Mommy Poppins - Things to Do with Kids |

Best Gaming Spots for Kids in NYC

Submitted by Andy Fenwick on Thu, 12/13/2018 - 3:28pm

The growing popularity of gaming stores and cafes around NYC should come as no surprise, particularly to kids. With their active minds, kids crave more than video games and social media, especially in wintertime, when parks and playgrounds often take a back seat to indoor activities. For curious, engaged kids, gaming spots are a place to play, imagine, make new friends, and develop new skills.

Most game spots, whether they be stores or cafes, tend to lean toward 8 and 9 year olds (and up), and don’t really include the space even the most game-loving younger kids might need for intermittent dancing around. But they’re all friendly. Read on for a few of our favorite game cafes and stores for kids in NYC.

What's Open on Christmas Day in New Jersey: Fun Things to Do

Submitted by Danielle Halibey on Thu, 12/13/2018 - 12:55pm

Christmas Day is certainly a historically-homebound holiday, with parents and children staying home to revel in new presents and enjoy time spent with family and friends. But once all the gifts have been opened and the festive potluck polished off, that holiday spirit is still alive and well, leaving moms, dads, and kids raring to burn off the last of their candy cane and sugar plum high.

Since shopping malls are largely out of the question until Wednesday, and most indoor play spaces are closed for biz on December 25, there’s not too much recreation readily around the corner. But Mommy Poppins searched high and low to find out what’s open on Christmas—and happily, there are quite a few fun finds!

NJ Has Ice Rink Bumper Cars – and We Can't Wait To Try Them

Submitted by Michelle Vames on Thu, 12/13/2018 - 10:45am

No ice skating skills? No problem. You can still have tons of fun on the ice at Ocean Ice Palace in Brick, NJ, home of the state's first ice bumper cars. This hot (or should we say cool?) new trend has been popping up at ice rinks across the country over the past year or so, including one in Providence, Rhode I sland, but you don't have to travel to New England to experience it for yourself.

The Brick-based rink introduced the cars in February, and now that winter is upon us once again, we're super excited to have another option for keeping the kiddos entertained indoors.

And of course, we're all for snow tubing, skiing, and snowboarding—but if you're looking for winter fun that requires less effort, gear, and money, ice bumper cars might be worth a whirl.

Family-Friendly Restaurants in Tribeca

Submitted by Sarah G on Thu, 12/13/2018 - 10:00am

Tribeca has no shortage of great places to eat with the family. In general, places to eat in Tribeca either tend to be upscale or little holes-in-the-wall, with a handful of options in between. Since Tribeca is such a family-oriented neighborhood, many eateries welcome kids and even offer children's menus. Plus there's a wide range of cuisine to try, from good old American comfort food to French bistro dishes to authentic Cuban eats, plus incredible bakeries. Read on for our favorite places to eat with kids in Tribeca.

Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Wizard of Oz Panto, Beach Wonderland, Disney on Ice

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 12/13/2018 - 4:17am

We here at Mommy Poppins love all our events equally. The Christmas lights, the boat parades, the holiday-themed train rides. What's not to love? It's just that we love some a little more equally than others.

Like Disney on Ice. The touring ice show is the perfect match of world class athleticism and stunning artistry, paired with the most beloved characters known to childhood. Oh, how we love Disney on Ice.

And the Lythgoe Family Panto productions: Broadway caliber showmanship paired with absolute inability to take anything, least of all itself, seriously. Laughs and awestruck gasps and this year the Wizard of Oz played by, what now, Kermit the Frog?!? Hold me, Kermie, I think I may get the vapors!

Do we love the latest Disney Animation feature, breaking the internet and ruling the box office, currently holding strong as the favorite movie of all time in our household? Or do we love the (don't try to tell me it's not real) Virtual Reality experience that takes us INTO that movie, so that we are running with, talking to, and shooting milkshakes at our favorite characters from the movie because we are IN IT? How do we choose? Why should we? If there's one thing we've learned as mothers, it's that there is more than enough love to go around.

Keep reading for our choices for this weekend, all equally loved, including the ones that are loved more.

Weekend Fun: Dickens, Kwanzaa, and a Mariachi Band, Dec 15-16

Submitted by Lucie T on Wed, 12/12/2018 - 8:53pm

As much as we all look forward to the traditional holiday events happening each year, it's refreshing to see unique, multicultural events pop up on the calendar. This weekend, families can take a candlelit peace walk, discover the true meaning of Kwanzaa, and carol with a mariachi band. Catch this classic Dickens tale with a dance-theater twist or attend a holiday hootenanny (and CD release party) with Matt Heaton. And for an always delightful, theatrical twist on global holiday traditions, head to Cambridge for the Christmas Revels, back for its 48th season with a Nordic theme this year.

