Learning to swim is a great use of school holidays, and if the kids already can, there are plenty of pool days to be had. A number of good-value sporting activities also operate:

The Wellington City Council operates a number of pools, as does the Hutt City Council, with facilities such as wave pools, spas, outdoor pools, dive pools and hydro slides, for less than $4 per child. Learn to swim programs run periodically during the school holidays.
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Grab a Game of Mini Golf
Both Treasure Island and Carlucci offer a round of mini golf for around $10. 

Go Bowling
Bowling is a great afternoon or evening activity with a group of kids, and Bowlarama offers games for around $10 per child. 

Wellington has some fantastic scenery and nature waiting to be discovered. Best of all, it's all free...

1. Visit Government House - free tours leave almost every day, but can be tricky to secure around public holidays.
2. Mt Kaukau - worth the hike up to the lookout, with views over Karori hills and Johnsonville hills. Perfect for a picnic at the summit.
3. Go bike riding - the Remutaka Cycle Trail, classed as a 'great ride' is one of many popular cycling routes kids love.
4. Get Geocaching - guaranteed to get the kids out of the house and into the (urban) wilderness, this guide details how to get involved and what you need to head off.
5. ​Explore Pinnacles Track​ - steep and scenic, but only to be done in good weather conditions.

Tripadvisor's list, based on thousands of five-star reviews, puts these attractions as the most popular for kids:

1. Te Papa - Kids can spend hours here if the right event is on - check the listings first.
2. ​Mount Victoria - kids can walk along Oriental Bay and then start the steep climb, which in a day with good weather offers tremendous 360-degree views. The kids will get a great sense of achievement when they hit the summit.
3. Otari-Wilton's Bush Native Botanic Garden - kids may not notice the varied selection of native plants and trees, but they will love the trails and canopy walk which takes you up to the treetops. 

Gardening is a great way to get the kids outside with purpose, and if you don't have a vegetable garden, there are fun alternatives...

Get into the garden
If you have a vegetable garden, the Tui New Zealand Planting Calendar guides you through what to plant at different times of the year. For example, April school holidays are a perfect time for planting parsnips, June works for carrots and September is great for beans, December/January works for cucumber. The kids will also appreciate eating them if they've planted them, and it is guaranteed to cut down on the grocery bills. 
 
Pick your own fruit
December and January are when strawberries come into season, and pick-your-own is a great half-day activity. Best of all, it's much cheaper than the supermarket or fruit store. 

Pokémon Go
While we don't advocate the extended use of phones and screens, Pokémon Go gets kids outside running around and getting outside the house. It's free to download, but the app does use data and there are in-app purchases - de-link your credit card and set a PIN to avoid nasty bills.

Wellington is spoiled for choice when it comes to animal experiences. Annual passes for Zealandia, Staglands and Wellington Zoo make it less expensive if the kids can commit to going more than twice a year.

Zealandia
The world’s first fully-fenced urban ecosanctuary, its massive 225 hectare (500+ acre) area is home to some of New Zealand's most rare and extraordinary wildlife - all thriving wild in a world-first protected sanctuary. Kids love roaming around, and there is plenty to see in the self-guided walks.
The entry prices are $21 (Adults) and $10 (Children, up to 17 years of age), but an annual pass for $99 covers two adults and three children. This means it pays for itself after two visits within 12 months. 

Staglands
Staglands is a Tripadvisor favourite, with hundreds of animals waiting to be fed and discovered. 
Adults and kids cost $24/$12 respectively, but the annual passes pay for themselves after three visits. Their cost is $66 for adults, $33 for kids, or $200 for a family pass (2 adults/3 kids). Best of all Staglands lets you 'upgrade' day tickets to annual passes so you can try before you buy an annual pass.  

Wellington Zoo
Lions, monkeys, meerkats - what's not to like? Pricing is around $12 for kids, but you can get an annual pass for $39, which means it pays for itself after three visits within 12 months. An annual family pass costs $259 (2 adults, 3 kids).

Craft with purpose using our list below - top tips include volunteering for the SPCA by crafting (great for the CV) and letting the kids go crazy with the comic book albums.

Make Crafts for the SPCA
The SPCA always needs toys and play items for cats and dogs awaiting new homes. Their list of suggested items has instructions on how to make them. Any kids aged 16 or over can also volunteer their time to work at the SPCA. 

Buy a Craft kit
Spotlight, Kmart and The Warehouse all sell dozens of craft kits, starting from around $5. Hours of fun assured. 

Create a Photo Comic Book Album for Free
This nifty tool puts your kids in control of creating a quirky, personalised photo album from your existing photos, or encourages them to take more and put it all together.

Make a box village
Always reliable; you can get boxes from supermarkets and liquor shops - kids love putting together a mini city. Best of all, you can fold the boxes away for re-use. 

Paint stones and rocks
This video guide makes it easy, with minimum craft supplies required. Will entertain kids for hours.

Avoid the howls of 'I'm booooooooorrreeddd' with this list of 10 popular quick-win activities, with something for children of all ages.  

