It’s a wet and windy winter school holidays this July, which makes going outside these school holidays pretty tricky. So, you’re going to need lots of ways to help your kids have a memorable school holiday without breaking the bank or braving the cold, cold sleet.
Here are some of my suggestions for tried-and-true toys, gadgets and other fun stuff to make sure everyone has a good time, for ages 2-12.
Screen-free tech
Tonies’ Bluey collaboration: from $35
It’s no secret that, as a toddler mum, I love the Toniebox for the independence it allows my daughter. She can pick the music or story to soundtrack her imaginative play while I cook dinner, and there’s not a screen in sight.
Well, the inevitable Bluey collaboration has happened, and Bluey families are going to love it. There’s something for everyone with a Bluey Tonieplay Game – Bluey: Play All Day for the Toniebox 2, so kids can engage with the story and actively play with it, rather than just listen along, as well as a trio of Bluey Tonies with stories.
In addition to the Bluey Tonies, there’s also a range of accessories including the Bluey Listen and Go Bag, and a Bluey Toniebox 2 Sleeve.
VTech Kidi Guitar Superstar: $79.95
For kids who love the idea of playing guitar, but might be a bit too young to start understanding how to place their fingers on the strings, and what the different frets mean, this VTech Kidi Guitar is such a great place to start.
It’s a guide with strings to strum, and the tone is changed by pressing the buttons on the frets. Tuning happens by pressing a button to change the tone to higher or lower, and there are buttons to make it sound like an acoustic, clean electric, or distorted electric. There’s also a dial that makes it sound like a band, just like a guitar, play a game, or connect it to a Bluetooth device to jam along to your own music. The body is really durable, so you don’t have to worry like you might if you gave your real guitar to a little kid. It just seems like a really good stepping stone.
My only complaints are that I wish it didn’t light up and flash so much, and I hate that if the kid doesn’t touch anything for a little while, this voice comes from the guitar demanding that they press a button or try the whammy bar. It interrupts whatever thought the kid was having, or imaginative play they were engaging in, and demands their attention come back to engaging with the toy in the way the designers intended. I wish there was a way to turn that aspect off, because it would otherwise be perfect.
VTech Kidi Beats DJ Drum Set: $89
The joke is often that if you don’t like someone, give their kid a drum kit. However, as a drummer, I firmly say that if you love a kid who is interested in learning how music is made, and likes to tap out a beat, then give them a drum kit and start them on their musical journey. They might not end up in the rhythm section, but they’ll at least have more of an understanding of the foundation of music.
This VTech Kidi Beats DJ Drum Set isn’t quite shaped like a traditional drum kit, but it’s a good start to get the basics of a traditional electric drum kit. It’s got a variety of kit sounds in there, and there are backing tracks from different genres so kids can experiment. It also works on teaching kids letters, phonics and memory, and while I’m not sure how effective it is at those endeavours, I appreciate the attempt. If only it could help me teach a toddler how to do the various rudiments.
Again, like the guitar, I wish it wasn’t so insistent and would let kids play at their own pace.
VTech Karaoke Lights Mic: $49
For the kids who were born to sing and perform, but don’t want to have to do a lot of setup and pack down at gigs, there is this excellent karaoke mic. It’s got lights built in, so they can make their own light show.
You can connect it to a Bluetooth device to play music, and it has a setting to cut out the vocals from the backing track so the kid can take centre stage. If they’re feeling silly, then there are lots of voice distortion tools they can have fun with. They can even record snippets of their singing and play it back.
It’s the perfect gift for budding singers, and kids having their first sleepover.
Quality screen time entertainment and accessories
LeapFrog Magic Adventures Telescope: $179
This is the most gentle definition of screen time ever, to the point where I don’t even know if it counts as screen time (thanks, incredibly vague screen time regulations). But this is just such a great gift for kids who are interested in the universe. I am so impressed.
The LeapFrog Magic Adventures Telescope is a real telescope, with a 110x zoom, but instead of getting kids to put their eye directly to the telescope (which can be hard for younger kids to understand how to do), it has a digital screen so the whole family can see and engage with what’s going on.
If you see something in the sky and need an explainer from an expert, it has more than 100 built-in videos from NASA and the European Space Agency explaining the cosmos in an age-appropriate way, and with more detailed imagery than you can probably see natively on a cloudy night. It also means you have the option to navigate the Northern Hemisphere’s sky without having to jump on a plane.
Plus there are some built-in space-themed games, and in the box there are 20 cards with detailed pictures of space objects and facts about the universe.
LeapFrog Magic Adventure Globe: $139
For kids who want to explore a little closer to home, this LeapFrog Magic Adventures Globe is fantastic. It’s a nice, big 26cm globe that they can spin to see all the countries and oceans of Earth. But what makes it special is that it comes with a stylus and a 2.7-inch screen.
Kids can tap on any country and get a short video from the BBC about the culture, people, animals, and language of that country or region, with over 600 included videos. There are also interactive games, a quiz and more to encourage kids to learn more about the world.
