Things to Do in Sydney: Toddlers to Teens Guide

The Sydney theme park sits along the edge of the harbour making it easy to access by ferry. It has been a favourite among locals and visitors alike since it opened in 1935. Step back in time and visit the Hyde Park Barracks, a World Heritage site listed by UNESCO. We didn’t have time to do this when we were in Sydney with kids, but we did spend some time at the Opera Bar, watching the sun lowering over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and enjoying a drink and a snack.
The Art Gallery of NSW houses an impressive array of colonial, modern and contemporary Australian art, as well as international works and touring exhibitions. Here you can explore interactive educational exhibits about astronomy, look through telescopes, witness star best indoor activities sydney shows and more. If you’re only in Sydney for a short time and want to see some native animals, this is a good option. You may find various types of native Australian animals here in the 10 interactive zones, including koalas, Tasmanian devils, platypus, wombats and kangaroos.

Putt Planet brings the city streets of Mombasa to Miranda with 18 holes of themed fun. Though the course is relatively challenging, it’s suitable for all ages. There’s a dedicated function room for parties and café that’ll cater events or serve up snacks once your tournament is won. And it’s all enclosed;  wet weather will never ruin the green or your day out. Compare Sydney's best birthday party venues, check availability, and send enquiries to multiple places with one form. If you’ve worked through the main attractions and still want more, here are some brilliant extras to round out your Sydney family adventure.
On the Northern Beaches, Little Beans Cafe in Brookvale is purpose-built for under-5s with a soft play zone, imaginative play kitchen, and a cafe menu that goes well beyond the standard party pies and chicken nuggets. Our birthday party venues guide covers the full range of options across Sydney, and our Party Planner tool lets you compare venues, check availability, and send enquiries to multiple places with one form. While there is no special children’s pool, older kids will enjoy this pool with a view, and it makes a nice diversion after a walk through the botanic gardens.

Plus there are indoor and outdoor sports activities galore and fun programs for kids over the school holidays. Luckily, our city is brimming with indoor playgrounds and kid-friendly museums – as well as craft workshops, leisure centres and active areas – so you can keep ’em busy 'til the rain, rain goes away. Get in front of thousands of local families searching for exactly what you offer. Sydney is genuinely one of the best cities in the world for free family activities, thanks to its climate, coastline, and investment in public spaces. Sydney's best play cafes include Nubo in Alexandria (the original and still the benchmark), The Cubby Cafe in Surry Hills, Little Beans Cafe in Brookvale, and Bear & the Bunny in Willoughby.
The Inner West has carved out a niche for creative, design-conscious play spaces. Nubo Alexandria is the poster child of this movement, with its Scandinavian-inspired aesthetic, natural materials, and focus on open-ended sensory play. It's not cheap at around $22 per child, but the experience is genuinely different from a traditional play centre.
There are also combination tickets for sale that can save you money if you plan to visit the attractions included. Almost every guidebook suggests a ferry ride on the harbour, and the Manly ferry is the longest and most popular on offer. The public ferry leaves every half on from Circular Quay and will set you back a little over $8. Sure, you can just drive over the bridge on your way to Wollongong for a day at the beach, but it’s well worth parking your car and doing the Sea Cliff Bridge walk.

Sail with a crew of passionate navigators, explore the natural beauty of the harbour and learn about its history. The Sydney Observatory is a great place to visit if your kids love astronomy and science. Also known as the Powerhouse Ultimo, this is a contemporary museum right in the city centre of Sydney with a focus on science, arts, innovation and design. It’s an amazing experience to take in the view from atop the bridge as you look out towards the Sydney Opera House and beyond. It’s here that you will find some of the most popular kids activities in Sydney, such as the SEALIFE Aquarium, Madame Tussauds and the Australian National Maritime Museum. If you are looking for things to do in Sydney, exploring Darling Harbour is hard to beat.
This is a big day out of the city, but it will give you a chance to explore suburban Sydney. Take the train to Cronulla and then the little Tom Thumb Ferry across Port Hacking to the tiny settlement at Bundeena on the edge of the Royal National Park. The catch with visiting these ships is that kids must be over 90cm tall. The average three-year-old probably fits this, but of course, all kids are different. Kids 8 years and over are welcome to climb, and the climb is well-paced, so most people won’t find it too challenging.

There are around-the-clock music videos screening during sessions and a brand-new compressor and dehumidifier to create optimum skating conditions at all times. Playground data includes information from © City of Sydney (CC-BY) and © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Vacation care quality ratings from ACECQA National Register (Australian Government).
The pressure to find the perfect venue, manage RSVPs, organise food, and keep 15 sugar-fuelled kids entertained for two hours is real. The good news is that Sydney has an enormous range of kids birthday party venues, and most of them take the hard work off your plate. The coastal walk from Bondi to Coogee is suitable for kids aged 5 and over.

We all know that going to the movies is a classic rainy day activity but going with kids can be challenging. Sitting still for two hours, endless toilet runs, not to mention it can be a little overwhelming when you're, well, little. Thankfully a lot of cinemas have mums and bubs sessions and Event Cinemas have Event Junior, a playground dedicated to keeping the wee ones happy and entertained when sitting still just ain't cutting it.
Using flying foxes, watch the kangaroos, koalas, and emus go about their day from your bird’s-eye view. Suitable for kids over three years, the younger riders will have two courses allowing them to view koalas and possums. The zoo has a bunch of free shows every day, but the two that are always a hit with younger kids are the farm walk and the pat a pet talk. I suggest you check the schedule the day before and plan your day around the talks you want to join. See the world’s largest collection of marine life at Sea life Sydney Aquarium including  the beautiful giants on Dugong island.
It is a great place if you want to visit Sydney during the school holidays. It has various types of family programs and workshops that make art fun for kids. Prices across Sydney's trampoline parks typically range from $20 to $30 for a standard one-hour session. Most venues require grip socks, which you can buy on-site for around $3 to $5 (or bring your own if you already have a pair). For toddlers, many parks offer dedicated “Tiny Tots” or “Mini Bounce” sessions on weekday mornings when the trampolines are reserved exclusively for under-5s. Check out our trampoline parks guide for detailed venue profiles and current pricing.