How to keep the kids amused these school holidays
If your New Year’s resolutions include spending more quality time with your family, then the long stretch of the Christmas school holidays is your perfect opportunity. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite kid-friendly events to keep all kinds of little personalities entertained in Brisbane.
Christmas enthusiasts only have two days left until 4KQ’s Christmas Lights will be switched off for another year. Bundle the kids in the car tonight or tomorrow night to check out the winning houses in your area or the full list of entrants. Tech-savvy parents can download the app to streamline suburban wanderings.
Should you find yourselves travelling north over the school holidays and already missing Christmas, visual art installation Lollipop Land will be in operation in Kurwongbah until Sunday January 25. Those with stargazers in the family can join the Brisbane Astronomical Society for a free telescope viewing night at Mount Coot-tha, or swing by the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium for Moons: Worlds of Mystery in the Cosmic Skydome. Meanwhile, little animal lovers will adore spending a day getting an overdose of cuddles at the Daisy Hill Koala Centre or interacting with giant dinosaur puppets at Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo. Science brains will be enthralled by Humanoid Discovery and budding artists will revel in the chance to get involved in The obliteration room. Fans of Thomas the Tank Engine will love The Workshops Rail Museum’s 2015 exhibition, Day Out with Thomas, which opens Friday December 26 and runs until Sunday February 1.
Children’s favourite The Wind in the Willows will be coming to La Boite Theatre from Wednesday January 7 to Saturday January 17, keeping kids aged four to 12 giggling at Ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad. Budding actors can also take part in a two-day workshop on January 15 and 16 to recreate their own version of the play. Meanwhile, Giggle and Hoot & Friends will be coming to QPAC from Saturday January 3 for 50 minutes of singing, dancing and of course giggling. The Brisbane season of The Lion King will run until Sunday January 25, while The Wiggles will be shaking those skivvies at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre this afternoon and Disney Live will be charming littlies come Saturday January 17.
The State Library of Queensland is also hosting a fantastic school holiday program, where little creatives can make their own monster costumes, build lairs, enjoy story time and much more. Check out Brisbane’s public libraries for an extensive program of free workshops and craft classes to keep the kids’ brains firing while they’re out of the classroom. Of course, free entertainment is also all around us. Download the Playgrounds in Brisbane app for a guide to Brisbane’s 1500 parks and get your kids outdoors for some fishing, bike riding, basketball, netball or a leisurely family walk.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
