15 Things to Do with Your Kids before they Go Back to School

How time flies! Just a few weeks left before your kids return to school. As much as you may heave a sigh of relief, you must also understand that vacation time is very important for family bonding and for helping your children realize the creative potential in them. The memories they make during this time of their lives, will stay with them for life and so you must help them make the best of this time. If you haven’t been doing this for them, it’s a great time of the year to start. So, here I am with the 20 things to do in Ireland before your kids go back to school.

1. Tiny Tots Tuesday with EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum

August 13, 2019, EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, The "CHQ", Custom House Quay, Dublin

EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum offers a great range of family activities and art workshops to help your budding artists break out of their shell. This August, it brings the Tiny Tots Tuesday for your little one. In collaboration with Gaiety School of Acting, this one is a sensational Summer-themed Parent and Toddler Theatre class.

An hour long workshop is led by a seasoned theatre actor, and takes your tiny tot on an EPIC adventure, from the deep depths of our imagination to the realms of impossibility and adventure. It combines elements of storytelling, books and art. It’s a fun space for parents and children to engage, bond, and experiment with drama and performance in a safe and supportive atmosphere.

It is ideal for children aged 18 months to 3 years, who must be accompanied by a parent/guardian at all times during the event.

2. Heritage Week Children's Monk

Saturdays, August 17 and August 24 at 11.00 am, Christ Church Cathedral, Christchurch Place, Dublin

Wish to introduce your child to the charm and rigour of the medieval Christian era? Come and join the Heritage Week Children's Monk Tour at Christ Church Cathedral. A fun dress-up monk tour is awaiting your children this August to teach them all about life as a medieval monk at Christ Church. This event is ideal for children aged between 6 to 12 years.

3. Meet the Fairies and Elves at Brigit’s Garden

Aug 18, 2019 at 12:30 PM, Brigit's Garden, Pollagh, Rosscahill, Galway

If your kids get enthralled by fairy tales, Brigit’s Garden has a gamut of activities on the Elves and Fairies Day, something that’ll make their hearts glad. The Fairy Queen and Elf King are on their way to Brigit's Garden inviting all fairies and elves, young or old, to join them for a day of fairy magic and fun.

4. Discover Your Wild Side at Birr Castle Gardens & Science Centre

Tuesday, August 21, 2019, 10am to 7pm, Birr Castle Gardens & Science Centre

Rosse Row, Birr, Offaly

Birr Castle are asking for wild children everywhere to join them to show their ‘wild side’ and reconnect with nature in the great outdoors. There will be discovery sessions, creative art, fun with butterfly nets and pond dipping nets, and a chance to learn more about all the animals that live around us.

5. Summer Camp at the Dublin Zoo

August 24-25, 2019, Dublin Zoo, Phoenix Park, Dublin

This summer, teach your kids to care for the environment. This Dublin Zoo Summer Camp is being organized in collaboration with their sustainability partner SSE Airtricity to bring you a fun family event. It is all about how you can help the environment. Become a part of Generation Green and learn how to make small, everyday changes that will create a more sustainable Ireland for everyone.

6. Heritage Visits at Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park

Monday – Sunday 10am – 6pm (last admission is 4.30pm) March 16, 2019 every day until September 29, 2019, Lullymore Heritage Park, Lullymore, Kildare

Take a Heritage walk into the Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park for unique rural scenic location and its state-of-the-art play areas make for a refreshing and safe place for families to enjoy a day out together. One of the top family attractions in Ireland is waiting for you!

7. A Day Out at Strokestown Park

Spring/Summer - 17 March to 31 October

Opening hours: 10:30am - 5:30pm

House Tours at 12:00pm, 2:30pm & 4.00pm

Strokestown Park House Strokestown, Roscommon

Strokestown Park is open to the public throughout the summer months. You can enjoy a fun family day out at Strokestown Park and learn more about the history of Ireland.

The good news is that any time between March and October, you will find something to do at Strokestown Park. There’s a spectrum of cultural events for all ages and interests that take place throughout the season including garden, craft, seasonal, and family events, evening concerts and seminars.

