IT'S an exciting time of year for school students across the region.

The long-awaited, lengthy Christmas holidays will start this weekend and the kids are chafing at the bit.

The Gladstone region has an array of activities organised by Tondoon Botanic Gardens, PCYC's Vacational Care, Bunnings Warehouse and Scrapbooking Fantasies, just to name a few.

SunFest is also just around the corner, offering a great range of activities catering for all interests in January.

Additionally, there's still some great ways to keep the kids occupied in the comfort of your own home.

For example, cooking can be a fun and practical activity you and your children can enjoy.

Take advantage of their extra time at home and teach them a thing or two in the kitchen.

Cooking is an enjoyable activity and encourages quality time with your children, while teaching them a valuable skill.

It can also be an easy way to encourage healthy eating, by enabling the kids to get involved with the preparation of meals at home.

Other great activities at home can be as simple as an old board game, arts and crafts or even spreading a blanket in the backyard for a picnic.