Calling all dino enthusiasts, dancers and budding artists, we’ve compiled Melbourne’s best free and low-cost kids’ activities for this September and beyond.

Spend a fun-filled day at Melbourne Museum

During the spring school holidays, Mosaic Monuments invites children to reawaken the “ruins” of ancient Rome – free-standing columns erected in the museum foyer – by adding colourful, mosaic-inspired designs to their surfaces. Entry is free for children 16 years and under.

In Creative Lab: Rise of the Gladiators, 30-minute workshops most suitable for children 12 years and under teach them how to design and build their own gladiator mask. Along the way, they’ll learn about different gladiator styles and Roman helmets, and absorb how ancient combat combined identity, theatre and self-preservation. Tickets are $12 each.

Beyond the school holidays, Tiny Tours: Rainforest to Reef takes little explorers on a guided tour every Tuesday that journeys from the tallest trees to the deepest seas – entry is $22. Free Dino Day every Wednesday is designed for dino enthusiasts aged between three and five. Suitable for children up to five years old, the free-to-enter Children’s Gallery combines hands-on education with open-ended, play-based learning to nurture the imaginations of budding palaeontologists, botanists, curators and dancers.

Experience the world afresh at Scienceworks

Lights, Colour, Action! is a fun and interactive live science school holidays show at Scienceworks that decodes the amazing world of light and explores what happens when colours mix, bend and bounce. The immersive, interactive Colour exhibition is on until January, and investigates how colour shapes the way we see and understand the world. Both are for children aged between five and 14.

For older kids, the new permanent exhibition Beyond Perception demystifies the forces that govern our lives, from gravitational waves and invisible light to sound and aerodynamics. Developed in consultation with scientists, acoustic engineers and teenagers themselves, Beyond Perception reveals the hidden worlds around us and makes the imperceptible perceptible.

Partake in Fed Square’s sustainability festival

Fed Square’s free sustainability festival RESET returns in 2026 with plenty of activities designed for children. Discover local bird species at Birds in the Big City or pick up a map and walk along Fed Square’s Nature Trail to learn all about the critters and creatures we share space with. Refresh your toy box while reusing and reducing waste at the Big Toy Swap, hosted by children’s performer dirtgirl along with Australia’s favourite environmental educator, Costa Georgiadis.

From September 28 to October 2, families can enter a forest of towering cardboard trees in The Edge and use paper, tape and their imaginations to build new creatures, costumes, stories and environments to celebrate 15 years since Polyglot Theatre’s child-led, internationally renowned experience Paper Planet was commissioned by and premiered at Fed Square.

The Outdoor Cinema program will screen a run of nature, kid-friendly adventure classics: Flipper on September 30, Free Willy on October 1 and Fly Away Home on October 2.

Indulge in family-friendly fun at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival

Kicking off the festival on October 17 is the all-ages bonanza Free Jazz at Fed Square. Children will be delighted by New Orleans legends Rebirth Brass Band’s funk-fuelled brass explosion and New Yorker BIGYUKI’s futuristic blend of jazz, hip-hop, soul and electronic music.

Across three days at the end of October, children between the ages of two and seven can let their imaginations run rampant at Inside Out: Jump, Jive, Jazz. Soundtracked by live professional jazz musicians, children are encouraged to assemble jazz-inspired artworks and create their own melodies using ribbon and rope. Free, no bookings required.

On October 24, Crown Street Stables in Flemington comes alive with jazz, improvisation and sonic exploration, as will Prahran Square with jazz, soul and Afrobeats – prepare a picnic and settle in with your little ones to enjoy a free afternoon of music and discovery. If you like your jazz backdropped by a historic food destination, Prahran Market will be party to two lively days of free jazz, soul and R&B on the same weekend.

