It's hard to beat classic outdoor games for kids when it comes time to entertain them during the long school-free summer months, at birthday parties, or when they've spent too much time on screens. From hide-and-seek to ghost in the graveyard, these outdoor games are sure to keep your crew, and whichever neighborhood kids stop by, busy for hours. Best of all, you can play almost all of these playground and backyard games listed below without spending any money. Time to  load up the sunscreen, head outdoors, and play!

If you don't mind getting wet, check out these Favorite Water Games to Play With Kids, and keep the party going in the great outdoors with one of the activities from our Guide to Outdoor Activities for Kids.

Fleet Week 2024, NYC's annual salute to sea services, returns for its 36th run next week with tons of family-friendly activities from Wednesday, May 22-Monday, May 27, 2024. Fleet Week NYC activities are an annual highlight of Memorial Day weekend in NYC, bringing tons of service members to our shores, plus family-friendly programming at the Intrepid Museum, in Times Square, and at piers along the west side and in Staten Island.

Camping snacks are essential for a successful stay in the great outdoors with kids. My family loves camping, but when it comes to building a campfire and actually cooking a meal on it, our success rate is hovering around 70%. So we always make sure to have plenty of camping snacks on hand.

We've rounded up our favorite easy camping snacks to keep your family's energy up while hiking, climbing, and exploring. Most of these camping snacks are healthy, but we mixed in a few treats, too. We tried to include mostly snacks that need little to no refrigeration or additional prep. Don't forget to properly dispose of any food waste—even orange peels and apple cores can take years to decompose in colder climates.

Our Camping Travel Guide includes loads of other ideas for making your next family camping trip a success, from fun camping games to kid-friendly ghost stories.

Princeton, NJ, is well-loved for its perfect mix of historical charm, trendy artistic feel, and sophisticated shopping and dining. At just 17 square miles, there's no shortage of things to do with kids in this Central NJ town. 

Read on for fun ways for families to have a great time in Princeton and the inside scoop on hotels and where to eat. And be sure to check out the Mommy Poppins Day Trips in NJ Guide for other great destinations in the Garden State. 

When it comes to indoor playgrounds in NYC, you can never have too many options. Rainbow Playspace recently opened its doors in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and features a gigantic ball pit, slides, swings, obstacle courses, toys, foam blocks, trampolines, and more. It's the perfect place for kids to jump, bounce, run, swing, climb, slide, and play, especially when it's rainy or cold outside.

Read on for all the details and what you need to know about Rainbow Playspace, and find all our top local romping spots on this list of Brooklyn's best indoor play spaces, and visit our comprehensive NYC Kids' Guide to Indoor Play Spaces and Fun Zones for more places to play citywide.

I vaguely remember going to the beach with a cute little beach bag that held just a towel, a bottle of sunscreen, a book, a water bottle, and maybe a snack. Going to the beach with my three kids, however, requires a mountain of beach chairs, towels, a heap of toys, two coolers, and a wagon to haul everything.

I’ve tried my share of beach gear over the years (I grew up in a beach town and now we live near the Jersey Shore), but to make sure I had left no stone unturned, I also polled our readers and everyone at Mommy Poppins for their picks on the very best things to bring to the beach with kids. Everything on this list will make your next day at the beach easier, less sandy, and a little more like, well, a day at the beach.