Johannesburg is a bustling, busy city that’s often associated with and talked about as being the place to advance your career. It’s less frequent to hear people talk about all of the fun, family-friendly activities in and around the city. This often leaves parents wondering where they can take their children on outings.
In this article, we’ve put together a list of fun, educational, and entertaining indoor kids activities in Johannesburg.
Why Activities Are Important for Child Development
Homeschooling parents are typically aware of the fact that they need to focus on creating opportunities for their children to participate in social interaction with children their own age. One of the ways to do this is to take children on excursions to places where children gather.
While taking part in activities allows for more social interaction, it also provides other developmental benefits.
Taking children to an interactive museum can help develop an inquiring mind, and physical activities will help improve dexterity and physical strength.
It’s therefore, important to expose a child to many different activities and environments, as this will help them flourish into a well-balanced adult.
Things to Do in Johannesburg with Your Kids
Without further ado, let’s jump into all of the fun activities in Johannesburg that parents can enjoy with their children.
Build-a-Bear
Everyone loves their childhood stuffed animal and what can be more special than creating your own personalised bear?
At Build-a-Bear, children are able to pick their favourite stuffed animal, clothe them, accessorise them, and more. They also have party packages, where you can book an experience for a group of children.
There are Build-a-Bear stores across South Africa, and there are eight in the Johannesburg area. You can find the branch closest to you by visiting their website.
Artjamming
At Artjamming, every child will have the opportunity to unleash their inner artist. Whether they want to paint with their hands, use a sponge, or even play with spray paint, all forms of artistic expression are encouraged.
This artistic experience isn't limited to children and parents can join in on the fun.
Artjamming is a fantastic way to test the artistic waters and see if this is something your child truly enjoys. You might even notice the talent of a little Picasso in your child.
You can find out more about Artjamming here.
Roller Skating at RollEgoli
Roller skating has had somewhat of a revival in the last few years and RollEgoli provides the perfect opportunity to explore this fun and thrilling sport.
For beginners, RollEgoli offers ‘skate mates’, which is a structure that can be pushed around the rink as you skate to provide you with stability. For those who are interested in skating as a hobby, they offer skating classes that are led by an SA National Champion skater.
Find out more about RollEgoli here.
Rock Climb at CityROCK
CityROCK is South Africa’s largest rock climbing gym and has a wonderful selection of both child-friendly and adult climbing walls.
Children and parents will be able to complete an introductory course, which will cover basic climbing safety procedures, and introduce them to roping skills, climbing techniques, and more.
Visit the CityROCK website to find out more about this fun family excursion.
Skiing at Avalanche
While Johannesburg doesn’t have snowy mountaintops on which to ski, it does have Avalanche. This venue has created an indoor skiing experience that emulates the experience of skiing through the snow.
At Avalanche you can choose to ski, snowboard, bumboard, or tube along their 65-metre ski slope. There is instruction available should your child want to pursue this as a hobby.
Avalanche can easily be found on Google Maps by clicking here.
Johannesburg Planetarium
Explore the stars and the vast universe by visiting the Johannesburg Planetarium. While the planetarium is currently undergoing construction that will convert it to a full digital dome, it will soon be open to the public again. Once this revamp is done it will provide an experience that is out of this world.
Here, children will be exposed to the fascinating field of astronomy and learn all about the stars, planets, and galaxies.
Visit the Johannesburg Planetarium website to find out more.
National Children’s Theatre
Enjoy being transported to another world filled with fantasy and wonder when you visit the National Children's Theatre. They have a large selection of shows from which to choose at any given time, ensuring that you can regularly visit this bastion of entertainment culture.
They also offer courses and have clubs for children of all ages, teaching them about Shakespeare, storytelling, the art of theatre, and more.
Visit the National Children’s Theatre website here.
Sci-Bono Discovery Centre
Encourage your child’s curiosity by visiting the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. This world-class centre is dedicated to supporting the exploration of maths, science, and technology.
Here, children can experience interactive maths, science, and technology exhibits that will spark the scientist within. They also offer multiple holiday programmes where children can delve into their scientific passion.
Find out more about the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre here.
Wits University Origins Centre
Wits has one of the most well-known archaeological departments in the world. Wanting to share their knowledge, they opened the Origins Centre. Here, you can take a journey back in time and learn about Africa’s rich and complex heritage, while perusing their extensive collection of rock art, fossils, artefacts, and ancient stone tools.
Visit their website and find out more about this experience here.
Connect with Other Homeschooling Families
For a more direct approach to encouraging your child to be social and make friends, you can make an effort to connect with other homeschooling families. In this way, you will be able to set up play dates for your child with a peer that has homeschooling in common with them.
To do this, you can join a few Facebook Groups that are specific to providing homeschooling families with support.
Some homeschooling support groups to join include:
● Homeschooled with Love Johannesburg
● Outings for Christian Homeschoolers in Johannesburg
Feel free to join the CambriLearn Facebook group to connect with other CambriLearn parents. You can join the group here.
Now all that is left to do, is to go have fun with your children and enjoy the various indoor kids activities in Johannesburg.