Rhythm Paradise Groove for Nintendo Switch 2 – $59
If your child has a Nintendo Switch 2 and a relatively short attention span, then this Rhythm Paradise Groove rhythm game is a perfect way to engage them in a series of mini-games that are easy to understand but difficult to master.
If you need to justify it to yourself as having educational value, it will improve hand-eye coordination, and teach kids about rhythm and the importance of not swinging a beat (unless the genre calls for it). It also has a multiplayer mode that’s either co-op or PvP, so you can get all the siblings playing on the one console. It’s also just really fun, and you can play it once they go to bed.
Switch 2 accessories from Belkin: from $49.95
One of the biggest complaints about the Nintendo Switch 2 is that it can be really uncomfortable to play handheld, because it’s so thin. It also doesn’t have enough battery life if you’re going on a really long car trip or a flight.
These new accessories from Belkin solve those problems. The Gaming Grip makes the Joy-Con more ergonomic, and it adds a kickstand to the body of the Switch 2, without compromising the ability to detach the Joy-Con, or forcing you to remove the grip before placing it in the dock. If you need more battery life, there is also a version of the grip that comes with a battery pack that magnetically attaches to the back of the grip, more than doubling the battery life of the console.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark (Xbox, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2): $99
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark is one of the best Lego games ever, and is a must-have for gaming fans of the DC universe. Perfect for ages 7 and up.
Apple Arcade subscription: $10 a month
If your kid already has an iPad for school, then Apple Arcade is the best and cheapest way to give them access to a large library of games that don’t have ads or in-app purchases. There are games for all age groups from Play-Doh World and Crayola Adventures for very little kids, to Lego Star Wars: Castaways and NBA 2K26 Arcade Edition for bigger kids.
There are even popular games that would normally be free-to-play with ads and in-app purchases, like Bloons TD 6+ and Kingdom Rush, so they can play the same games as their friends without the constant bombardment of requests to spend more money. The subscription is Apple Family-compatible, so one monthly payment covers up to six users.
Old-school fun
Lego Duplo Bluey’s Family House with Memory Game: $99
This Bluey Duplo set is a perfect gift for Bluey fans, but also just for kids who want a house to play with. My daughter really loves opening all the doors and windows and moving around the bricks with the pictures of food. She hasn’t seen Bluey before, but she loves dogs, and so this works for both Bluey fans and those who are too young for TV time.
What’s great is that this set grows with your kid – it can be a memory board game, too, extending the fun.
Lego Duplo Interactive Adventure Train: $129.99
For kids just entering their train phase, this Duplo Interactive Adventure Train set is brilliant. The train engine itself is powered, so it can drive itself around the track, but there’s also an unpowered carriage if kids want to drive their own train. As the train goes around the tracks, there are little coloured tags you can put down that will get the train to turn on its lights, play a sound, or stop, allowing for extra play loops.
This set is for ages 2+, so the track in the box is relatively simple. But there are extra tracks that you can buy separately with bridges and tunnels. The track has the same gauge as many of the Duplo cars, and it can be lots of fun to play with the F1 cars, taking them around a circuit. Overall, it’s an investment, but it opens up a lot of play opportunities that’ll last years.
Crazy Aaron’s Thinking Putty: $16.95
This thinking putty is such a great toy and tool. You can get it with beautiful glitter running through it, or with little bits you can pick out, or just in a variety of fun colours, with themes to suit every kid. It ties in with kids who are on board with the slime trend, but it’s also a useful tool for neurodivergent kids who need a fidget toy to settle their thoughts.
Pokemon 30th Anniversary 3” Glitter Battle Figure: $10
Pokemon turns 30 in 2026, and that sound you hear is Millennials turning to dust and complaining about their lower back pain. These little figures are so cute, shimmery, and sparkly.
For the adults, it’s a nice memento of the game so popular that cards were banned from primary schools across the country. For kids, they’re fun figures that are just the right size to tell stories and allow them to continue to play in the video game world they love, away from the screen.
While these toys are for ages 4+, my 2-year-old loves taking this little Pikachu everywhere – in the bath, to the zoo to show it to all the animals, out to the aquarium. It’s the perfect size for her little hands, where her bigger Pikachu plush just doesn’t fit as well.
Pokemon Battle Disc Showdown Game: $29
Continuing the Pokemon theme, these showdown battle arenas are just so much fun. The box comes with everything you need to build a perimeter around these Pokemon, who will then shoot discs at each other. If you combine two packs, you can have up to four players get in on the action, but one pack is enough for two kids to shoot discs at each other’s Pokemon to their heart’s content. When you get a direct hit on the red target, the little figure flies off in a really satisfying way. It’s a good time.
Pokemon Sleeping Plush 46cm – Vaporeon: $39
This range of sleeping Pokemon is so cute, and the current release is the Eeveelutions of Vaporeon, Flareon and Jolteon. They’re so big and soft, and perfect for a big kid to hug, or a toddler to snuggle up on. My daughter likes to snuggle up on hers with her head resting on the body next to Vaporeon’s head, and the tail wrapped around her. It’s cuteness overload.
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