Zoom Adventure Play, Charlesland Sports And Recreation Park, Greystones, Wicklow

8. A Rush of Excitement in Zoom Adventure Play

Monday - Saturday from 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sundays from 11:00am - 6:00pm

Bank Holidays 12noon - 6:00pm

Last admission 5:00pm

Zoom Adventure Play, Charlesland Sports And Recreation Park, Greystones, Wicklow

Infuse a rush of excitement in your kids at Zoom Adventure Play, an extreme maze of tunnels, spiral slides and obstacle courses. Discover four levels of play and excitement, starting way down low to way up high. There’s four lane Astra slide, double helix slide, ball cannons, separate toddler's area, and brilliant birthday parties.

And, for the grown-ups, there is spacious soft seating great food, all freshly prepared and Java republic coffee, tasty treats, all made in the in-house kitchen, free wifi, easy access, and free parking.

9. A Night Out on the Ghostbus Tour

Monday to Friday 9:00 - 5:00 PM

Saturday and Sunday 9:00 - 2:00 PM

Starts at Dublin Bus Headquarters at 59 Upper O'Connell Street, Dublin

Well, if your family has a taste for the horror, we recommend that you take a night out on the Ghostbus Tour. Step inside the world’s first and original Ghostbus and be transported into a world of ghostly happenings, comedy horror, and terrifying histories. It is a rather different way to treat your kids before they go back to school. They surely will have some impressive stories to tell.

10. Chocolate Workshops at The Chocolate Warehouse

Monday to Friday 11am & 2pm, Mulcahy Keane Industrial Estate, Greenhills Road, Walkinstown, Dublin

Kids love chocolate, that’s for sure! And if yours have a keen interest in the culinary skill of making chocolate and decorating with it, the 2-hour workshop at The Chocolate Warehouse is for them. Your kids are going to love this workshop, which includes the history of chocolate and watching a demonstration of making chocolate and Easter eggs. They also get to make chocolate decorations and take home the chocolate they decorate.

And, there’s July & August Special Offer to avail at only €10.00 per person.

11. Summer Fun at Irish National Stud and Gardens

Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday throughout the months of July and August 12-4, 2019

Irish National Stud & Gardens, Tully, Kildare

This time, meet the Living Legends team, take the fairy trail route through St Fiachras Garden or walk along the stepping stones in the Japanese Gardens for hours of outdoor fun at Irish National Stud and Gardens. This is also a lovely time to meet some of the frolicking foals in their paddock.

Go for a day out and enjoy the most out of it. The cafe serves seasonal recipes along with the usual cakes and treats and of course, not to forget, the ice cream.

Summer Fun at Irish National Stud and Gardens

12. Summer Labs at Cool Planet Experience

Every Thurs-sat in July & August, Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, Wicklow

FIZZ, POP, BANG! Their summer lab is OPEN with the Summer Labs at Cool Planet Experience. They will be running a range of workshops for all ages including the gooey Slime Lab, the explosive Stomp-Rocket workshops, and much more. So much fun and a great way to keep your little scientists entertained for the summer holidays.

Ready for some memorable fam time before your kids return to school? Be sure to try at least one of them, and let me know how many you tried and how you liked it.

13. Golf with a Twist at Rainforest Adventure Golf

Mon-Sun 10am–11pm, Unit 3, Dundrum South, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin

This is golf with the feel of a jungle at the Rainforest Adventure Club. There are two indoors, fully air conditioned mini-golf courses, a cafe and a mini arcade suitable for all types of visitors. Your kids will get to walk through a rather real-like jungle environment and experience mysterious voices and more as they golf.

Plus: The venue is suitable for all ages and skill levels, and is fully wheelchair accessible.

Golf with a Twist at Rainforest Adventure Golf

14. Summer Fun at Irish National Stud and Gardens

Tuesday, Friday and Sunday, Irish National Stud & Gardens, Tully, Kildare

Irish National Stud and Gardens offer an unforgettable experience in 800 acres of beautiful Kildare countryside, that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family, with some of the most magnificent horses and sumptuous gardens to be found anywhere in the world, including the beautiful Japanese Gardens and St Fiachra’s Garden. It is located just off the M7 motorway and only 30 minutes by car from Dublin and the M50.

15. Fun and Learn at the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium

Open 10 AM - 7 PM, Dingle Oceanworld, The Wood, Kerry

Let your kids experience this enchanting underwater world and learn the wonders of the ocean. Located in Dingle, County Kerry, Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium is Ireland’s largest aquarium, which hosts a collection of magnificent Sand Tiger Sharks, Gentoo Penguins, and Asian Short-Clawed Otters, including an abundance of different fish species. It is a great place for a family visit any given day.

Fun and Learn at the Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium