Hi loopers,
This guide is a little longer (winter break vibes), with activities running through the end of December and into January 1 to help carry us through school closures. A heads-up that some of those extra-sparkly blocks get crowded (ie. bring patience and snacks). All activities are free unless otherwise noted.
We’re down to 3 spots left in our January book club, so grab one if it’s been on your list. And it was so great chatting with some subscribers at The Nest + Little Swaps’ clothing swap at Oula last weekend (Ann Marie!). These are exactly the moments that make this sharing loop feel real. To those parents potty training this holiday season, good luck!
Keep an eye out for The Parent Loop Edit’s upcoming series on secondhand clothing in NYC — tiny closets, real solutions, neighbors helping neighbors.
Have an event you’d like to share or idea? Just reply to this email - I’d love to hear from you. And a Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate!
Friday - Dec 19
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), 10:30am, ages 0–7.
Open Playtime @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 11am-12pm, all ages.
Family Storytime @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 11-11:45am, ages 0-5
Holiday Book Exchange @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 3-4pm, all ages. Bring 3 used books in good condition to share with others and take home up to 3 books per child each week. The Parent Loop pick!
Free Book Friday: Teen Edition @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 3-4:30pm, teens.
Children's Family Board Games Night @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 3-4:30pm, ages 0-12.
A Murray Little Christmas: 25th Anniversary @ Lincoln Center (Alice Tully Hall), 7:30pm, event offers ASL, ages 16+. SOLD OUT. Note: For sold-out shows, a standby line will form day-of at the box office, prior to showtime.
Saturday - Dec 20
Puzzles & Play @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 10-2:00pm.
Susan Novich reads HELLO, HANUKKAH! for StoryTime @ Barnes and Noble (82nd and Broadway), all ages. Call ahead to reserve and purchase your copy of the board book ($8).
Open Process Art Afternoon @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 12-3pm, ages 18 months-12 years.
A Murray Little Christmas: 25th Anniversary @ Lincoln Center (Alice Tully Hall), 7:30pm, event offers ASL, ages 16+. SOLD OUT. See note above.
Sunday - Dec 21
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), 1pm, ages 0–7.
Storytime @ The Strand (81st & 82nd), 12pm & 3pm. Stroller parking is upstairs and storytime is downstairs (very cozy with reading nooks!). Tip: If storytime hasn’t started, ask a staff member. They’re lovely about reading but they may not start if no one is there.
Monday - Dec 22
Open Playtime @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 11am-12pm, all ages.
Movie Monday - The Polar Express (2004) @ Riverside Library (Amsterdam Av and 65th St), 3:15-5pm, ages 3-12.
Tuesday - Dec 23
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Family Storytime @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 11-11:45am, ages 0-5.
Open Play for Babies @ Riverside Library (Amsterdam Av and 65th St), 11-11:45am, registration in person, first-come, first served, infants and babies.
Children’s Movie Matinee: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 3:30-4:30pm, all ages. Tickets distributed at 3pm, first-come, first-served, limit is 15 families.
Game on! @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 4-5pm, ages 12-18.
Wednesday - Dec 24
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Open: The American Natural History Museum (10am-5:30pm), The Strand (on Columbus, 10am-6pm), Barnes and Noble (8:00am-6pm). Children’s Museum of Manhattan is closed.
Thursday - Dec 25
If you’re open to braving the crowds and looking for some Christmas spirit, consider going to Bryant Park Winter Village or Rockefeller Center. Many places are closed, including the American Natural History Museum, The Strand, and Barnes and Noble.
Need an idea for an activity? Check out Carnegie Hall’s musical resources (ages 0-5), including family sing alongs and lullabies, here.
Friday - Dec 26
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), 10:30am , ages 0–7.
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Open Playtime @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 11am-12pm, all ages.
Children's Family Board Games Night @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 3-4:30pm, ages 0-12.
Teen Film Fridays: Little Women (2019) @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 2:30-4:45pm, ages 13-18.
Saturday - Dec 27
Puzzles & Play @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 10-2:00pm.
Open Process Art Afternoon @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 12-3pm, ages 18 months-12 years.
Sunday - Dec 28
Storytime @ Book Culture (2915 Broadway & 114th St), 1pm, ages 0–7.
Storytime @ The Strand (81st & 82nd), 12pm & 3pm. See note above.
Monday - Dec 29
Open Playtime @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 11am-12pm, all ages.
Game on! @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 4-5pm, ages 12-18.
Movie Monday - The Peanuts Movie (2015) @ Riverside Library (Amsterdam Av and 65th St), 3:15-5pm, ages 3-12. First-come, first-served, no registration.
Kids’ STEAM: 3D Printing @ St. Agnes Library (82nd & Amsterdam Av), 3:30-4:30pm, registration in-person at the circulation desk, ages 8 and up only.
Tuesday - Dec 30
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Family Storytime @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 11-11:45am, ages 0-5.
Family Movie: Snow Day @ St. Agnes Library (82nd & Amsterdam Av), 2-3:30pm, all ages, no registration required.
Game on! @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 4-5pm, ages 12-18.
Wednesday - Dec 31
Coloring for Babies and Toddlers @ Columbus Library (51st & 10th Av), 10:30-11:00am, ages 0-3.
Noon Year’s Eve (countdown from 10 for the new year!) @ Bloomingdale Library (100th & Amsterdam Av), 11:45am-12:15pm, for all ages.
Open: The American Natural History Museum (10am-5:30pm), The Strand (on Columbus, 10am-6pm), Barnes and Noble (9am-6pm).
Thursday - Jan 1
Annual New Year’s Day Sale @ all Book Culture locations, 20% off everything, in-store purchases only, 11am-7pm.
