Wintertime on Long Island means getting creative about keeping the kids entertained and engaged. But indoor play space and fun zones, museum admissions, and theater can all start to add up. So how to do it without breaking the bank? Lucky you. We've rounded up FREE events for Long Island kids and families happening this winter!

We found library events, nature walks, parks, free venues and more. 

Remember, you can always check our Events Calendar for FREE events by using the "free" search filter. Be sure to also keep an eye on our Winter Fun Guide as we continue to update it with more season-specific ideas like sledding and winter walks.

Skiing and snowboarding near New York City always feels like a trade-off. The further you are willing to drive, the better the skiing. The less you drive, the less you get in terms of runs, altitude and amenities. Or so I thought until our recent visit to Mountain Creek Resort in New Jersey. Mountain Creek is the closest ski area near New York City, but we found it offers a superior experience even to some further away ski mountains. I don’t know how I had missed this great ski spot so close to the city.

Just 47 miles from the George Washington Bridge, we arrived at Mountain Creek in just over an hour. Dealing with the logistics of skiing with kids can be stressful, so taking hours of travel out of the equation made the day much more relaxed. We didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or feel rushed to get on the slopes. We knew we could take our time and still get a full day of skiing and boarding in. No worries.

Looking for something a little different for the kids this summer in Jersey? A half-day or full-day spent indoors in a cool art museum or outside at a lively zoo may just be the ticket to an unusual summer experience. Here are the best museum and zoo camps we found in New Jersey. You can find many more New Jersey summer camps in our Camp Guide and Full Directory of Listings. 

I think a backyard ice hockey rink sounds like something straight out of a Rockwell painting (well, maybe not the hockey part, but humor me here).  Snow falling, a stand of trees in the background, the unmistakable scraping sound of metal on ice.  Whoops. How idyllic is this gonna be if my boys have no clue how to skate, much less handle a stick?!   Being that this is the Northeast, there are a good many rinks in Fairfield County where your little boys and girls can learn the game (while you hone your bleacher warming skills). For more winter fun, check out our Winter Fun Guide.

For kids who want to explore and expand their creativity, there are several art camps on Long Island that go beyond cutting and pasting. Whether your child is an experienced artist or a true beginner, you're sure to find a summer program that fits your needs. And for more camp options, be sure to check out our Long Island Summer & Vacation Camps Guide.

It's kindergarten application crunch time in New York City. Kindergarten Connect, the relatively new form that New York City parents need to fill out either online, on paper, or by phone in order to apply their children to kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year, must be filed by Friday, January 12 (although that deadline has been extended by the Department of Education in the past). It is not first-come, first-served, so when you turn it in doesn’t matter, as long as you do it by the deadline.

Perhaps it seems you sweated through preschool options and the pre-K decision just moments ago and are once again feeling overwhelmed at the options—the process. As the author of Getting Into NYC Kindergarten, I realize that there is a great deal of confusion about what goes on Kindergarten Connect, and what doesn’t, as well as the optimal way to rank your options to raise the odds of getting into your top-choice school, including a popular zoned kindergarten. So I've put together some simple tips to demystify the process. Relax, it's not high school—not yet!

Have a Lego lover in the house and looking for a way to turn that passion into an activity? The Hudson Valley FIRST Lego League (HVFLL) is an amazing and supportive way for kids to use an interest in Legos in a fun and competitive setting.  

We have what you need to know about the HVFLL and this year’s tournament season. If you're looking for more activities in our area, STEM and otherwise, sign up for our newsletters and follow us on Facebook. 

It's a school holiday and your kids are at home, but you still have to go into the office, leaving you scrambling for childcare. If you find yourself in this situation, or if you just want to have the kids do something fun and different on a day they're out of school, check out some of these holiday day camps around Houston. We picked a variety of camps that span everything from arts and crafts to gymnastics to a day at the Zoo, so your kids can spend their day learning through creative outlets and active play while you're at work.