Want to add an extra bit of fun to holidays throughout the year? Printable activities are a brilliant way to get the kiddos involved and make celebrations feel extra special. They’re a budget-friendly way to keep little hands busy, plus you can put a unique Kiwi spin on those decorations and games!

Let’s get creative and celebrate all our favourite holidays with a touch of homemade magic. No need to spend a fortune – just print and play!

Seasonal Printables for a Kiwi Twist

Summer Holidays

Ah, summer holidays – a time for beaches, barbecues, and (let’s be honest) the inevitable fight over who gets the last pavlova! It’s also the perfect opportunity to get crafty with the kids and add a touch of Kiwi magic to Christmas and summer celebrations.

• Christmas Decorations: Remember making paper chains at school? You can find loads of fab printable templates online for chains, origami ornaments, and even festive placemats to brighten up the Christmas table. Last year, we printed some lovely pohutukawa flower designs the kids coloured in to make a chain!

• Gift Wrap & Tags: We always try to have one homemade decoration on the tree each year – it’s such a lovely tradition! Last year, I wanted to go a little further with that idea. Always being a sucker for personalised touches, I finally came across a  fantastic online course that showed me how to design my own wrapping paper! We ended up printing some lovely pohutukawa flower designs to add a unique Kiwi touch to our decorations.

• Summer Fun: I always have a stash of printable colouring sheets on hand for those moments when the park is just too hot, or the beach sand gets everywhere. This year, I’m on the hunt for some iconic Kiwi summer scenes – imagine the kiddos colouring in a picture of a beautiful pohutukawa tree in full bloom, or a family enjoying a BBQ on the beach! It’s a great way to keep them entertained while subtly reminding them of all the amazing things about a Kiwi summer.

Easter

Easter can be a bit of a mixed bag with the weather, can’t it? That’s why I always make sure we’ve got rainy-day Easter activities ready alongside outdoor plans. Printable activities are perfect for that!

• Easter Egg Decorating: Forget plain old dyes! Printable templates are brilliant for creating unique egg designs. You can find patterns inspired by Maori art, cute native birds, or even fun beachy scenes.

• Easter Baskets: Line those Easter baskets with some personalised touches! I try to find some printable labels with Easter greetings in te reo Māori – a lovely way to celebrate our unique culture.

• Activity Sheets Let’s not forget the Easter Egg Hunt! Instead of clues about sweets, have your printable sheet guide the kids around the garden with names of native birds or plants. It’s a sneaky way to get them learning while they hunt for treats!

Halloween

Okay, I’ll admit it – I get sucked into the Halloween hype just as much as the kids do! It’s a great excuse for a bit of silly fun, and printables are the perfect way to put our own Kiwi stamp on those spooky celebrations.

• Spooky Decorations: Forget those generic ghosts and pumpkins! Search for templates with cheeky keas, glow worms in caves, or even a printable lantern shaped like a taniwha for a unique touch.

• Costume Accessories: Upgrade those store-bought costumes with printable extras! Think printable bat wings for a native pekapeka (bat) twist, masks featuring friendly Kiwi birds, or witch hats adorned with printable ferns.

• Trick-or-Treat Toppers: Ditch those boring stickers on your treats this year! Instead, pop a printable Halloween greeting in te reo Māori (“Mihi”) on each bag of goodies for a fun and educational touch.

Other Holidays

The fun doesn’t have to stop there! Here are a few quick ideas for those special days throughout the year:

• Valentine’s Day: Ditch those generic cards and create your own! Print out some blank heart templates with space for drawings, or try your hand at designing sweet bookmarks with native flower patterns.

• Waitangi Day: This is a brilliant opportunity to learn and celebrate together. Look for printable colouring pages depicting the signing of the Treaty, or flags and emblems with Maori designs. You could even put together a quiz with printable flag cards.

• ANZAC Day: Simple printables with poppies or rosemary sprigs can be turned into beautiful symbols of remembrance. You might also find some colouring pages with scenes that tell the story of ANZAC soldiers.

Additional Tips

Printables are a fantastic starting point, but they can spark so much more with a little imagination! Sometimes, the best projects happen when you start with a printable and let the kiddos take it further. Here are a few ideas to get those creative juices flowing…

• Up-cycling Printables: Don’t throw out those colouring pages or extra bits and bobs! Use them to decorate gift wrapping, create homemade cards, or even make simple ornaments– it’s a great way to cut down on waste.

• Resources: Creative Fabrica is my go-to for free and affordable printable downloads. They have a huge selection of designs with a Kiwi touch and even templates perfect for major holidays!

• Personalization: Creative Fabrica Studio makes it easy to tweak colours, add family photos to ornaments, or even include phrases in te reo Māori. It’s a fantastic tool to make those printables truly unique.

Conclusion

Holidays are all about making memories, aren’t they? Adding a bit of homemade magic makes them even more special for the little ones. Printables are a brilliant way to get everyone involved and add a unique Kiwi twist to those celebrations. Whether you’re decking out the house for Christmas, planning an Easter egg hunt, or getting a bit spooky for Halloween, a few printables make it all feel extra special.

So, why not give it a try? Find some fun printables, grab those colouring pencils, and let your imaginations run wild!

And hey, don’t forget to share your amazing creations on social media! Let’s inspire each other with all those fabulous Kiwi holiday ideas.