Rosalind Muggeridge

When not busy trekking across NYC with her two little explorers in tow, Rosalind Muggeridge is covering events for Mommy Poppins for Brooklyn and Queens. Her career includes 10 years in the nonprofit world followed by four years as the events editor at Brooklyn Parent Magazine. She can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.

Latest posts by Rosalind

Free in November: 35+ Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Thu, 11/03/2022 - 10:33am

Celebrate the holiday season Brooklyn style at DTBK Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Party!. Photo courtesy Downtown Brooklyn

As the holiday season hits New York City, it's easy to fall into a spend-and-splurge vortex, but there's no need: We've found 35 free things to do in NYC this November with kids. Our list of free things to do in November includes annual favorites, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and Macy's Santaland. You'll also find non-holiday fun for the whole family, like a weekly Happy Dance Club at The Hugh, a seal exploration in the Bronx, and more picks sprinkled throughout the boroughs.

Read on for more of our top free event picks in November, and don't forget to hop over to our just-released Best of November List, which includes our top picks all month long. You can always find more freebies in our Guide to Free Things To Do in NYC with Kids, from free play spaces and gratis admission hours at museums to our list of 100 free things to do in NYC with kids.

Fun Things To Do with Preschoolers in NYC: 5 Itineraries for Little Kid Fun

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Mon, 10/17/2022 - 7:00pm

Get lost in the labyrinth at Pier 3 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo by Sara Marentette

New York can be a big, intimidating place for anyone, and that's especially true when you're looking for fun things to do in NYC with preschoolers. Thankfully, pint-sized visitors and residents alike can enjoy plenty of fun activities for preschoolers. While NYC has preschool-friendly zoos and gardens, and a top-notch collection of children's museums, we wanted to provide something a little out of the ordinary. So, we've crafted five itineraries perfect for preschoolers. Whether you're looking for activities for preschoolers as a visitor, or you're a local who wants to check out a new-to-you neighborhood, we've rounded up five mom-tested outings meant to give you and your kid a glimpse of the city without totally wearing everyone down.

Find more fun things to do in New York City in our Guide to NYC's Best Preschool Activities, and bookmark our Family Activity Calendar, where you can search for fun things to do by age or neighborhood.

Indoor Activities for Kids: 35 Things To Do in NYC on a Rainy Day

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Tue, 10/04/2022 - 1:21pm

The Brooklyn Children's Museum offers three floors of rotating and permanent interactive exhibits perfect for warding off the rainy day blues. Photo courtesy of BCM

When it’s raining outside, it’s time to bring the fun inside with one of these 35 indoor activities in NYC. Our list of rainy day activities for kids brightens up even the dreariest day. We've included picks for NYC's most kid-friendly museums, fun stores where kids can play, and plenty more parent-tested picks. Of course, if you'd rather stay cozy at home, we’ve got you covered there, too, with creative indoor activities in our Guide to Boredom Busters for Kids.

Mommy-and-Me Music Classes in NYC

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Mon, 10/03/2022 - 11:35am

Toddlers can swing to the beat each week at Lincoln Center's WeBop. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center

Music classes are often the first mommy-and-me classes parents try, so it's no coincidence mommy-and-me music classes are offered all over the city. When you're ready to get out and spend some time jamming with other adults and their wee ones, check out one of these baby music classes in NYC.

Find more classes for kids, including everything from baby-and-me swimming lessons to baby sign language classes, in our New York City Classes Guide and Classes Directory.

Free in October: 35 Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Sun, 10/02/2022 - 1:17pm

Celebrate the changing of the seasons at the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy's annual Harvest Festival! Photo by Katherine Gray

October is bubbling over with bushels of free things to do in NYC. While we've already presented you with our picks for free Halloween activities, that's not all the cost-free fun happening in NYC this month. We have plenty of non-Halloween events, including harvest and fall festivals like the Little Red Lighthouse Festival and Randall's Island Harvest Festival.

October also boasts events like the Blessing of the Animals, Yom Kippur in Prospect Park, and the Atlantic Antic.

Read on for 35 free things to do in New York City this October, including events in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx. Find more top events on our best-of-October list, or our always-packed daily Family Activity Calendar. Of course, our Guide to Fall Activities and New York City Halloween Guide have all the seasonal must-do's.

Harvest Festivals, Hayrides, and Pumpkin Patches in NYC for Families

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Fri, 09/16/2022 - 11:09am

Governors Island’s annual pumpkin patch, Pumpkin Point, returns to the historic Nolan Park. Photo courtesy of Governors Island

If you think you need to head out of the city for an authentic fall harvest experience, we've got good news: NYC is jam-packed with fall activities from pumpkin patches in NYC to hayrides and even our very own corn maze. So, grab the kids and get primed for fall fun.

If you're looking for a more traditional pumpkin-picking experience, be sure to check out our favorite pumpkin patches near NYC. You can find more seasonal picks in our Guide for Fall Activities in NYC.

8 NYC Hotels with Views of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Sun, 09/11/2022 - 7:10am

Take in views of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at the JW Marriott Essex House New York.

Chances are you're not even thinking about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade yet. After all, we still have Halloween to get through! But anyone familiar with NYC hotels will tell families looking to book an NYC hotel room where they can watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2022 to begin doing so up to a year ahead of time. If you want to score one of these NYC hotels with a view of Snoopy, Spidey, Hello Kitty, and their friends, you've got to plan in advance.

It's not just NYC tourists who splurge on hotels for the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Over the past few years, we've had many New Yorkers write in asking which NYC hotels look out on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route. While most of these NYC hotels still have availability as of this writing, call right away, as everything will likely sell out. If you do get shut out, it's worth checking closer to Thanksgiving since there are sometimes last-minute cancelations.

Best Fall Festivals in NYC this Autumn for Families

Submitted by Rosalind Muggeridge on Sun, 09/04/2022 - 11:35am

Try your hand at corn husking and more analog entertainment during the Queens County Fair. Photo courtesy of the Queens County Farm Museum

Kick off autumn at one of the season's fun-filled (and mostly FREE) fall festivals in NYC. Top annual fall festival favorites include the Richmond County Fair and the annual Brooklyn Children's Book Fair. There are also some cool under-the-radar events you may not have heard of, including a sweet Honey Fest in Rockaway Beach and an Italian fair in the Bronx that is a lot less crowded than Little Italy's San Gennaro. Mommy Poppins is hosting a little bash in Brooklyn Heights, too!

So, banish the back-to-school blues by hitting one (or more) of these family-friendly fall festivals in NYC, and find more fun on our curated list of the best things to do this September with kids.