Bake a pretzel to commemorate German Week

Pretzel-making is a tactile culinary tradition that dates back to early medieval Europe, but for one day only, on October 24, it’s coming to Froebel Parkville, an early learning centre that specialises in early STEM exploration and play-based learning. As part of German Week, children aged between two and five will learn how to make pretzels under the tutelage of Chef Carla. The rich sensory experience of rolling, twisting and wielding dough into looped knots is thought to support early numeracy and comprehension skills as children measure, count and follow step-by-step instructions. Free, bookings required.

Immerse yourself in children’s live art at Melbourne Fringe Festival

Melbourne’s largest showcase of experimental, transgressive and illuminating art isn’t limited to adults. A free, interactive exhibition designed for children up to five years old, Obang invites participants into a house inspired by Korean traditions where they’ll immerse themselves in the rhythm of daily life in a multi-sensory environment. No bookings required.

For children in the next age bracket of five to nine years old, Notes of Self is a choreographed exercise that invites young audiences into displays of spontaneity within the age-old tradition of expressionist dance. Tickets are $25.

Children of the same age are welcomed to the come-and-go-as-you-like, two-hour session Imaginations Aglow, a playful world of imagination, creativity and connection co-curated by artists from Melbourne and Jeonju, South Korea. Free, no bookings required.

Become one with illusion-based art at ArtVo

Self-guided “trick art gallery” ArtVo is designed for those among us who feel compelled to touch and interact with artworks in a gallery and photograph oneself with an exhibit. Who is more suited to it than children? ArtVo stretches across a variety of different zones spread over 1400 square metres, allowing children to come face to face with larger-than-life 3D installations and expansive displays of trick art. Entry is free for children up to four years old, with tickets costing $25 for children older than that.

Decorate your own skateboard

Use stencils, spray cans and Sharpies to paint your own skateboard deck with Tricia Van Der-Kuyp aka “Vandal”, a Wiradjuri, Melbourne-based artist who’s created large-scale public artworks. All materials will be supplied, including the decorative skateboard deck. Suitable for children aged between eight and 13 at $25 a pop.

Peer into the world of film, TV and video games at ACMI

ACMI Preschoolers invites children aged between two and five to discover the magic of film, TV, video games and digital art through a guided play-based experience. October’s session will focus on games, November’s on filmmaking. Free but ticketed.

Older children may be interested in the reimagining of Chinese history in pioneering Chinese artist Feng Mengbo’s free and side-scrolling video game Long March: Restart, where you can play along or bear witness as a Red Army soldier advances through time and space.

And in November, a major new exhibition celebrating the magic of puppetry – Lifelike – will premiere at ACMI. Roll up your sleeves and recreate a Muppets-inspired sequence, bring an animatronic Alien Facehugger to life, or come face-to-face with Babadook and Chucky. Children aged between four and 15 can enter for $17.

Snuggle in for Storytime

Celebrate World Sight Day at the State Library on October 7 with a Storytime presented by Vision Australia. This interactive session introduces children aged between three and five to the world of accessible literacy through engaging stories, songs and fingerplay. Families will discover tactile books, Braille books and Feelix storybook kits and most excitingly, partake in a special puppy meet-and-greet with a seeing eye dog.

Greek Storytime takes over the Hellenic Museum on October 21. Children of the same age can enjoy much loved stories, songs and rhymes in both Greek and English, partake in a special craft activity together, and handle authentic and replica artefacts from the Hellenic Museum.

Discover the fantastical natural wonderland of Royal Botanic Gardens

With the weather warming up, get your child off screens and into nature at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Capitalise on half-price tickets aboard the School Holiday Explorer Bus until October 4. Wander through a bamboo forest, climb a rocky gorge, race through a flax tunnel and hug a bottle tree at the Ian Potter Foundation Children’s Garden. Search for all things big and small on a treasure hunt guided by artist Claire Mosley’s Seek and Find Nature cards. Explore Cranbourne Gardens’ stunning bushland and open grasslands along six kilometres of child-safe cycling tracks.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.