Welcome to a new year! The Mommy Poppins Connecticut team wishes you and your family a healthy and happy 2016. We hope that our posts and Events Calendar will provide you with many ideas for enjoying the upcoming months to the fullest, beginning with the January Go List.

If you’re still recovering from festivities, you can take it easy this weekend, which appears to be pretty quiet throughout the state. It’s the last chance this season to stroll through the Fantasy of Lights in New Haven, or the Festival of Silver Lights in Meriden. You can also relax at Maritime Aquarium with a viewing of The Polar Express, showing for the last time this weekend.

Happy New Year! As we say goodbye to 2015 and usher in 2016, there’s plenty of fun to be had around New Jersey while the kiddos are still on winter break. Soak in the last of this year’s Christmas cheer with a Holiday Scavenger Hunt at Frelinghuysen Arboretum or check out the last weekend of the dazzling holiday lights during the Historic Smithville Holiday Light Show. And if you want to include the whole family in New Year festivities, take them to make a New Year’s Ball Craft at Imagine That Children’s Museum, join in the New Year’s Day Party at Kidz Village or lace up your hiking boots for a picturesque New Year’s Family Walk at Pyramid Mountain. Whatever you decide to do this holiday weekend, we hope you enjoy it with family and friends. For additional activity options, check out our Event Calendar.

A parent walks into the Museum of Science. Strolling along on one side is a 4-year-old boy. On the other side is his 9-year-old brother. With a little planning, it's not as difficult as it might sound to make this day work out for everyone. Here are some tips to keep everyone happy at the Museum of Science when there's an age gap or varied interests with kids.

There's no way around it: most babies fuss and cry a lot. And many new parents are eager to try anything to soothe their little charges, so perhaps it's not surprising that baby massage is one of the latest trendy mommy and me class options in NYC.

Touch is probably the first and most comforting language newborns and infants learn—and massage a timeworn practice. A gentle touch reinforces love, safety and trust between parent and child, making massage instruction one of the more bonding-focused mommy and me classes out there.

The benefits touted for adult or baby massage are compelling: improvement in overall health and sleep, reduction in stress levels, boosting the immune system and easing an infant's colic or even constipation. New York City parents have several great options to choose from, including private sessions at home, as well as venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn that host group lessons in massage.

Find more NYC classes in our Classes Guide and Directory Listings.

Yes, it is winter, although you might not know it most of the time! While the unseasonably warm weather means bad things for our skiers out there, it does make romping around outdoors a bit easier. Take advantage of this weather with some fresh air and fun—and maybe even learn a few things—with our list of the best winter nature programs, workshops and events occurring this season in Westchester and the rest of the Lower Hudson Valley. Take note that many of these programs require pre-registration, so be sure to click through to learn more. 

Looking for more winter fun, whether it's indoors or out? Sign up for our FREE newsletters, check our our Event Calendar or follow us on Facebook. 

New Year's Day is TOUGH—even if you haven't been up carousing until the wee hours. Somehow this seems to be the point in the winter break when the kids have grown weary of one another's company and are bored with their Christmas presents (so soon?). While most of our kid friendly mainstays in Connecticut are closed for the day, we've rounded up a list of those places in Fairfield County that are open for the day from bowling alleys to ice rinks and beyond. You're sure to find something to make your first day of 2016 a blast.

Happy New Year!

Growing up in Los Angeles, I enjoyed a New Year's Day tradition that my own children have yet to experience up close: the Rose Parade. My parents staked out curbside viewing several times when I was small, and one year we even watched the floats get decorated before the parade. It nags at me that the closest my own children have come to this quintessential, rain-or-shine LA experience is the television screen in our living room. I can't guarantee we will get there this year, either; nevertheless, I am highlighting two opportunities this week—one before and one after the parade. See the floats as they are assembled, or see them as they are disassembled. Or just get your family to the parade.

There may be a few of you who have not made it to Star Wars:The Force Awakens yet, and others whose children are clamoring for a second viewing. There’s nothing better than a movie matinee in the quiet week between Christmas and New Year’s. A fun alternative to Star Wars is the Marx Brothers double feature at Santa Monica’s Aero Theatre.

Finally, New Year’s Eve is not a holiday aimed at children, but the Discovery Cubes in LA and OC have a few ideas, as do the Zimmer Museum and Kidspace. One kid-friendly thing that caught my eye is the Skating Plus New Year’s Eve Party in Ventura. The roller rink celebrates with the clocks set forward to reach “midnight” at 3pm, after which parents can take the kids home, tuck them into bed, and crack open a bottle of well-deserved bubbly.

Kiss 2015 goodbye and give a warm welcome to 2016 this week! While the kids are on winter break, make their last week of the year a memorable one, with fun activities like Morris Museum’s Toyland Family Festival and Frelinghuysen Arboretum’s Holiday Scavenger Hunt. Then, New Year’s Eve, plus the next day, are family affairs at festivities including New Year’s Eve at iPlay America, New Year’s Eve Splash at Adventure Aquarium and New Year’s Day Kids Party. And don’t forget to check out our Event Calendar for even more options!