As my two gorgeous little girls grow older, I have to seek out new, more age appropriate entertainment and activities for them. Of course, I’m still money conscious since a family outing for four ends up costing loads once entry fees(where applicable), food and other little expenses crop up. So here is my current list of activities that I find suit my energetic 4.5-year-old and my currently tantrumic 2-year-old:
Pretoria with kids
Gautrain ride
Isobel loves trains so a recent birthday trip on the Gautrain made her day! We left from the Hatfield station and stopped at the Centurion station before returning to Hatfield on the train but you can tailor-make your trip depending on the age of your child and your budget. If the girls were older I would have also taken them on the Gautrain bus but I’ll save that for later this year. Aishwari was in her stroller so we didn’t have to get her a Gautrain Gold Card, but we did pay for Isobel and ourselves. Just a note, remember there is no eating or drinking on the train or at the stations.
Zita Park
Go for a drive
You may not want to be outside playing on a very cold winter’s day but you don’t have to stay cooped up inside. Get into your car and go for a drive. I know petrol costs a lot these days but we’ve driven to the McD’s down the road for a quick outing and treat of an ice cream and the girls loved it. We’ve also taken drives across town to the Wonderboom Airport where we can look at the airplanes parked off.
Safari Garden Centre
Always fun walking around and looking at the water features, plants, animals and having a quick meal there. My girls also love herbs so it’s nice to show them what fresh herbs look like and how they grow.
19th Hole Putt-putt
We haven’t been here yet but I’m certain that it will work well as an outing because the entry isn’t expensive and the girls will have a chance to run around without us grown-ups worrying that they are disturbing anyone as it’s a venue geared towards children. They also have a mini-town, jungle gym and waffles!
Food Lover’s Market
Sounds a bit silly but it’s really a great little outing for our family and kills two birds with one stone as we get to entertain the kids a bit whilst doing a bit of shopping. Each parent grabs a trolley and takes charge of one child. My children are big helpers in the kitchen and me or hubby often end up playing sous chef to Isobel’s cooking/baking efforts so they love to see the fish and breads and sushi-making and we almost always end the little shopping expedition with some yummy freshly baked pizza! (p.s. I do not have shares in the company lol)
We still have our firm favourites which I’ve mentioned in older posts but let me list them again for those who would like to know:
This article was originally written for Jozikids by Sholain Govender- Bateman in 2013.
Note: If you enjoyed this article, and would like to stay updated with more, you can:
- Subscribe to our free weekly Jozikids newsletter for parents in Gauteng
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
2 Responses
Lovely. Thanks Sholain.
Thank you ♥.