Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

The Children's Museum of the Arts' Japanese Culture Festival will take place this Sunday! Photo via cmany.org. — The Children’s Museum of the Arts’ Japanese Culture Festival will take place this Sunday! Photo via cmany.org.

As we enter the last stretch of summer, this week we chose the best of the best for you and your family–including an Olympic-themed fest, a three-day homage to pachyderms, a celebration of indie children’s theater, and two stunning Asian fests that will blow you away. Enjoy!

Through Thursday, August 11

Citi Celebrates Team USA: Rio on the Hudson
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park
12pm
Cheer on Team USA this week during Citi’s Rio Olympics celebration at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park. Festivities include face painting, children’s games, music, and arts and crafts, virtual golf swing bays and sprint races. And if those choices aren’t enough, there will also be samba dance performances, photo ops, and visits from former Olympians including Mia Hamm and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. See event website for daily schedules. This event is free.

Friday, August 12-Sunday, August 14

World Elephant Day Weekend
The Bronx Zoo
11am-4pm
Join the Bronx Zoo this weekend for World Elephant Day! To honor the elephants lost each year for their ivory, help the zoo create 35,000 origami elephants for a Guinness World Record. Zoo visitors can also listen to original music created by DJ Ecotone using wild elephant calls and participate in one of three yoga sessions at Astor Court. Free with zoo admission.

Beginning Saturday, August 13

FringeJR Festival
14th Street Y
Various times
Celebrate the New York International Fringe Festival’s 20th anniversary in a kid-friendly way at FringeJR! All FringeJR productions are recommended for families and groups with children ages 5-12. This year’s lineup includes a show that explores Amelia Earhart’s legacy through music, puppetry, and circus arts; a production that transports audiences to a pirate’s magical world, and much more! Be sure to stop by Fort FringeJR, where kids can enjoy free arts and crafts and hang with their favorite characters from the shows! Tickets are $13. Runs through Saturday, August 27.

Saturday, August 13

Dragon Boat Family Festival
Museum of Chinese in America
12pm-4pm
Check out the Museum of Chinese in America this Saturday for a Dragon Boat Family Festival! All ages can enjoy calligraphy workshops, storytelling, arts and crafts, a bug gallery hunt, and zongi (pyramid-shaped rice balls) wrapping and tasting. Tickets are $10; free for children under the age of 2.

Sunday, August 14

Japanese Culture Festival
Children’s Museum of the Arts
12pm-4pm
Head to the Children’s Museum of the Arts on Sunday for its Japanese Culture festival. The Japanese Folk Dance Institute will perform a traditional folk dance and teach fest-goers how to make their own flower hats for the Flower Hat Dance parade. There will also be origami making, Japanese garden designing, and much more! Free with museum admission.

USC Gymnastics & Baseball Training Facility

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">We offer sports activities, after school programs, birthday parties &amp; private lessons for kids ages 3&ndash;13 years! Our gymnastics classes are a great way to keep your child active and healthy. We strive to empower and challenge children through the sport of gymnastics.</span></p>

Plugged in Band

<div>Plugged In is a nonprofit program that offers online programs to student&nbsp;musicians (Ages 10-18) in a non-competitive environment and provides band and individual performance opportunities in support of community and charitable causes.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Our programs include:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Rock Band Classes</div> <div>Private Music Lessons</div> <div>Summer Camp</div> <div>Digital/Audio Production</div> <div>Songwriting and Recording Workshops</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Oh and hey parents, we are now offering private music lessons and our rock band program for adults too. Reach out to us for more information.&nbsp;</div>

Super Soccer Stars

<p>Soccer Stars is New York&rsquo;s most popular youth educational soccer program! With 24 years of experience under our cleats, we have positively impacted over one million kids in our local community by putting the FUN in FUNdamentals in our weekly classes and camps.</p> <p>At Soccer Stars, we use the soccer ball as a vehicle to help children not only improve their soccer skills, but develop self-confidence and physical literacy, improve gross motor skills, build teamwork, and hone socialization skills. Our highly trained coaches and early childhood experts lead an age-specific curriculum with a low kid-to-coach ratio so every child gets individual attention and can grow at their own pace.</p> <p>Kids ages 1-12+ can join our seasonal programs, including Parent &amp; Me, FUNdamentals, Development Training, and Travel Soccer. Join us at one of over 80 locations in neighborhoods across across Westchester County, Connecticut and New York, available 7 days-a-week:</p> <p><strong>Connecticut:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Cos Cob</li> <li>Greenwich</li> <li>Port Chester</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Westchester:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Briarcliff</li> <li>Eastchester</li> <li>Mt. Kisco</li> <li>New Rochelle</li> <li>Ridgefield</li> <li>Scarsdale</li> <li>White Plains</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>New York City:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Bronx</li> <li>Inwood</li> <li>Upper West Side</li> <li>Upper East Side</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Can&rsquo;t find a class or location that fits your schedule? Soccer Stars also offers private classes for small groups or individual training. Let our coaches come to you with a completely customizable program, anytime, anywhere. Birthday parties are also available!&nbsp;</p>