Want to make this school holiday break memorable for your kids? ArtsHub has compiled a list of creative workshops and drop-in activities that will get those budding musicians, dancers, artists and innovators off their devices and into the creative classroom of life.
Jump ahead to:
Western Australia
Upcycling Vintage Jewellery for Teens at Fremantle Art Centre: Join teacher Nikki Lance and start your jewellery-making journey, repurposing vintage jewellery and found recycled elements. Tuesday 15 April from 10am-12.30pm. Cost: $80.
Introduction to the World of Acting for Younger Kids: Aiming her classes at 5- to 7-year-olds, established drama teacher Bev Jackson-Hooper will open up your kids to the world of stage acting, boosting their imagination and self confidence in a fun way. Tuesday 15 April from 10am-12pm at Fremantle Arts Centre. Cost: $55.
Script Writing and Performance for Older Kids: Also at Fremantle Arts Centre, this class for 8- to 12-year-olds will step budding thespians and film stars through play reading, understanding what a script is and performing in this fun, interactive class. Wednesday 16 April, from 10am-1pm. Cost: $70.
Manga for older kids: Learn how to draw dynamic poses and movement with tutor Debora Gregorio in this course for 8- to 12-year-olds. This is a great one for kids already drawing manga and wanting to improve their skills. Tuesday 22 April, 10am-12pm, at Fremantle Arts Centre. Cost: $55.
Sensory Backpacks: Does your child want to participate in activities, but finds the added stimuli an anxiety trigger. Then try a sensory backpack at WA Museum Boola Bardip. They contain resources for self-regulation, tactile input, attention focusing and body awareness support to help keep the focus on fun discovery. Cost: Included with museum admission, but pre-book as limited available.
Erth Dinosaur Encounters: From 14-27 April (excluding Good Friday) come and enjoy this roving performance through the WA Museum. Watch as this life-sized dinosaur stomps and chomps its way through the Museum, brought to life by the talented Erth Dinosaur performers (10am, 12pm and 2pm for half an hour). And why not follow it up with some time at the Dino Discovery Zone (open 10am-3pm) and make your own dinosaurs from various materials. Cost: Free.
Claymation Studio: Animating Adventures: This great workshop is a unique chance for your kids to spend a day in the studio discovering clay animation. They’ll create their own characters, develop a story and produce a short film. Wednesday 23 April from 10am-4pm, this all-day session costs $90. Aimed at 8-to 12-year-olds.
“I learned how to do new things and I really likes what I made. So fun! I learned so much!” – Emil (10 years)
New South Wales
Visit ArtExpress 2025: Get inspired by seeing the artworks that made the top grade by senior students. Showing until 27 April at the Art Gallery of NSW (AGNSW). Cost: Free.
Sculpture relief drop-in workshop: Inspired by the sculptures of Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran (currently on display on lower level 2 of the Naala Badu building), children can let their imaginations run wild and get creative with paper, card, chenille stems and foil to make their own stand-out sculptural reliefs. Drop in anytime from 11am-3.30pm. Suitable for all ages. Cost: Free.
Kids access workshop, clay play: AGNSW is offering this relaxed workshop designed for children with disability and their families to explore the endless creative possibilities of modelling clay in a welcoming and sensory-friendly environment. The Gallery says, “Clay play offers families a unique opportunity to bond and create together in a pressure-free, inclusive space that celebrates artistic expression.” Wednesday 16 April, 10am, 12pm, 2pm (one-hour duration). Cost: Free, but registration requested.
Family Space: Drawn Together: Families of all ages are invited to draw inspiration from Julie Mehretu: A Transcore of the Radical Imaginatory at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia’s (MCA) free drop-in activity space. All materials are provided, including canvas, crayons and collage. Until 27 April, 10am-4pm, and suitable for all ages. The MCA also has a resource of online activities that you can give your children to do at home during the holidays. Cost: Free.
Splatter Paint: Whack on a poncho and goggles and throw paint at a canvas to create your own unique canvas design. This one hour is guaranteed to be heaps of fun – plus they clean up! And you take your painting home. Every day, 11-28 April, from 9am-5pm. Cost: $59.
Magic Taster Workshop with Adam Mada: This hands-on, two-hour magic workshop with master magician Adam Mada, hosted inside his exclusive magic workshop at Magic Inc HQ in Marrickville. Suitable for 7- to 12-year-olds, all materials are provided for this hands-on two-hour session. 13-16 April, various times. Cost: $60.
