From culturally curious to the creative, there are plenty of educational and entertaining online resources to keep the kids busy these school holidays. 

Options for keeping the kids entertained (and educated!) during school holidays are increasing, thanks to faster Internet speeds and a plethora of options available online.

From the culturally curious to those looking to create something from scratch, there are many ways parents can keep their children entertained and active - without breaking the bank.

Here are a few useful and effective activities kids participate in over the school break:

A world of natural wonders...without leaving the house

National Geographic for Kids offers endless lessons about science, nature and history in order to show kids the world around them.

Kids won’t realise they’re learning as they immerse themselves in video episodes about turtle migration, fun facts about the human brain or interactive educational games such as Walking with Dinosaurs!

Home is where is the art is

Google offers an array of educational and entertaining options to keep kids busy. Instead of travelling far and wide to visit museums and galleries, let the artwork come alive at home with the Google Cultural Institute.

Since its launch in March 2015, more than 2,000 artworks and cultural artefacts all over the world have been digitised and made available on the web with high-resolution imagery. 

A great example of this is the 2013 Melbourne street exhibition titled All Your Walls @ Hosier Lane.

Famous for its graffiti-filled laneways, Melbourne hosted one of the largest urban paint-ups in the infamous Hosier Lane. More than 100 Melbourne artists repainted the entire laneway and this Google gallery showcases a timelapse of all the artworks coming together. 

This Google gallery showcases all the artworks from All Your Walls @ Hosier Lane exhibition. Photo: Google Cultural Institute

For those seeking a slice of history, another gallery available to view through the Google Cultural Institute is Cake? Cake! – an exhibition following the history of cake and its meaning to citizens around the world.

With the power of storytelling that art and culture ignite, kids can now study the world’s rich history and culture in an innovative way.

Print your creativity

Printable decorations, stationary and characters are a time and cost effective way to keep the kids entertained for the school holidays.

A great printable arts and craft supplier is Mr Printables who offer creative and educational printable artwork for kids to enjoy.

From printable alphabet and words to paper dolls and puzzles, Mr Printables have a selection of fun activities – all parents need to do is click, print and let the kids create something of their own!

Games that put the active in interactive

A fantastic creative outlet for kids to keep their brain stimulated is Build with Chrome, a partnership between Google and LEGO that allows users to build their very own LEGO creation online before placing it on a plot of land anywhere in the world.

This gives children the freedom to create whatever they want, wherever they like and imagine a world of their dreams.

Gone are the days of routine school holiday activities – with faster internet connections, students across the country can think outside the box and take part in unique activities.

Ahead of the school holidays, check your address to see if you can connect to the nbn™ network.