If the school holidays have you fearing those dreaded words, ‘I’m bored!’ but you know you don’t have cash to spare, never fear – a quick Credit Simple brainstorm is all you need.

Check out our top 5 tips to help you survive – and thrive – during these school holidays, with your budget and savings well and truly intact.

1. Get out and about – for free
Whether you’re planning a vacation or a staycation, the school holidays are the perfect time to get out and enjoy heaps of free and low-cost activities on offer. From kid-friendly museums and galleries, to parks, adventure playgrounds, libraries, national parks and even that ol’ favourite, the beach, you could easily fill a whole day (and ensure the kids are well and truly tuckered out) for the cost of a car trip or a bus ride and your byo sandwiches.

2. Try backyard camping
An old-school family holiday might not be in the budget this month, but there’s no reason you can’t drag the camping gear out of the garage, or borrow some from a mate, and have your own backyard camping adventure. This idea is perfect if you small kids who might not be used to being away from home – their beds are just metres away. There’s no stressful car ride required, and it’s a risk-free option that won’t be spoiled by bad weather.

3. Enjoy a crafternoon at home
This trendy pastime (a combo of the words ‘craft’ and ‘afternoon’) is not just for pinterest-obsessed twenty-somethings – in fact, it’s beyond kid-friendly. Especially if the arvo looks gloomy, a bit of craft can go down a treat with the young and young at heart. The best bit? There’s not much skills and very little money involved. Crafternoons can include painting, drawing, origami, The only limit is your imagination – google ‘crafternoon’ and you’ll see what I mean.

4. Have a movie marathon
Find me one kid that doesn’t love to veg out in front of their favourite movie or binge their fave tv show with a bowl of freshly-popped popcorn on the coffee table. Whether you fire up those streaming services or crack out the DVDs, each kid can pick their favourite movie or show for some much needed family chill time. If it all goes well, why not make it a regular event?

5. Go bush
Tramping is a brilliant way to explore the natural world on a budget. Just grab the sunscreen, insect repellent and plenty of water, load up the car with the bits ‘n bobs you need for a BBQ or picnic, and hit the road for an awesome family day out. Pro tip: make sure you let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to be back.

Hopefully these 5 cheap school holiday activity ideas get you thinking of even more fun, free ideas to keep the kids occupied.