Brooklyn Ninja Academy Brings Parkour Gym to Park Slope

Brooklyn Ninja Academy lets kids train on ninja warrior-inspired obstacles.

The New York Ninja Academy is expanding, opening a brand new Brooklyn location for budding ninja warriors to train and get fit. Here, kids can experience the parkour obstacles made famous by the hit American Ninja Warrior television show. The Brooklyn Ninja Academy coaches kids (and adults) in skills and techniques to improve balance, agility, and strength to master its various obstacles.

I recently checked out the new ninja warrior facility with my 11-year-old daughter and her friend, who experienced first-hand what it's like to be trained by ninja champions. Read on for the full review and find more cool places to train in our guide to Sports Centers, Gyms, and Fun Zones in NYC.

25 Preschool Science Experiments: Simple Science for Toddlers through Kindergarten Kids

Create colorful storm clouds out of shaving cream and food coloring.

You don't need a tiny inventor or an aspiring Ada Twist, Scientist to have some fun with science. After all, every kid is an expert experimenter, and nothing makes us feel more like fun parents than breaking out some magical tricks and elixirs. Here are 25 easy preschool science experiments for all the STEM and STEAM your toddler, preschooler, or kindergarten kid can handle.

For more science experiments for kids of all ages, check out our list of 64 easy science experiments for kids, try our colorful Skittles science experiment, or enjoy one of our magical light experiments for toddlers and preschoolers—all of which can be found in our Guide to Science Experiments for Kids. Happy discovering!

Dazzling Flip Circus Is Set for New York, New Jersey Tour

Circus artists mesmerize the audience at Flip Circus.

There’s a new circus in town, and it’s premiering now at the Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Flip Circus is a brand-new circus experience conceived by the Vazquez brothers of the touring Circus TT Vazquez, features an international cast of entertainers celebrating the great American circus tradition—what's more, the show is heading to Staten Island, Yonkers, Nanuet, Smith Haven on Long Island, and Edison, New Jersey, over the next few months, giving local families plenty of time to catch up to its daring acts. Read on for our full review of this new spectacle.

Navigating Kids’ Anxiety About COVID Restrictions Ending—Tips From Pediatric Experts

Pediatric experts from Connecticut Children’s share the best ways for parents to approach reopenings. Photo courtesy of Connecticut Children's.

With more and more COVID-19 restrictions being lifted and masks becoming optional inside most Connecticut schools, parents and children are navigating big changes for what feels like the millionth time in the last two years. Understandably, for some kids, this new chapter may bring on what’s known as “re-entry anxiety”—a sense of fear or uneasiness that can accompany the return to our pre-pandemic normal.

To get a handle on the best way for parents to approach these reopenings while minimizing anxiety, we connected with the only health system in the state that’s 100% dedicated to kids, Connecticut Children’s. Their pediatric psychologists provided helpful tips for navigating the difficult emotions that can come with this new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and offered up some handy resources you’ll definitely want to bookmark.

Top Teen and Tween Summer Camps in New Jersey

YMCA Camp Mason prides itself on offering families a unique blend of traditional and adventure summer camp experiences. Photo courtesy of the YMCA

While playing Roblox may be your tween or teen's idea of summer activity, keeping this age group busy and active in the summer can pose a dilemma for parents. Too old for some traditional summer day camps and too young to find a summer job or internship, these big kids still require structured, entertaining, and challenging activities to fill the long days of summer. We've rounded up more than 10 summer camps for tweens and teens in New Jersey. These cool summer camps offer specialties ranging from sports to theater, travel, and well-rounded fun.

Bookmark our New Jersey Summer Camp Guide for more programs that may pique the interest of teens, like our picks for the best STEM summer camps in New Jersey. Plus, our Summer Camp Directory allows you to search for programs by age, interest, and location.

30 Fun Preschool and Toddler Events in NYC this Spring

Visitors can mingle with up to 500 fluttering, iridescent butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History. Photo courtesy of AMNH

Spring may be the most exciting season of the year for parents of preschoolers and toddlers who have been stuck inside for what feels like 5,000 weeks of winter. With the arrival of warm weather, it's like New York City itself wakes up from hibernating, and families stream out of their apartments and onto the sidewalks, scooters in tow, ready to take advantage of all the city has to offer in the springtime. There are so many exciting things to see and do in Marcn, April, and May, and we've taken the time to round up the best preschool and toddler events this spring.

We've got cool outdoor festivals, stunning, age-appropriate theater picks, and much more, all perfect for the under 5 set. What's not included? The piles of Easter egg hunts, ideas to celebrate Mother's Day, and Passover observances. But, fear not—we're covering the spring holidays in-depth in the coming weeks. Without further ado, here are our top springtime picks for New York's tiniest city slickers.

Towering UES Luxury Condo Has 8 Floors of Family-Friendly Amenities for Only 46 Homes

From a whimsical kids' play space to a double height basketball court, 180 East 88th Street is packed with family-friendly amenities.

If space, privacy, and access to recreation and amenities are at the top of your dream home wishlist, it’s hard to do better than Upper East Side luxury condominium, 180 East 88th Street. Boasting spacious two- to five-bedroom half- and full-floor or duplex condos, the beautiful towering building has eight entire floors of meticulously designed amenities. A whimsical kids’ play space, a party-perfect residents’ lounge, a teen-targeted game room, plus a double-height basketball court and a soccer pitch are just some of the amenities offered for all ages.

Paired with the perks of the coveted Carnegie Hill neighborhood, like Museum Mile, Central Park, and some of the city’s top public and private schools, 180 East 88th Street is a great pick for New York City parents. Read on for a peek inside the tallest high-rise above 72nd Street and take a look at the units with immediate availability.

Best Free Annual Parades in New York City for Kids

The streets come alive with tons of dance genres during the lively New York Dance Parade each May. Photo by Leonard Rosmarin

As the saying goes, everyone loves a parade. And during the warmer months, there are parades in NYC practically every week celebrating a wide variety of cultures and causes, and all of them are FREE.

While it's always cool to watch the colorful costumes, floats, and performers pass by, there are certain annual parades in New York City that are particularly great for families. These processions are either exceptionally vibrant, like Chinatown's Lunar New Year Parade or the Three Kings Day Parade in East Harlem, or invite costumed kids to get in on the action, like the small, community-based Halloween Parades that are much less intense than the big one in Greenwich Village.

Included in our list are popular NYC parades we've attended—some many times—or those that come highly recommended. So, get out your calendar, and save these dates to see if you can catch them all!

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