What can you do with the kids in Jamaica, we hear you ask?

Well, the possibilities are actually endless!

Every year you work tirelessly, save aggressively and plan in earnest for that family vacation.

Jamaica is an ideal family holiday spot because there are enough places to go where everyone can have a good time.

Visitors praise the island for offering the best activities and attractions to keep the kids busy while the adults get some well-needed personal time.

And if you need additional help with the kids on vacation, it's pretty easy to access additional childcare, mostly offered by the resorts and villas you choose to stay in. 

Now let's explore 10 things to do with kids in Jamaica beyond leaping in the surf or building sandcastles, although that’s pretty cool too!

Have an animal adventure

There are two zoos in Jamaica, Hope Zoo in Kingston and Jamaica Zoo in Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth.

But there are other animal adventures to be had. Board a boat and glide along as you learn on the Black River Safari, or pin down the right technique of how to hold a crocodile at the Safari Swamp Village.

Play with dolphins, sharks, iguanas, and birds at Dolphin Cove, or get camel savvy at Yaaman Adventure Park. Maybe enjoy a day simply feeding the birds at the Rocklands Bird Sanctuary or Barney’s Hummingbird Garden.




Splash in water parks

You're sure to find a water park in every major area on the island and within most family resorts.

Allow the little ones to splish and splash away, under the supervision of the professional lifeguards and water sports attendants. 

Have an active adventure

Try out a high-intensity activity at Paintball Jamaica in Falmouth and Palisadoes GoKart Track in Kingston.

A lot of tour companies offer family-friendly activities like horseback riding, tubing, kayaking, and more.

Explore nature

Jamaica is a great place for day hikes. Even hiking Blue Mountain Peak isn’t a long trek.

Many of the National Parks and gardens offer a wealth of opportunities for a family day out in the great outdoors.

Holywell up in the cool hills above Kingston is a nice option for a family picnic, and so are Castleton Gardens just a little beyond the capital city.

Hope Botanical Gardens are right in the heart of the city. Roaring River Park and Montego Bay Marine Park offer excursions where kids can learn about the culture and marine life respectively.

Places like Anthenry Gardens are also the site of Nonsuch Caves, one of many cave sites where kids can explore the wonders of nature underground.


Frolic in a waterfall

Combine the fun of the water park with the adventure of exploring nature and head to one of the many rivers and waterfalls that helped create the name of the island, ‘Xaymaca’ - meaning ‘land of wood and water’.

Whether the family is climbing hand in hand up the famous Dunns River Falls, heading up the river on a picnic tour to small cascades in the heart of Black River, or maybe leaping from a rope swing into one of the famous Blue Hole sites across Jamaica, there are countless options. 

Nature has created some fantastic aquatic playgrounds for kids on the island.

Catch a show

Many all-inclusive family-friendly hotels have shows for kids but beyond the resorts, there are shows for Jamaican kids that tourists could have a great time attending. 

Jamaican Musical Theatre Company in Kingston puts on a musical every January and February, while Edna Manley also mounts a children’s show for a couple of weekends around Easter.

Father Ho Lung mounts a biblical-themed story every year, usually the stories that are most popular with kids. They are well attended by schools who often buy out the entire show, but some nights are set aside for the general public.

The JCDC Festival every year has Jamaican children from all over the island entering to compete in dance, poetry, drama, and music.

Attending the festival allows children visiting the island to not only mix and mingle with local kids but also to get an introduction to some traditional favorite forms of Jamaican culture.




Play in the sea

Almost every hotel on the shore has some form of kid-friendly water activity beyond swimming in the clear water and diving in the waves.

The all-inclusives have more of course, with individual sailing and even SCUBA certification, but even the smaller spots usually offer the simpler pleasures like snorkeling equipment and have access to tours on a glass bottom boat.

Other adventures in the sea await, like SNUBA in Montego Bay, or if they can stay up past their usual bedtime, take them on a magical adventure of a nighttime boat ride in the luminescence of Glistening Waters.

Absorb culture

There are many Great Houses dotting the island which are great for giving kids a walk through the past. Some, like Good Hope, also have lots of kids’ activities on the property.

For brave kids, the Rose Hall Great House offers a spooky story adventure.

Museums like the Bob Marley Museum and the Jamaica Music Museum take your kids on a tour of our musical past while galleries like the National Gallery and the National History Museum will take them on a journey through our art and our past.

Create arts & crafts

Jamaica is filled with creativity, art, sculpture, and other artistic expressions everywhere you look. Why not let your kids explore their own artistic side and see what the island inspires in them?

Quite a few all-inclusives have kids’ programs that include arts and crafts.

Places like GoldenEye and Jakes have notable craft programs and there are places like Pinto Pottery in Falmouth and Sanaa Studios in Kingston that have classes which your older kids might enjoy.

Roam the markets

Head out with the kids to one of the many markets in each town. Not just the craft markets where everything from unique art to manufactured goods in the traditional Rasta and Jamaican colors adorns every square inch, but also the fruit and vegetable ones as well.

The bustling Ujima Farmer’s Market in downtown Kingston is a different vibe from Coronation Market. Newmarket, in the hills of St. Elizabeth, Black River and Santa Cruz are other big markets, but almost any town will have its own.

The markets are at the center of the lives of thousands of Jamaicans who buy, sell and socialize in them each week.

This is a great opportunity for a highly interactive and unique Jamaican experience for your kids as they get caught up in the sights, smells, and sounds of the vibrant local shopping adventure.

Bonus activity suggestion

Many hotels offer classes and lessons of some kind, and many golf courses and clubs have clinics and beginner lessons.

Sure the kids are on vacation, but there’s nothing stopping them from learning something cool outside of school.