Carnegie Hall Family Concert: Natalie Merchant – Midtown West
Saturday, April 26 at 3pm
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, 881 Seventh Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets
$10-$22
Raise your hand if you saw 10,000 Maniacs back in the day? (Yes my arm is up.) Front woman Natalie Merchant went solo two decades ago and since then she's become a mom and released a number of eclectic albums, including 2010's Leave Your Sleep featuring 19th- and 20th-century poems about childhood set to her lush melodies. That's what she'll be performing at this chamber orchestra family concert that includes projected illustrations by Barbara McClintock.

LES Kids Rock! The Deedle Deedle Dees – Lower East Side
Sunday, April 27 at 11am
Manny Cantor Center, 197 East Broadway at Jefferson Street
$10 per family
There's a brand-new kids' concert series debuting at the just-opened Manny Cantor Center and we can't think of a better band to kick it off than Brooklyn's own Deedle Deedle Dees. The smartest family band in town croons songs about science and historic icons like author Zora Neale Hurston, aviatrix Amelia Earhart and Revolutionary War great Aaron Burr, so even the grown-ups in the audience learn a thing or ten.

Hip Tot Family Day @ Greenwood Park – South Slope
Sunday, April 27 noon-3pm
555 Seventh Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets
FREE
Über-popular beer garden Greenwood Park is once again teaming up with the folks at Hip Tot Music Fest to host FREE monthly family concerts on select Sunday afternoons. The season kickoff features groovy tunes by Brooklyn kid rockers Rolie Polie Guacamole, local children's illustrator Melanie Hope Greenberg reading her farm-to-table picture book Supermarket and a food-related craft. Come hungry: Greenwood's menu is very tempting.

New York Philharmonic Presents Pixar in Concert – Upper West Side
Thursday. May 1 at 7:30pm; Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 at 8pm
Avery Fisher Hall, 10 Lincoln Square at 64th Street and Columbus Avenue
$40-$125
The kids may not know Mozart when they hear it but they probably recognize the themes to Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Wall-E. The world-class New York Philharmonic gives the classical treatment to 13 Pixar soundtracks while clips from the films screen in the background. A fabulous first Avery Fisher Hall experience for ages 5 and up.

The Suzi Shelton Band – Gowanus
The Bell House, 149 7th Street between Second and Third Avenues
Sunday, May 4 at 11am
In advance: $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 2 and up; at the door: $15 for adults, $10 for children
The Brooklyn singer/songwriter and mom is one of our longtime local faves specializing in catchy acoustic pop rock. Celebrate the release of her band's third children's album, Smile In My Heart at this concert, which also features Marc Bazerman from Baze and His Silly Friends; an offbeat art project from Brooklyn Design Lab and the premiere of Shelton's brand-new video.

Kid Rockers Featuring Tennis and LOLAWOLF – Greenwich Village
Saturday, May 10 at 11:30am
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South
$28 but you can snag a family four-pack for $60 with our exclusive discount code
No acoustic "Itsy Bitsy Spider" sing-alongs at Kidrockers. This series of indie rock concerts is hosted by underground comics and features cutting-edge grown-up bands that are still kid-friendly. At this edition, catch indie-pop husband-and-wife duo Tennis, and NYC trio LOLAWOLF, fronted by X-Men: First Class star Zoë Kravitz (daughter of Lenny and Cosby star Lisa Bonet, talk about talented and good-looking genes!).

Frolic! Presents: Rock, Rave 'n' Roll: A Mother’s Day Event – Williamsburg
Sunday, May 11 4-6pm
Brooklyn Bowl, 61 Wythe Avenue near North 12th Street
In advance: $15; at the door: $20, free for babies under 6 months
You know you're going to brunch on Mother's Day... but what are you doing afterward? If you have young children, rock 'n' roll play space Frolic!'s late afternoon concert is a great bet. Let the tots get their sillies out dancing like mad to tunes by Tim Kubart of Sprout TV's Sunny Side Up Show and the aforementioned Suzi Shelton, plus DJ Unicornicopia from the Baby DJ School (yes that's a thing).

Spring Kids Fest – Flatiron
Saturday. May 17 10:30am-1:30pm
Madison Square Park, 23rd Street and Fifth Avenue
FREE
Every spring the green space teams up with Time Out Kids magazine to throw one of the best family festivals of the season. There are always awesome art activities, tasty snacks, storytelling and a stage with live music from hot kids' bands. The entertainment lineup this year includes the ukelele stylings of Mil’s Trills, kooky, kid-inspired mini-musicals by the Story Pirates, fearsome prehistoric creatures from Field Station: Dinosaurs and multiple sets by tot rockers Songs for Seeds.

Laurie Berkner – Upper West Side
Saturday, May 17 at 1pm
The Concert Hall, 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West
$45
If you've parented a preschooler at any point over the past 15 years, you probably know the words to at least a couple Laurie Berkner tunes by heart. (If not, ask your kids to sing "We Are the Dinosaurs," "Rocketship Run," "I’m Gonna Catch You" or one of her other hits and they'll school you.) The honey-voiced songstress teams up with her old band mate, Susie Lampert, at this concert celebrating the release of her latest album, Laurie Berkner Lullabies.

Shine & the Moonbeam – Crown Heights
Saturday, May 17 at 2pm
Weeksville Heritage Center, 158 Buffalo Avenue between Bergen Street and St. Mark’s Street
FREE
We raved about Shawana Kemp and her band a few years back after their big debut. The group continues to be the soul of the kindie music scene with uplifting, all-ages R&B songs about friends standing up to bullies and turning dark days bright. Catch Shine & the Moonbeams at no cost at the recently renovated Weeksville Heritage Center, and then stick around and explore the attraction-filled Crown Heights neighborhood.

Find more cool things to do this season in our Spring Fun Guide.