Get your calendars ready! Here are the top things to do with kids in New York City this June, and many are 100% FREE. The first month of summer brings a slew of incredible outdoor activities. But while no-cost festivals, fairs, and parades abound, there are a handful of truly spectacular ones that are musts for families.

Many of our favorite FREE annual events take place this month, including Coney Island's Mermaid Parade, the Lower East Side's Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival, and the Museum Mile Festival, as well as Figment NYC, held this year on Roosevelt Island.

Find more great happenings this June in our event calendar and Guide to the Best Summer Events for NYC families.

Manhattan's only outdoor amusement park, Victorian Gardens, is now open for the 2019 season. It's one of those annual summer attractions you think all New York City families know about and go to—until you realize a bunch of your friends have never even heard of it.

Victorian Gardens is especially wonderful for younger children, which is why we included it in our roundup of best theme parks for preschoolers, although elementary schoolers will enjoy themselves, too. The rides are contained in a small, enclosed space so you don't have to worry about kids wandering off (like at Coney Island), and there's little walking between attractions. Most of the rides are gentle (a few have height requirements), and there aren't any teens rushing through the crowd. Plus, you can't beat the location at Wollman Rink in Central Park, just steps from the zoo, Heckscher Playground and the carousel.

School lets out early these days, which means pretty much all the weekends of June count as summer. Summer movie series are already lighting up the Southland night; the beaches are hopping, and the water parks and splash pads are open. If you're ready to kick off summer with the biggest, most once-a-year-ish events happening in June, then read on. We'll continue to send our weekly picks, of course, and we'll keep adding to our Event Calendar daily; but consider yourself on notice for these June favorites—many of which are free!

Summer days mean extra sunlight, lots of time with friends and filling our days with as many engaging and entertaining activities as possible. However, thrifty is in my genes - and being primarily a one income family, is a necessity for us - and while I love to plan full days of fun with my kids, I also love to primarily plan days that don't require opening my wallet often, if at all. To help any other families who may want to save a buck without sacrificing any fun, here's a bucket list of 50 FREE activities we'll be taking advantage of this summer - but make sure to check our event calendar every day for more family-friendly fun around Houston.

Are your kids obsessed with graphic novels? News flash: They're far from alone. If you're a parent of a child in elementary or middle school, you're probably already aware that we're living in a veritable golden age for graphic novels aimed at children, thanks to talented author-illustrators like Raina Telgemeier (of Drama and Smile fame), Kazu Kibuishi (author of the massively popular Amulet series), Cece Bell (author of the Newbery Award-winning El Deafo), and even graphic novel adaptations of classic tales from A Wrinkle in Time to Greek mythology.

If your young reader is interested in creating a graphic novel or illustrated story of their own, there are plenty of classes and camps in NYC designed to encourage young storytellers. "Comic books and visual arts, in general, have become much more understood as viable paths for young people that have talent in visual art," says A.K. Lovelace, a professional illustrator and instructor at the Harlem School of the Arts. Whether your child is just starting out in cartoon Illustration or you have a child preparing their portfolio for high school or contests, here are a few programs to support your budding artist throughout their creative development.