Open: The American Natural History Museum (10am-5:30pm), The Strand (on Columbus, 11am-8pm), Barnes and Noble (11:00am-9pm). Children’s Museum of Manhattan has historically closed on this day.
Hot tickets
The Magic Flute - Holiday Presentation @ The Metropolitan Opera, tickets are $35 and up, until Jan 3, 1.5 hrs, all ages. Note: It’s an abridged version and in English. Recommendation: Use all the downloadable activities to review the plot before and after with your kids.
Family Saturdays @ New York City Ballet (David Koch Theater, Lincoln Center), A Timeless Tale on Feb 21 + The Comedy of Coppélia on May 30, price varies +$29, ages +5. Tickets are required for infants, children, and adults.
Musical Explorers Family @ Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall, 7th Av & W 57th St.), interactive concerts about American freedom songs, the Puerto Rican bomba and plena and Indian classical music, Jan 17, 12pm and 3pm, $20, ages 4-8. The Parent Loop pick!
25th Flamenco Festival @ Ballet Hispánico, grades 3-12, Feb 26-Mar 1 and Mar 5-8, $45.
Swaps
Toy and Book Swap Donations @ St. Agnes Library (82nd & Amsterdam Av), donations accepted Dec 22-Jan 2. Donate outgrown toys and swap them for something new at their upcoming post-holiday Toy and Book Swap! on January 2. Another The Parent Loop pick!
Recurring neighborhood favorites
Hands-on-activities @ American Museum of Natural History, NYC residents pay-what-you-wish. The Museum will be open an hour early, from 9am-5:30pm Dec 27-Dec 29.
Discovery Room: 0-12, open daily except Tues, check exact times. The Parent Loop favorite!
Climate Learning Lab: ages 8 and up, select Sat and Sun
Human Origins Learning Lab: ages 8 and up, Sat and Sun
Holiday-themed activities - be prepared for some crowds!
Gingerbread NYC - The Great Borough Bake-Off 2025 @ The Museum of the City of New York (1220 Fifth Av.), 10am-6pm, all ages. A miniature gingerbread cityscape crafted by bakers from all five boroughs. Quick tip: Want to make your own but not spend too much? Trader Joe’s has them for $8.99!
Holiday train show @ Grand Central (NY Transit Museum Gallery & Store in the Shuttle Passage), Nov 13-Feb, M-F 10am-7:30 pm, Sat-Sun 10 am-6pm. Pair it with the Holiday Fair in Vanderbuilt Hall.
Holiday lightscape @ Brooklyn Botanical Garden, prices vary and tickets required.
Holiday Train Show @ Bronx Botanical Garden, prices vary.
Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights @ Bronx Zoo, Nov 21-Jan 4, prices vary. Two reviews from TPL parents:
Two kids (ages 2.5 and 4 yrs): “Both girls were super engaged and had a blast, it’s all outside so on a freezing day might not be fun. We went last night and geared for up for the cold and it was good. [My daughter] was soooo excited with the s’mores station and is now obsessed with marshmallows. They have a cute show, live ice sculpture…”
Two kids (ages 10 months and 2.3 yrs): “My toddler would have loved it. But she was just having an off day.”
Ice skating:
@ Wollman Rink (Central Park, near east 63rd). Prices vary and tickets required.
@ Bryant Park Winter Village. Prices vary and tickets required but free if you bring your own skates.
@ Gottesmann Rink at the Davis Center, Central Park north end. They have paid classes available for tots and up. Prices vary.
Largest Menorah lighting and Chanukah events @ 5th Ave and 59th St, across from the Plaza Hotel.
NYC holiday markets: Grand Holiday Bazaar UWS (Dec 7, 14, 21), Columbus Circle Market, Winter Village at Bryant Park, The Church of Sweden Holiday Market (Midtown), Holiday Bazaar Pop Up at Grand Central on Dec. 16-18 (from the makers of the Grand Bazaar Market!), Chinatown Holiday Market, Urbanspace Union Square Holiday Market, and more. Remember to check exact dates, times, and if tickets are required.
Christmas trees throughout the city: Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, Washington Square Park, Madison Square Park, Tavern on the Green (Central Park), Seaport’s Holiday Tree, New York Stock Exchange Tree, Lotte New York Palace Tree, Harlem Meer (Central Park).
Holiday Your Way Saks Fifth Avenue Light Show @ 611 5th Avenue, 5- 11:00 pm. You can also pay to go to the Top of the Rock and see it from there.
The Loop Edit
Over the past few months, I’ve been reflecting on how much kids’ clothes factor into everyday parenting—what we buy, how quickly our toddler outgrows things, and the constant cycle of replacing them. It’s a quiet but persistent set of decisions that shapes our day-to-day more than we often realize.
I’ve been talking with parents and founders who are creating easier, more intentional ways for kids’ clothes to move through NYC families. I’m excited to start sharing these conversations soon—about how that process can feel more realistic in everyday life, and in some cases, even joyful.
Meanwhile, in case you missed it, here’s my “gift guide” curated based on our toddler’s all time favorite toys. I also added what we’re gifting grandparents this year. Have something you want to write about? Submit your posts — I’m always looking for voices from around the neighborhood.
The Parent Loop Bookclub
Our first book club pick is How Toddlers Thrive by Dr. Tovah P. Klein, PhD. We’re meeting on Jan 15th at 7 pm at La Bomboniera (UWS location). 3 spots left!
Because good stuff really shouldn’t sit in a closet. See you around the neighborhood! - Jessie
The Parent Loop
Disclaimer: Event details, dates, and links are subject to change — please check with venues before heading out. Some product links may earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share items we genuinely use and love.