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Best Summer Activities for Preschoolers in NYC

Suzi Shelton performs during the Hudson RiverKids series in Chelsea. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
Suzi Shelton performs during the Hudson RiverKids series in Chelsea. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
7/7/22 - By Rosalind Muggeridge

The days are (finally) starting to feel like summer, and if you have a little one to entertain, we're guessing you'll appreciate this roundup of the best summer activities for preschoolers in NYC. From FREE concerts and festivals, to NYC's best swimming pools, and more, these are the best things to do with preschoolers in NYC this summer.

With this list of summer activities for preschoolers, you’ll find yourself wanting to skip vacation in favor of staying in town to take advantage of the fun things to do NYC has to offer. Best of all? Many of the summer events are FREE.

Be sure to check out our Summer Fun Guide for NYC Kids for more things to do for kids at every age and stage across NYC's five boroughs.

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See teams set sail during the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Photo by Bob Dea
See teams set sail during the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Photo by Bob Dea

Best Summer Activities for Preschoolers in July

Summer Plaza Party at Atlantic Terminal Mall

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Friday, July 8
The Atlantic Terminal Mall and Brooklyn Bridge Parents host a family festival at Atlantic Terminal's outdoor plaza and street space. Stop by for free kid-friendly activities, arts and crafts, games, and more. READ MORE

Broadway Barks

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, July 9
The 24th installment of Broadway Barks, the annual dog and cat adoption event co-founded by Bernadette Peters and the late Mary Tyler Moore, returns to Shubert Alley. This year, Peters hosts the event with Sutton Foster, who currently stars on Broadway in the hit musical, The Music Man. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Crayon Flower

Wave Hill, the Bronx
Saturday, July 9-Sunday, July 10
Let your imagination blossom and create your own special waxed mosaic flower with crayon bits and natural materials. READ MORE

Bastille Day on Madison Avenue

Upper East Side–FREE
Sunday, July 10
Celebrate France’s national holiday at this annual street fair, this year on Madison Avenue! Featuring French cuisine, music, dance, and myriad attractions for the whole family, FIAF's fête populaire invites New Yorkers to revel in the flavors, sounds, and joie de vivre of France. READ MORE

Baba Yaga and The Firebird with The New Victory Theater

Chelsea–FREE
Sunday, July 10
Baba Yaga and The Firebird is an original tale based on Russian folklore, written in a form that blurs the lines between musical theater, story theater, and vaudeville. READ MORE

Summer Reading Story Time

Brooklyn Bridge Park–FREE
Wednesday, July 13
Librarians from the Brooklyn Heights and Annex branches read stories they love to share. The only thing more fun than a good story time is one with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. READ MORE

Knuffle Bunny: The Importance of Walkable Cities

Financial District–FREE
Saturday, July 16
Young learners are introduced to the significance of walkable communities and learn how and why talented architects and skyscraper buildings make this possible. After a read-aloud of Mo Willems' picture book, Knuffle Bunny, participants adventure around Battery Park City and point out different aspects of urban design that make this neighborhood walkable. READ MORE

City of Water Day in Rockefeller Park

Financial District–FREE
Saturday, July 16
Head to Rockefeller Park's ideal Hudson-side setting to celebrate and learn about environmental stewardship, take part in a nature walk, and participate in a collaborative art project. READ MORE

Big Truck Day

Randall's Island–FREE
Saturday, July 16
Get an up-close look at the incredible vehicles working all over New York City to keep it clean and safe. Trucks of all sizes are on-site, with operators giving demonstrations and teaching everyone about the jobs they do, from firetrucks and garbage trucks, to street cleaners and dump trucks. READ MORE

Annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Williamsburg
Through Sunday, July 17
The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Paolino di Nola is one of the oldest Italian American feasts in America. Celebrate with the congregation of OLMC church during this blocks-long carnival. The celebration dates back to 1903, when the Nolani immigrants first held their transplanted feast, maintaining many of the traditions from the Mezzogiorno. READ MORE

Upstream with The New Victory Theater

Chelsea–FREE
Sunday, July 17
Upstream is a modern musical concert and fairy tale for all ages, told through storytelling, music, and beatboxing. READ MORE

Music with Patrick

Richmond, Staten Island–FREE
Friday, July 22
Patrick and the Rock-A-Silly band perform their hour-long comedy music concert. READ MORE

Cosmic Camp

Downtown Brooklyn
Saturdays and Sundays through July 28
CAMP launches an intergalactic space journey at the Brooklyn City Point store play space. Join the Cosmic adventure through interactive games, physical challenges, and crazy cosmic-themed experiences. READ MORE

Summer on the Hudson: Children's Performance Series in Riverside Park

Upper West Side–FREE
Thursdays through Thursday, July 28
Head to Pier 1 for music, storytelling, and theater for young audiences up to age 7. Wear sunscreen and bring a blanket to sit on. READ MORE

45th Annual Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Powwow

Floral Park, Queens
Friday, July 29-Sunday, July 31
New York City's oldest and largest powwow features three days of intertribal Native American dance competitions, and the public is invited. More than 40 Indian nations are represented at this spectacular event, held in the apple orchard on the farm grounds.  READ MORE

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus: Flatbed Follies

Multiple Locations
Select dates through Saturday, July 30
The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is taking its show on the road, popping up all over town to present an array of mobile circus acts on portable parade float stages. Its Flatbed Follies series aims to bring arts to underserved areas and resurrects the magic of yore when the circus coming to town was the main event. READ MORE

Adventures from Ezra Jack Keats: Apt. 3 and Maggie and the Pirate

Chelsea
Select dates through Saturday, July 30
TADA! presents a double feature musical, based on the children's books by Ezra Jack Keats. READ MORE

Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Adaptation

Midtown West
Select dates through Sunday, July 31
A new story from the Hundred Acre Wood, told with stunning life-size puppetry, this fresh stage adaptation features the Sherman Brothers’ classic Grammy-award-winning music with additional songs by A.A. Milne. READ MORE

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens–FREE
Saturday, July 30-Sunday, July 31
This annual sporting and multicultural event is held to celebrate the fifth moon (or the fifth month) of the lunar calendar. In addition to providing audiences with traditional Chinese foods and performances, the festival hosts dragon boat teams from across North America. READ MORE
Asphalt Green's Sprinkler Day is wet-and-wild fun for the whole family. Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green
Asphalt Green's Sprinkler Day is wet-and-wild fun for the whole family. Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green

Best Summer Activities for Preschoolers in August

Hindu Lamp Ceremony

Brooklyn Bridge Park–FREE
Saturday, August 6
The 10th annual Aarti Hindu Lamp Ceremony returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pebble Beach! Guests are invited to decorate palm leaf lamps and release them along the East River. Special guest artists are in attendance displaying their works. READ MORE

Battery Park Playscape Presents Sundays at the Showbox

The Battery–FREE
Saturday, August 6-Sunday, August 7
The ShowBox Theater, located in the beautiful Battery Park Playscape, hosts a full season of music, dance, puppetry, and more with special free performances on Sunday afternoons. READ MORE

Waterbombs with Acrobuffos

Chelsea–FREE
Sunday, August 7
The Acrobuffos bring their H2O-inspired mayhem to The Glade for a family performance. Water balloons fly through the air with a side of comedic genius. READ MORE

Sprinkler Day

Upper East Side–FREE
Saturday, August 13
Don’t let the soaring summer temperatures discourage you from enjoying the outdoors. Cool off by splashing around in Asphalt Green’s high-powered sprinklers and slip and slides. READ MORE

Hansel and Gretel

Park Slope
Opens Saturday, August 27
The Brothers Grimm's scarytale is brought to life with marionettes and music by Engelbert Humperdinck. READ MORE
Jeppe Heins' Changing Spaces may be public art, but it's also a cool place to play. Photo by Jody Mercier
Jeppe Heins' Changing Spaces may be public art, but it's also a cool place to play. Photo by Jody Mercier

Best Summer Activities for Preschoolers All Summer Long

Summer in the Square: Kids

Union Square–FREE
Thursdays through Thursday, August 4
The Union Square Partnership’s Summer in the Square returns this year with more family fun than ever, including arts and crafts, musical performances, interactive story times, big yard games, and a bubble garden. READ MORE

Pinocchio: Carlo Collodi's 1883 Adventures of a Marionette

Park Slope
Weekends through Sunday, August 7
Adapted by Puppetworks' Artistic Director, Nicolas Coppola, Pinocchio features traditional hand-carved wooden marionettes, an original song score, the Blue Fairy, and a "live" actor as Stromboli the Puppet Master. READ MORE

3rd Annual Summer Music Series

Bushwick
Thursdays through Thursday, August 11
Enjoy a series of concerts on the North Brooklyn waterfront, showcasing local musicians playing a wide variety of musical genres, including jazz, Latin, and traditional folk. READ MORE

Summer on the Hudson Play Dates in West Harlem Piers Park

West Harlem–FREE
Select Saturdays through Saturday, August 13
Head to West Harlem Piers Park for a fun family-friendly event featuring a children’s entertainer, grab-and-go arts and crafts kits, and neighborhood fun! Each month brings a new performance. READ MORE

CityParks PuppetMobile PresentsPuppet Time

Multiple Locations–FREE
Select dates through Thursday, August 25
Puppet Time is a family-friendly variety show featuring songs from past Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre performances, including Pippi, Peter Pan, Princess, Emperor & The Duck, Hansel & Gretel’s Halloween Adventure, Bessie’s Big Shot and more. READ MORE

Music and Movement

Greenwich Village–FREE
Fridays through Friday, August 26
Miss Debbie leads kids in an afternoon of dancing and movement in the large playground. Get your body moving to kid-friendly songs, try out some instruments, and sing along in the great outdoors. READ MORE

Hudson RiverKids Tribeca

Tribeca–FREE
Mondays through Monday, August, 29
With a variety of programs and performances, all made with kids especially in mind, Hudson RiverKids is finally back with a summer's worth of fun for the whole family. READ MORE

Hudson RiverKids Chelsea

Chelsea–FREE
Thursdays through Thursday, September 1
With a variety of programs and performances, all made with kids especially in mind, Hudson RiverKids is finally back with a summer's worth of fun for the whole family. READ MORE

Jeppe Heins' Changing Spaces Water Sculpture

Rockefeller Center–FREE
Through Friday, September 9
Renowned visual artist Jeppe Hein presents Changing Spaces, an interactive public art installation on Rockefeller Center’s Plaza. The water-based sculpture is a form of social sculpture and “liquid architecture.” READ MORE

Big City Fishing

Tribeca–FREE
Select dates through Wednesday, September 21
Drop in a line with the Park’s River Project team and go catch-and-release fishing at the water’s edge. All the necessary equipment and instruction is provided. READ MORE

Storytime at the Park House

Tribeca
Mondays through Monday, October 31
Explore excellent works of illustrated children’s literature with new stories every week. Singing and dancing included! Bring a blanket and a snack. READ MORE

Wake Up, Daisy!

Central Park
Select dates through Sunday, December 18
The Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park presents a brand new, original story and marionette production...a modern take on Sleeping Beauty that is perfect for the whole family. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Various locations
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Bushwick Inlet Park - Soccer Fields
Pier 25 at Hudson River Park
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park