Sydney Dance Company Workshops: Running from 14-24 April, this is an exciting opportunity for young dancers aged from five to 18 to learn from expert instructors in a fun and inspiring environment. Workshops across contemporary, jazz, commercial and all styles, from one-hour beginner class or an immersive two-day workshop. Cost: $38-$215
Creative coding masterclass: Suitable for 12- to 16-year-olds, here teens can join Jared Berghold in a geeked out session that will bring digital art to life using code, creating visually stunning and unexpected results. Unlike traditional coding, which focuses on solving problems, creative coding is all about self-expression, creativity and organic design. This hands-on workshop is at the Darling Square Library Makerspace! Cost: $10, bookings essential.
Drop-in workshops at MRAG: From Cyanotype photography or mask-making to hand-stitching badges with the amazing artist Katy B Plummer, Maitland Regional Art Gallery will be running drop-in stations every day from 10am-1pm across the school holidays. There’s also a soft sculpture station artwork station set up in Gillian Benke’s incredible exhibition Us. The gallery also offers a bunch of DYI art activity sheets to print off and do at home. Cost: Free.
Young Architects: Suitable for 12- to 16-year-olds, this workshop with Artist Jen Denzin and a talented architect student from the University of Newcastle is designed to encourage a passion for design and architecture. Plan to get building on 24 April, 1-3pm. Cost: Free, but registration requested.
Bare Skills: A new series of art and survival workshops for young people aged 14 to 25, developed by Parramatta Artists Studios and hosted every second month at PAS Granville. Bringing together experts and knowledge holders in climate resilience, land-based traditions and apocalyptic aesthetics. The first workshop Emergency! launches next Saturday 12 April, 3-5pm. Learn more.
Bundanon Inspire: A free art-marking program for young people aged 12 to 18 that includes art-making, ecology walks and visits to the Art Museum. 9am each day, the event begins at Nowra Bus Terminal, Stuart Place, Nowra. Participants will travel to Bundanon on a shuttle bus with a member of Bundanon staff, returning at 5pm. Lunch, morning and afternoon tea are included. The program spans two days with attendance on both days required. 14-15 April. Cost: Free
Katy Perry and Taylor Swift Tribute: Designed by a primary school teacher to be a child’s first concert experience, this high-energy show combines music, dancing and interactive fun for the whole family. At Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Wednesday, 16 April, show 11am. Cost: $20.
Drum Making Workshop: Come and make craft drums and Kente cloth in celebration of African culture on Tuesday 22 April, 10-11am, followed by a Drumming Workshop to learn the art of African rhythms facilitated by Lucky Lartey from 11-12pm. Cost: Free.
Get nautical not naughty at the Maritime Museum: SEA Museum is offering a bumper program during the school holidays, including creative art-making in the Kids on Deck – maker space, adventure on the sea country activity trail, under 5s tours or the chance to learn about amazing aquatic species in a virtual dive and artist-led workshop in the deep ocean dive and draw sessions. Cost: Free.
Tasmania
Festival for Children and Young People: Tasmania Museum and Art Gallery kicks off its Lift Off! Festival from 12-17 April, including live performances, hands-on workshops and special displays. Themed as ‘to the max’, Lift Off! 2025 will explore extremes in all its many forms – from exploding volcanoes in ancient times to the spectacular auroras of Antarctica. From fire adapted landscapes to deep ocean floors. Lift Off! is Tasmania’s only dedicated annual cultural festival for children and young people. Download the full program. Cost: Most programming is free.
Explore Six Extinctions: Opening 8 April, this new presentation at Queen Victoria Museum at Inveresk (QVMAG) is a must for dinosaur fans. Developed by Tasmania’s Gondwana Studios, it explores the mass extinction events over 485 million years of Earth’s history through an incredible collection of replica fossils. Come face-to-face with some of the most formidable predators of each era. Open 10am-4pm. Cost: $5.
Queensland
Automation to Punk badges: The Museum of Brisbane has a bumper school holiday program, from its Crafty Movers Workshop, inspired by vintage wind-up toys, to the Micro Museum space, inviting people to don the role of curator and select, sort and arrange items and vintage objects. Create an automation in the hands-on workshop Wednesday 16 April, 2-3pm (cost $20), or make your own statement in the Precious Punk Badge Studio.
APT Kids on Tour: Rockhampton Museum of Art (RMOA) is offering free drop-in activities, where kids can create their own masterpieces inspired by artists from the Asia-Pacific region. This program is part the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial Kids On Tour program, developed by QAGOMA Children’s Art Centre. From 7-21 April, from 9.30am-12.30pm daily. Cost: Free
Musical Theatre Workshops: Budding young performers can take centre stage at the Walter Reid Cultural Centre, where the Queensland Academy of Excellence in Musical Theatre (QAEMT) will run three days of Musical Theatre Workshops for Young People. Cost: $295 for three-day workshop.
