Winter school holidays sorted! Best things to do with kids in Johannesburg

The June school holidays are approaching. And parents know that running a tight holiday schedule leaves little room for bored little minds. 

Yep, from Friday, 26 June to Monday, 20 July, your kids will be your responsibility. That’s almost a WHOLE month of ensuring every small human in your household is occupied and fed.

Lucky for you, winter school holiday activities in Joburg are aplenty.

Meet me at the roller skating rink

• Saturday, 27 June - Sunday, 28 June, 9am - 4:30pm
• Venue: Greenstone Shopping Centre Modderfontein 
• Cost: From R100, bookings via Quicket

Billed as Joburg’s coolest pop-up rink, the Pop-Up Roller Rink at Greenstone Shopping Centre is a vibe. Now you don’t need an excuse to show off your moves. How else are your kids going to learn how to roller skate?

Hosted by Skate SA, the two-day event brings bright lights, feel-good beats and a community of skaters hankering for their nostalgic childhoods. Don’t stress if you’ve developed two left feet; skate marshals will be on hand to assist newbies and those reintroducing themselves to roller skates.

Get into the zone

• Saturday, 27 June - Saturday, 11 July, 11am - 4pm
• Venue: Rochester Court (Upper-level), Clearwater Mall, Roodepoort 
• Cost: From R50, bookings via Webtickets

Oh Happy Days! Has a fun ring to it, doesn’t it? Clearwater Mall is pulling out all the stops for the school holidays. The mall’s mini sports zone caters for the whole family with mini ten-pin, mini basketball hoops, giant noughts and crosses, and a board game corner.

The younger ones will have a ball of a time, while you get to take a breather. Maybe get some shopping done, and then you can see for yourself kyk wat doen ‘n blazer.

Visit Neverland

• Thursday, 18 June - Sunday, 26 July, 9am
• Venue: The Peoples Theatre at Joburg Theatre 
• Cost: R180, bookings via Webtickets

Peter Pan Jr. comes to The Peoples Theatre till the end of July. The timeless classic is produced as a spectacular stage show. 

Staying true to the original story, the adventure begins on a quiet night in the Darling nursery. When Peter Pan leaps through the window in search of his lost shadow, he finds more than he bargained for.

An outdoor adventure

• Monday, 29 June - Friday, 3 July, 9am - 1pm
• Venue: Johannesburg Zoo, Shop U 30 Keyes and Jan Smuts, Park Ave, Rosebank 
• Cost: R147 email lmokgawa@jhbcityparks.com for booking info

With each day offering new activities, Joburg Zoo’s holiday programme is a great way to introduce kids to wild animals, in a controlled environment, of course.

The zoo houses more than 320 species of animals and is open to the public 364 days a year, including Christmas, New Year’s and Easter holidays.

Fun fact: The original animal collection consisted of one lion, one leopard, one giraffe, two Sable antelope bulls, one baboon, one genet, one pair of Rhesus monkeys, one pair of porcupines and one Golden eagle. 

Make your own beauty products

• Saturday, 4 July, Wednesday, 8 July, Saturday, 11 July, and Wednesday, 14 July, 10:30am - 12:30pm
• Venue: The Cooking Studio, 31 Church Street, Olivedale, Randburg 
• Cost: From R350, bookings via Quicket

The Cosmetics Club Holiday Programme invites girls and boys from six to 18 to participate in a series of hands-on cosmetic-making workshops.

Kids will learn how to make their own beauty and self-care products in a fun, guided and interactive environment. Workshops include lip gloss and lip scrub making, bath bombs, soap making and body lotion creation. 

All materials will be provided, and each participant takes home the products they create during the session. 

Blue skies and rugby

• Saturday, 27 July - Wednesday, 1 July, 8am
• Venue: St David's Marist, Inanda, 36 Rivonia Rd, Sandown, Sandton 
• Cost: R50, bookings via Webtickets

Sixteen high schools. 10 prep schools from across South Africa. A visiting college from the UK. Welcome to the Independent Schools’ Rugby Festival.

St David’s Marist Inanda will host age groups participating in U13, U14, U15 tournaments. Participating college teams include St David’s Marist Inanda, CBC Boksburg, Clifton College, Cornwall Hill College, Kingswood College, and St John’s College.

The event will showcase schoolboy rugby talent from across the country, extending to an international visiting team from Eton College in the United Kingdom.

Hakuna Matata

• Friday, 3 July - Sunday, 19 July, 10:30am - 11:30am
• Venue: National Children’s Theatre, 3 Junction Avenue, Parktown 
• Cost: From R150, bookings via Quicket

Everyone’s favourite lion cub Simba returns to the National Children’s Theatre in Disney’s The Lion King JR. 

The magic of one of the world’s best-loved stories is brought to the stage with iconic songs and the joyful talent of 51 young performers aged seven to 13.

Now in its third season, this year’s production comes with some new surprises. Newly directed, choreographed, and entirely reimagined.