1. Use Youtube to learn a card game, magic trick or origami
2. ​Fly a kite...or build one with paper and balsa wood
3. Build an indoor fort with sofas and some bed sheets
4. Play frisbee
5. Complete a jigsaw
6. Get into papier-mâché
7. Make a batch of homemade play dough
8. Create a time capsule and bury it in the garden
9. Get the kids to plan and host a movie night; design tickets, make popcorn and set the room up
10. Have a spring clean of things you don't need (and give them away, or sell them using our Trade Me tips)

Bonus - our list of kids eat free restaurants in Wellington can make an excellent reward for good behaviour.

Much more fun than watching TV and a lot less emotional than a game of Monopoly, competitions are a great way to get the kids to develop their creativity. Our suggestions include:

1. Play Spot and Find - this popular Youtube channel has hundreds of videos challenging views to name the odd one out, spot hidden items and makes for a perfect hour or so if it's wet outside.
2. Have a Stacking Cups Competition - paper cups are cheap and don't go to waste - building a 'house of cups' is going to entertain the kids for a while.
3. Sandcastle Competition - if you have a sandpit or head to the beach, this makes for a perfect couple of hours.
4. ​Get the Kids to Design their own Treasure Hunt with Clues - it takes a bit of time, but if you encourage them each to create a 5 to 10 step treasure hunt, the results will be worth it. For example, the first clue can be "Clothes like me" which can lead to the (less-obvious) washing machine, where the next clue is waiting. And so on...
5. ​Have a Picture-Taking Contest - give the kids a phone and challenge them to take interesting photos around the home, or on a day out.

Wellington puts on a number of school holiday programs, with something for kids of all ages and interests.

Wellington City Council
This excellent listing details the WCC's school holiday programmes and activities at their sport and recreation centres, botanic gardens and pools, primarily aimed at children 5 to 12 with day prices ranging from $35 to around $45. Locations include:

• ASB Sports Centre
• Tawa Recreation Centre
• Nairnville Recreation Centre
• Karori Recreation Centre

Wellington Zoo
Offering full-day activities for around $69, themes range from vet visits, Zoo Keeper apprenticeships, puzzle hunts and educational workshops. 

Wellington SPCA
Aimed at kids between 6 and 16, the SPCA program offers a huge variety of animal workshops and events, including learning about pets in a 'fun, hands-on and safe environment'. Programs run throughout the holidays from 8am to 5pm, and cost around $40 to $60 per day.  

Artrageous Kids
Artrageous Kids focuses on 'extending children's creativity through many different medias', providing new activities every day from 8:30am to around 3pm (around $69) with an after-care option. 

Wellington Indoor Riding School
Designed for kids of all ages and experience, the school holiday program offers horse riding lesson every day, stable management theory and practice every day, off-road trekking and gymkhana games or riding competitions. Costs are between $115 and $135 a day.

YMCA
The reliable YMCA offers holiday programs in Belmont, Upper Hutt, Raroa, Silverstream, Khandallah, Titahi Bay and Mt Cook. Prices range from $36 to $65 per day and include Lego days, swimming, outdoor games and visits to popular attractions. 

Circus Hub
Offering circus skills in a workshop environment, kids learn tumbling, balancing skills, aerials, and juggling, and include fun creative activities and lots of games. Sessions run from 9am until 3pm each day, and cost $60 per session.

The Rock Academy
Musical kids, specifically singers, guitarists, bass, keyboard and ukulele players, up to the age of 16, the program involves learning pop and rock songs, songwriting and going busking every day. Sessions run over three days, and the cost is $195 for 3 days (early bird and sibling discount available). 

Cricket Wellington
Workshops for all levels, each session is run by a Cricket Wellington qualified coach and is recommended for children between 6-9 (beginner) and 10-12 (intermediate). Kids learn basic cricket skills using drills developed by New Zealand Cricket, while having lots of fun. Based at the Westpac Stadium, it's mornings-only (9am to 12pm) and costs $200 for a four-day program.

Alliance Française Wellington
Children are immersed in the French language through cooking, arts and crafts activities designed to educate and entertain, supervised by French teachers. The two programs include:

• Children's French Holiday Programme (5 to 10 years old)
• Special French Holiday Programme (10 to 14 years old)

The programmes run from 9:00am to 3:00pm and cost $50 per day.

Log on to ​Eventfinda
Eventfinda's Wellington activity listings are worth checking out, with plenty of fun runs, low-priced sporting tickets and activities for the kids. 

Baking and school holidays are synonymous, and our list of three recipes below are very popular. Pro tip - make sure you get the kids to agree to do the dishes after - things can get messy!

New Zealand Baking Classics
Baking is guaranteed to fill a morning and popular recipes for kids, which conveniently don't require many ingredients, include:

1. Banana Muffins - highly rated among Kiwi parents 
2. Anzac Biscuits - now with pumpkin and sunflower seeds
3. Nutty Banana Loaf With Cream Cheese Icing 

MasterChef Pizza Competition
Depending on the age, a pizza-making competition is a great idea to use up some stuff in the fridge and keep the kids entertained. You can award the winner with a blind test. Avoid store-bought pizza bases and get inspiration from Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe as well. ​