South Australia
Kids Holiday Pottery Classes: Big Brain Tiny Hands is Urth Clay Studio’s favourite kids’ holiday activity. The one-off pottery classes prioritise experimentation and muddy fun over seeking perfection. Kids are encouraged to freely explore shapes and textures, fostering a sense of joy in the creative process. 15-24 April, 10.30-12.30pm, suitable for ages 7-17. Bookings essential. Cost: $75.
Get closer to outer space: The Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide has a program of daily activities to inspire budding space explorers and innovators of all ages. From building, launching and refining their rocket designs to discover how to fly as high and as accurately as possible, to hands-on learning about satellites and solar systems, this is one for curious kids. From 14-27 April, from 10am-5pm. Cost: Free and ticketed.
Holiday Camp at Carclew: Targeted at 9- to 17-year-olds, two of these offerings caught our eye: the VR Tower Quest where teens will bring their design and characters to life using Tinkercad, a 3D design tool, to transform their creations into active players in the virtual world (15-16 April, 10am-2pm). Cost: $40.
The other is VoiceHouse at Carclew, aimed at 13- to 17-year-olds, this workshop will empower young people to unlock their voices by providing them with the skills, and confidence, they need to explore their singing abilities in a supportive environment. From 22-24 April, 10am-1pm. Cost: $40.
Band! Zine!! Shoot!!!: Whether you’re itching to jam in a band, create a killer zine or snap epic band photos, dive into a trio of workshops – Band Practice teaming up with Alex from Stormy Lou and My Cherie for some laid-back band jamming, Zine-making with Lilith from Runt! or a hands-on photography workshop – it’s all about collaboration. Suitable for 13- to 17-year-olds. Cost: $40, bookings required.
Victoria
Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhales: There is no better way to inspire awe and wonder in your kids than through experiencing Patricia Piccinini’s hyperreal hot air-balloon sculptures Skywhale and Skywhalepapa, coming to the Mornington Peninsula, Saturday 26 April, 5.30-7.30am, followed by free kids’ activities from 7.30am at the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery. Cost: Free but register to attend.
Kusama for Kids: The last days to experience Kusama for Kids: The Obliteration Room, a free interactive installation, along with other free artworks displayed on NGV International’s ground level. Closes 21 April. Cost: Free.
Creative Power: Zine Making: Led by artist Aaron Billings, this workshop invites young adults (16- to 25-year-olds) to use drawing and storytelling to unpack personal and collective experiences in a safe, inclusive and creative space. No drawing experience is needed. This workshop is for LGBTQIA+ and questioning young people, and their allies. Cost: Free, but bookings are requested.
Myth Quest: A full-day story writing workshop devoted to titans, gods and the mortal heroes bold enough to challenge them. Participants will craft stories and ensemble casts of characters, mortals and gods alike, who will boldly trek through the mayhem. How do these adventurers complement one another? Unleash your Myth Quest, and story writing skills. For 10- to 14-year-olds. Delivered by Story Studios Australia in Carlton, Monday 14 April, 9am-3pm. Cost: $120.
Play with your Food: Inspired by Wangaratta Art Gallery’s current exhibition, Crystalline, which explores our consumption of all things sweet and delicious, this workshop will turn food into art. The gallery explains: “Take a bunch of very yummy and colourful garden and market produce and combine with a variety of hand building techniques aided by edible play dough, mini marshmallows and toothpicks to create a very one-of-a-kind mini sculptural artwork that may be devoured before it gets to be taken home for show and tell.” Thursday 17 April, 10.30am-12pm. Cost: $10
ACCA Family Art Day: Inspired by the current exhibition Tina Stefanou: You Can’t See Speed, participants will create their own artworks and contribute to a large-scale collaborative artwork inspired by the exhibition. This is a drop-in workshop, suitable for 3- to 10-year-olds. Tuesday 15 April, 10am-1pm. Cost: Free.
Comedy Club for Kids: The amazing Comedy Club for Kids brings together the most talented kid-friendly performers, from stand-up to whacky sketches, circus tricks and musical comedy. Its 100% kid-approved and parent-loved. This year’s line-up includes: Josh Glanc, Showko, Tricksy Collins, Mr Snotbottom, Jon and Jero, Bubble Laboratory and more. No boring stuff; just pure, awesome fun! Suitable for kids 6+. Part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, at Melbourne Museum, Carlton. Cost: $19 to $25.
