Community centres
Young people enjoying time together
Community centres can be fun, spacious places for your kids to take part in lots of different events that they will remember for years to come. Community fundraisers, non-profit organisation meetings and community services all use these low cost venues to provide family friendly activities that are wholesome and for a good cause.
- Category: Community
- Appropriate age: All ages
- Approximate price: Often free, low cost venue hire for your own event (check with individual locations)
- Best time of year: All year round
A video of Community centres
Information on community centres
What’s great about a community centre?
Community centres for kids provide generous amounts of space for fun and learning. This is similar to many professional service providers for kids such as day care, amusement centres and games halls; however a significant difference with community centres is that they are often run without the goal of making any financial profit.
Community centres are often run by volunteers and local community groups. Often the aim is to encourage families to spend time together, which benefits everyone from toddlers right through to older children and adults. A community centre may double as a multi-function community hall, providing party venues, hall hire and good quality function rooms at a low cost to other non-profit organisations.
Very importantly, in regional and remote areas of New Zealand, a community centre may actually be the only venue which offers kids activities at a low cost - or not at all. Not every town has a sufficient population to support multiple services, so it becomes even more vital for the local community to unite and take part in events which support the wellbeing of families and growing children.
Why should my kids get involved in community centres?
When there are fun and educational activities for kids on offer, there’s no reason not to take advantage of it. But an added element to events being held at community centres is the fact that they will often be put on by community organisations which are raising money for a noble cause, such as terminal illness, local school equipment or victims of natural disasters.
Getting your kids involved in good-willed causes like these at school fetes or local community festivals are a great way to encourage selfless service, and nurture their values of generosity and compassion. They are often also a great way to spend quality family time together!
What should I do to get my kids into community centres?
Find out together what community programmes or community services are running in your local area, such as the Rotary group (thiis one has chapters across New Zealand). These organisations meet at community centres, so you can get involved with them, as well as checking out notice boards at the centre for other events and groups when you visit.
And of course, you can check the ActiveActivities directory right now for a full listing of community centres for kids all over New Zealand!