Free Kid and Family Activities in NYC: 10 Free Things to Do this Week- New York Family

Free Kid and Family Activities in NYC: 10 Free Things to Do This Week

When those lists come out of the most expensive cities to live in, New York City is always on the list, which can all feel a bit crazy. Rent is how much? That sandwich is $20?! With the cost of living increasing, many parents must be more frugal than ever.

But, hey, we aren’t bashing our city; we love it, and what we love most about it is that while expensive, it is one of the best cities that embraces community and offers so many free things for kids and families.

We always feature events on NYF, and you can find many on our calendar of events, but we are now sharing every week ten things you can do for FREE for the week ahead throughout the five boroughs.

Psst…Check out The Best Holiday Family Experiences Around New York 2024

Free Family Events for the Week of 11/22-11/28

Open Hours at Environmental Education Center Get to know Brooklyn Bridge Park with a 250-gallon aquarium filled with critters from the East River, a 10’ scale model of Brooklyn Bridge Park, crafts, a reading corner, and much more. Friday, Nov. 22, 3 – 5 pm; Saturday, Nov. 23, 1 – 5 pm. All ages. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy Environmental Education Center, 99 Plymouth St., Downtown Brooklyn

7th Annual Tree Light Event Kick off the holiday season with a fun-filled event featuring enchanted holiday princesses, multi-talented elves, a stilt-walking toy soldier, The XFactor Drumline, and a parade with Santa! Enjoy music, dancing and giveaways for children with DJ Omar. Friday, Nov. 22, 5 pm. All ages. The Mall at Bay Plaza, 200 Baychester Ave., Co-op City, Bronx

Staten Island Nature Spotlight: Pond Habitats Lakes and ponds are thriving habitats for various species of birds, invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and plants. Explore this aquatic habitat with the Urban Park Rangers, as they highlight the importance the lakes and ponds have on wildlife and the surrounding neighborhood on Staten Island. Saturday, Nov. 23, 11 am. All ages. Clove Lakes Park, Forest Avenue, Victory Boulevard bet. Clove Road and Brookside Avenue, Royal Oak Road, Sunnyside, Staten Island

Harvest Harmony: A Fall Celebration Celebrate the beauty of fall and the Thanksgiving season with a special, interactive performance by Musiquita, featuring lively bilingual (English and Spanish) music that will have kids and families singing and dancing. Saturday, Nov. 23, 12 pm. All ages. Queens Place Mall, 8801 Queens Blvd Queens, Elmhurst, Queens

Autumn Gardening: Bulb Planting Help plant bulbs for the spring garden. Daffodils and tulips go in the ground in the fall so that there will be flowers in the spring! Sunday, Nov. 24, 1 – 2:30 pm. All ages. Inwood Hill Park, 218th Street & Indian Road, Inwood, Manhattan

Native American Heritage Month: Art in Action! Watercolor Feathers Feathers are widely believed among North American Indians to signify the connection between The Creator, the owner of the feather, and the bird from whom the feather came. The feather symbolizes high honor, power, wisdom, trust, strength, freedom, and are seen as gifts from the sky. Families will learn about the significance of feathers in Native American culture, and then paint a watercolor feather. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 3:30 – 5 pm. Ages 5 and older. Jerome Park Library, 118 Eames Place, Jerome Park, Bronx

Atlantic Avenue Annual Tree Lighting The community is invited to the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Assembly Member Jo Anne Simon, and Council Member Lincoln Restler, who will officiate the ceremony. The Girl Scouts Troops 2133 and 2518 will count down to the official lighting of the holiday tree and the Brooklyn High School of the Arts choir will sing holiday classics. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 6 pm. All ages. Outside of St. Cyril of Turov Belarusian Church, 401 Atlantic Ave., Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

Thanksgiving Craft Create a Thanksgiving-themed craft to adorn your holiday table. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 4 – 5 pm. Ages 6-11. Mitchell-Linden Library, 31-32 Union St., Flushing, Queens

Lapsit Storytime: Baby Space This lap-sit story and playtime invites babies and their grown-ups to talk, sing, and play to build the foundation for reading and writing in the future. Baby Space offers twenty minutes of singing, rhyming, and picturebook sharing, followed by 30 minutes of playtime. Tuesday, Nov. 26, 11 am. Ages 3-23 months with a caregiver. St. George Library Center, 5 Central Ave., St. George, Staten Island.

98th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Giant balloons, fabulous floats, exciting entertainers & more are joining this all-star celebration of Thanksgiving! Thursday, Nov. 28, All ages. 8:30 am – 12 pm. The parade passes Macy’s Herald Square, at 151 W 34th St., Midtown Manhattan. See Macy’s website for complete route and viewing spots.

Treehouse Shakers

<div>Treehouse Shakers&rsquo; Branching OUT After-School program is for ages 12-14. This awarded program is for young people who identify as LGBTQIA+, or are seeking to become better allies. Branching OUT centers on discovering and exploring one&rsquo;s story and identity through an intentionally artist-led format. During our community-based program, young people will explore and reflect on their own story to create a larger, more meaningful experience, while gaining self-empowerment and gathering with like-minded peers. Through the guidance of our awarded teaching artists, young people will create narratives that will be turned into podcasts, dances, songs or poetry.&nbsp;</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Young people have the opportunity to learn new art forms, work with professional artists, while building a meaningful community.</div>

Super Soccer Stars

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. 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. 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: Connecticut: <ul> <li>Cos Cob</li> <li>Greenwich</li> <li>Port Chester</li> </ul> &nbsp; Westchester: <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> &nbsp; New York City: <ul> <li>Bronx</li> <li>Inwood</li> <li>Upper West Side</li> <li>Upper East Side</li> </ul> &nbsp; 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;

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.