Choices are no longer limited to craft clubs or cricket camp, with activities ranging from movie making to surfing school or gourmet cooking classes.

Thousands of young people attend NIDA's holiday workshops each year where they learn everything from basic acting skills to making their own Dr Who episodes on Cockatoo Island.

NIDA Open course manager for children and young people Tricia Ryansaid the courses had to reflect children's interests.

The Reel Warrior course, at $595 for a week, shows young people how to recreate combat scenes from films such as Twilight, Tomorrow When the War Began and The Hunger Games.

Doctor Who-inspired classes, ranging from $310 for a two-day screen acting course to $595 for a week of location filming, are perennially popular, said  Ms Ryan.

"One of the best things about the classes is that they're not just for kids who want to be an actor or a filmmaker, they are for kids who just want to try it to see if they like it," she said.

Penrith mother Tammy Vassallo, whose 13-year-old twins Isabelle and Cain were doing Reel Warrior at NIDA's Kensington headquarters last week, said the courses were well worth it.

"Being teens, it's hard to find holiday activities for them," she said. "Reel Warrior is good because it shows them how movies they like were made and they get to do it with kids their own age."

Open courses at the Australian, Film Television and Radio School have grown in popularity over the years, said Liz Hughes, director of AFTRS Open.

All courses are run by industry leaders alongside educational experts and are held in working studios. They cover everything from animation and game design to screen acting and writing.

The Blood and Guts Movie Make up course ($320 for two days) and How To Shoot A Zombie Movie ($750 for five days) are among the most sought after.

"The make up is a lot of fun. The fake bullet wound is the most popular," Ms Hughes said.

"They are enjoying themselves - it is the holidays after all - but they are also learning new skills."

Horse riding camps are among the priciest activities for young people. A seven-day camp in Sofala, near Bathurst, will set parents back $1040 while five days at Otford Farm in Sydney's south costs $849.

Otford Farm owner and manager Tim Lloyd says the camps run close to capacity with many repeat customers.

"There is a lot of hands on work with the horses, feeding, grooming and saddling," he said.

"They spend about six hours with the horses during the day and about four of that is riding, finishing with a gymkhana at the end of the week."

Surfing classes are a summer favourite with school holiday lessons at Manly Surf School starting at $50 a session.

Junior master chefs can try their hands at cooking classes at The Hospitality Establishment in Caringbah where lessons cost $45 for two hours.

For $440 a  week, young musical types can unleash their inner rock gods at Crows Nest's Big Music Studios which is running two courses next month.