Weekend Fun for Houston Kids: Bayou Bend's Christmas Village, Santa Train, Dec. 15-16

Submitted by Rachael Cherry on Wed, 12/12/2018 - 6:41pm

What a weekend we have up ahead! Holiday plays, ballets and musicals are in full-swing, with fun favorites like Elf: The Musical and Mr. Popper's Penguins taking the stage and spreading plenty of Christmas cheer. Saturday is also offering up some amazing Christmas music; you're definitely going to want to head to Sugar Land Town Square for an evening of Holiday Music from First Colony Church of Christ's band or to Stude Concert Hall for the annual Kids and Christmas Pops Concert performance. Not to mention all the great light displays, breakfast with Santa events, and awesome Santa activities happening around Houston. The holidays have taken over Houston, that's for sure!

But, if you're feeling a bit Scrooge-y or just need a break from all the holiday activities, there are some awesome non-Christmas events happening, too! Seussical: The Musical and Disney's Beauty and the Beast are both also taking center stage, there's a Family Capoeira Class happening at Midtown Park, and the annual Running of the Bulls 5k & Kids' 1k is taking over Downtown.

You can also check out our event calendar, December GoList, Winter Bucket List, and Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Houston Families for more holiday and non-holiday related family fun, and sign up for our weekly newsletter to have everything delivered to your inbox. You can also submit your own event to our calendar, so send them over so we can share them!

Weekend Fun: Christmas Carols, Tubas, Holiday Music

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 12/12/2018 - 4:00pm

Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol takes over NYC this weekend: The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens has a special screening of the 1938 film adaptation, there are live productions in the Village and in Brooklyn, a reading at the landmark Merchant's House Museum, and even a Ghosts of Christmas Past walking tour. Sunday, Christmas literature devotees can snuggle in for a candlelight reading of Clement Moore's 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, a century-old holiday tradition in Washington Heights.

This weekend also features a load of cool Christmas and holiday events known mostly by resident insiders, like Carnival of the Animals at Columbia University, Winter Wonderland at the Apollo and New York State of Mind's Holiday Mash-up on Saturday. On Sunday, there's nothing more unique than the 45th Annual Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center, or the village-to-village Unsilent Night parade.

You can take a break from the holidays (if you need a breather) with a stop at Bleecker Street's Dough Project Pop-up, where families can knead away any stress with playdough and hot chocolate, for FREE! Other holiday-free options include the new The Road Ahead exhibit at Cooper-Hewitt, the FREE Kellogg's Ping Pong Tournament on Saturday, an Andy Warhol Family workshop at the Whitney, and Brooklyn Children's Museum's Flex Olympics.

As always, our December GoList, our Holiday Fun Guide, and our Event Calendar are standing by at the ready, overstuffed with holiday fun.

Weekend Fun: Christmas on the Farm, Holiday House Hunt, Nutcracker

Submitted by Susan Miele on Wed, 12/12/2018 - 3:10pm

The holidays are closing in, and Westchester and Hudson Valley families are scrambling to soak up all the fun! This weekend, the festivities are ratcheted up, so put on your jingle bells, light those lights and don’t miss these highlights!

The big holiday events happening throughout December are still in full gear, though many ticketed events are sold out or close to it. Adding to the various iterations this month of the Tchaikovsky classic, this weekend showcases The Westchester Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker. Arrive early for the Christmas Handbell Concert, an uncommon art form, or follow the clues (and snack on a treat) at the historic Holiday House Hunt. Lower key is the FREE Magical Winter Wonderland show.

That's just the tip of the holiday iceberg—find lots more festive fun in our Event Calendar. Read on for our top picks, and also consult our Holiday Fun Guide. Enjoy it all!

Weekend Fun for Connecticut Kids: Santa with Sharks, Handbells, and Curious George

Submitted by Donald Eng on Wed, 12/12/2018 - 2:52pm

Have you put your tree up yet? How's the shopping coming? An early Hanukkah has given 2018 a more spread-out holiday season, which means more weekends of fun! This week family activities abound, both indoors and out. For starters, there's the 34th Annual Santa's Workshop in Manchester, a Storybook Holiday tour in Derby, and the annual Christmas Village in Torrington. In the mood for a show? Try Curious George and the Golden Meatball in West Hartford, a free handbell concert in Bristol, and holiday classics like The Nutcracker and A Christmas Story in Hartford, Putnam, and Ridgefield.

To make sure that you don't miss any of the fun, subscribe to our weekly newsletters and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. Read on for our highlights of events happening this weekend, and check our frequently updated daily event calendar for even more ideas.