The Best Things to do With Tweens in Sydney

We’ve always loved giving you the best ideas for things to do with little kids in Sydney, but something always inevitably ends up happening to those little kids. They grow up.

The tween years are somewhere between not being a child, but not quite being a teenager either, and it’s the perfect time to reconnect with your maturing offspring before the real teen years take hold. Here’s some inspiration for fun things to do with your tween - while they still want to...

The Best Things to do With Tweens in Sydney

1. Hitch A Ride At Luna Park

 

Luna Park is a red-hot favourite with tweens. They’ve finally (hopefully) earnt their yellow wristband and can get their adrenalin pumping. From the giant slides in Coney Island to the free-falling Hair Raiser to the unparalleled views from the Ferris Wheel, they will have the time of their young lives with an Unlimited Rides Pass.

2. Spend a Day at House of WOW

House of WOW has so much to occupy tweens! A haven for thrill-seekers and fun lovers, tweens will love stepping inside to discover a world of exhilarating entertainment. From bowling in the cutting-edge Hyper Strike alley to challenging your climbing skills on our Turbo Climb wall, or immersing yourself in the thrills of Arcade Alley, this really is the perfect one-stop-shop for tweens activities in Sydney.

3. Head to the Art Gallery of NSW

Perfect for eager tweens, kids can dive into a world of boundless creativity at the Art Gallery of New South Wales! Here, you can enjoy exclusive, free roving art-making tours for kids or find a quiet spot in the Ashley Dawson-Damer Children's Art Library where they can relax and enjoy a collection books about art and artists. 

Guided by a dynamic team of volunteers, these tours blend exploration, education, and artistic expression. Discover captivating exhibitions, learn the stories behind intriguing artworks, and unleash your inner artist with engaging activities.

Perfect for the whole family, this lively adventure at the Art Gallery of New South Wales promises to inspire and ignite your imagination. 

4. Raid An Arcade

 

The lure of the lights, the challenge of the claw machine, tickets spewing out of manic machines. Irresistible right? Tweens love these crazy amusement centres and they are having a revival, with cool places popping up all over town. These retro and revamped game arcades will keep tweens entertained for hours, and might even make grown-ups a little nostalgic. At Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq you can splurge on a crazy shake in the diner while kids rack up time on dodgem cars, carousels, bowling, arcade games and prizes! TimeZone is a classic family-friendly funhouse with locations all over Sydney with all the latest attractions.

5. Be A Tourist For A Day

Get that holiday feeling in your own backyard and go day-tripping around our fabulous city. With a load of tours across Sydney, you can act like a tourist and take in some of our celebrated sites. Free Tours Sydney and I’m Free Tours offer walking tours for nix (they survive on tips!) with passionate local guides. Cover more ground with a sightseeing bus tour on the Big Bus. You can hop on and off all day exploring places you might not have seen before. If you prefer to freestyle it, you can hire an awesome electric bike from Bonza Bike Tours and choose your own adventure with hot tips from the experts.

6. Take A Ghost Tour - If You Dare

Show your Hallotweens a frightfully good time with a spine-tingling ghost tour. The heritage-listed Q Station is a beautiful site right on the harbour in Manly. But beware - it comes alive after dark when resident spooky spirits come out to play. The Ghost Trackers Family Tour has just the right fear factor for tweens. Cockatoo Island also has a Dark Past Tour for families that uncovers the skeletons and secrets of this historic goal, and you can go right to the epicentre of Sydney’s spirited past with a Ghost Tour in The Rocks. 

7. Camp Out Overnight

Grab your tween, your overnight bag and your sense of adventure for a very mini break right in the centre of Sydney! A night away from the norm is a fun way to recharge the batteries and spend some quality time with your kids without the usual humdrum. Centennial Park runs Camping With Kids 101 several times a year, including dinner and breakfast, park tours and stories around the campfire. If you want to go the extra nautical mile, jump on a ferry to Cockatoo Island and spend the night in their waterfront campsite on the edge of Sydney Harbour. With five options from basic camping to lux glamping, you can explore this amazing historical site, have a sunset barbecue and fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves. Ahh… the serenity.

8. Get Your Skate On

If they've sidelined their scooter and want more buzz than a bike ride, grab your tween and scope out one of Sydney’s epic skateparks. If they’re not ready to plunge into the pipe themselves, there are always inspiring skaters showing off their skills. The Bondi Beach skate bowl is a favourite for kids of all ages where there’s plenty of space to practice their tricks at the skate park and on the promenade. There are skate parks dotted all over Sydney including Maroubra, Sydenham, Summer Hill, Waterloo, Five Dock and Cherrybrook, Sydney Park and Rushcutters Bay.

9. Putt Your Stuff at Mini Golf 

For years, putt-putt golf has been a go-to family bonding experience that challenges gross motor skills, concentration, and geometry. You can take your pick between traditional mini-golf centres, such as Thornleigh Mini Golf, where you'll wind your way through rivers, across bridges, past ponds and waterfalls, or the new, trendy mini-golf bars like Holey Moley that offers pop culture-themed putt-putt alongside beer and cocktails for the adults. No matter where you choose to go, you're guaranteed to have a great time! Check out our guide to the Best Places To Play Putt-Putt Golf around Sydney.

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