines sculpture, design, storytelling and nostalgia into an experience unlike a traditional museum exhibition or typical Lego display. The deeper you look, the more you discover.
Set in an imagined future where humans have abandoned Earth, the exhibition playfully explores creativity, consumer culture, sustainability and the objects we leave behind.
Calling all basketball enthusiasts! Join UC Caps for their Holiday Camp these October school holidays. Photo: UC Capitals.
UC Capitals September/October Holiday Camp
When: 28 September to 1 October
Where: G Wigg Sports Centre, Radford College (1 College Street, Bruce)
Cost: Tickets from $100 per session to $450 for a full week | Book online.
Lace up your sneakers, grab your friends, and join the UC Capitals for an epic week of basketball led by the Capitals’ very own coaches and athletes! The UC Caps Holiday Camp gives young basketball enthusiasts the chance to build their skills alongside UC Caps players and coaches in a fun, supportive environment.
What’s included? Expert coaching led by UC coaches, an access code for tickets to attend a UC home game during the 2026/27 season and complimentary snacks during the day, like fruit, snow cones and popcorn. Game on!
Floriade is a great place to spend the warmer days of the school holidays. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Floriade 2026
When: 18 September to 11 October
Where: Commonwealth Park, Canberra
Cost: Free.
This year’s Floriade theme is Feast of Flowers, celebrating the connection between the garden, the table and the broader community. More than one million flowers are blooming, with garden beds inspired by seasonal harvests.
As always, there will be a very exciting program, featuring entertainment, music, food, wine (not for the kids!), market stalls, interactive exhibits, family-friendly activities, workshops and more.
Satellite events will also take place at the Lanyon Homestead, with local restaurants, cafes, bars, retailers, hotels and institutions participating through Floriade About Town.
If you can’t find anything for the kids to do in the holidays, check out the Tuggeranong Arts Centre. Photo: Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
School Holiday Programs for Kids and Teens at Tuggeranong Arts Centre
When: 30 September, 10 am to 2:30 pm and 1 October, 9:30 am to 3 pm
Where: Tuggeranong Arts Centre, 137 Reed Street North
Cost: Songwriting workshop $10 | Art and Action event $95 | Book online.
Tuggeranong Arts Centre’s popular school-holiday program Art & Action gives children a chance to show off their creativity. Guided by a team of professional artists, musicians, dancers, and actors, the one-day Art and Action program is an action-packed visual and performing arts school holiday explosion of creative joy.
Everyone will start the day playing theatre sports and other drama games before breaking into smaller age-based classes. Students will take part in art classes exploring painting on canvas, with the opportunity to take home their masterpieces at the end of the day. Fresh Funk dance tutors will introduce young ones to street-funk dance, giving participants the chance to learn a routine and have fun exploring this popular style. After lunch, both age groups will get together for a fun, high-energy music-making session.
Take the kids out to some classic flicks these school holidays. Photo: NFSA.
School Holiday Films at the NFSA
When: 29 September to 8 October
Where: Arc Cinema, NFSA, 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
Cost: $14 Full | $12 Concession | $10 Child ( + $1.50 booking fee) | Book online.
The school holidays offer a great schedule of kid-friendly movies.
Pixar’s classic tale of adventure and friendship, Up, comes to the NFSA on 29 September. Then on 1 October, Frozen 2 brings audiences back to the frozen North of Scandinavia with another inspiring story featuring Anna and Elsa.
On 7 October, check out Hayao Miyazaki’s classic coming-of-age story from the same studio behind Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away. Kiki’s Delivery Service follows a young witch as she makes her way in the world after leaving home to live independently in a new town.
Finally, on 8 October, a father searches the deep blue sea to find his son in Finding Nemo, evading monsters of the deep, outsmarting bloodthirsty sharks and learning a lot about himself along the way.
Have a whale of a time at Questacon these school holidays. Photo: Questacon.
Wandering with Whales at Questacon
When: 28 September to 11 October, 10:15 am, 11:15 am and 12:15 pm
Where: Blue Door Room, Questacon, King Edward Terrace, Parkes
Cost: Free with purchase of a general admission ticket.
Wandering with Whales is a Spring holiday puppet show that tells the extraordinary story of where whales go and why. Curious kids will become scientists for a day and discover why whales migrate and how scientists study them in the wild, plus all the incredible things you can learn about whales in strange ways, like by examining their snot.
The Splash Pad at Tralee Town Park is turning on this weekend! Image: Village Building Co.
Little Splash at South Jerrabomberra
When: 26 September, 10 am to 2 pm
Where: Tralee Town Park, 1 Carnation Drive, Tralee
Cost: Free.
Kick off the school holidays with a visit to the Splash Park at South Jerrabomberra at Tralee. Families can enjoy a free coffee and ice-cream with a wide range of activities on offer, including playgrounds, a learn‑to‑ride track, green space, community centre, outdoor gym equipment – and most importantly, the Splash Pad!
The Splash Pad will continue to stay open from this date into the summer.
