Your toddler’s new pet needs no feeding

Fast 5

Your top weekday events guide + the best posts for under 5s

Event Picks

🌟 Featured Event

PAW Patrol™ Live! Race to the Rescue (Saturday 22 – Sunday 23 Aug) Ryder and the pups hit the stage in an action-packed musical adventure, plus your chance to win a family holiday to Sea World. 📍CBD

🗓️ Melbourne CBD ➝ More CBD picks

Melbourne Winter Night Market (Wednesdays until 26 Aug) Queen Victoria Market’s Wednesday night market returns with street food, fire pits and free entry all winter. 📍CBD

Imaginator Melbourne (Wednesdays – Sundays until 30 Sep) An immersive light and sound experience with a colour therapy room and a giant rotating bean bag for little ones. 📍Docklands

Children’s Play at NGV (Daily until Sunday 4 Oct) A playful, theatrical exhibition where kids become actors and creators on their own miniature stage. 📍CBD

🗓️ Melbourne NORTH ➝ More north-side picks

Rainbow Family Storytime (Tuesday 4 Aug) Songs, stories and bubbles for rainbow families with kids aged 0–6, on the first Tuesday of the month. No booking needed. 📍Brunswick

Brush, Book, Bed (Thursday 6 Aug) An interactive dental hygiene session with songs and play, plus a gift bag of dental products to take home. 📍Reservoir

Curiosity: Building Breakthroughs in LEGO® Bricks (Tuesdays – Sundays during term) Hands-on LEGO® building meets engineering, maths and science at Bendigo’s Discovery Science & Technology Centre. 📍Bendigo

🗓️ Melbourne SOUTH ➝ More south-side picks

National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day (Thursday 6 Aug) A morning of Welcome to Country, storytelling and children’s activities celebrating culture and community. Free, no bookings required. 📍Rosebud

Mother & Bubba Pilates (Mondays during term) A physio-led Pilates class for mums rebuilding strength postpartum, bub in tow, at Brighton Town Hall. 📍Brighton

Storytime (Wednesdays during term) Stories, songs and playful moments for kids aged 0–5 and their grown-ups — the whole family is welcome. 📍Frankston

🗓️ Melbourne EAST ➝ More east-side picks

Bookaburra Storytime (Various weekdays during term) Free volunteer-run storytelling sessions with rhymes and songs for kids aged 0–5. No booking required. 📍Yarra Ranges

Greek Storytime (Mondays during term) Stories and songs in Greek for families keen to maintain or build a family language, best suited to ages 1–5. 📍Oakleigh

The Bridge Community Playgroup (Wednesdays during term) An educator-led playgroup in a garden setting, with tea and coffee for grown-ups while littlies explore outdoors. 📍Kilsyth

🗓️ Melbourne WEST ➝ More west-side picks

Kids Art in the Library: Pet Rocks (Wednesday 5 Aug) A calm, no-clean-up-required art playgroup where kids aged 1–5 decorate their own pet rock. 📍Williamstown

Wiggle & Bloom (Mondays + Thursdays during term) Music, movement and play for kids aged 0–5 in 50-minute sessions built to spark confidence and connection. 📍Caroline Springs

B Minor Music for Kids (Wednesdays during term) Singing, puppetry and instruments for ages 8 months–5 years; under-12-months attend free with a paying sibling. 📍Taylors Hill

New + Noteworthy

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Built for Every Kind of Kid

We sent a mum and her toddler to check out this sensory-friendly play gym, and here’s what they found.

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Parks We’ve Played At

Thirty playgrounds across Melbourne’s west, every one picked because our kids have actually played there.

Gym Spots That’ll Watch the Tots

These Melbourne gyms come complete with creche or occasional care, so a workout doesn’t need a backup babysitter.

20 Reasons to Road-Trip

Looking for somewhere new in regional VIC? This destination has more than you’d expect for little ones.

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Touch Down at Landing

We visited in opening week – here’s what to expect at Landing’s newest site.

Hot Off the Feed

Your next low-cost adventure

💸 Who says a great day out needs a big budget?

These three Melbourne spots max out the fun without going over $20 – one’s even completely free.

Think bubble domes, dinosaur digs and enough sensory play to tire out the littlest legs.

Save the reel for your next low-cost family day out!

About Joyce Watts

Joyce Watts is a former intellectual property, IT and media lawyer turned serial entrepreneur.

As well as being the founder of TOT: HOT OR NOT she helps businesses with their SEO, email marketing & social media as BrightSmart.com.au; she owns an online bike store CycleStyle.com.au and develops and produces creative experiences for families via WheelieGoodFun.com. She used to publish another popular lifestyle and food blog called MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne.

She lives in inner-city Melbourne with her husband, two children and seven bikes.

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