Toddler music and movement, gymnastics, play spaces, classes and museums that take kids under 3. Library lapsits are in the story times guide. 234 listings.
98 listings
A small zoo in the southeast corner of Central Park featuring sea lions, snow leopards, penguins and a tropical rainforest building. Admission also covers the Tisch Children's Zoo and a 4-D theater film.
An active caregiver-and-toddler program at the Central Park Zoo where 2- and 3-year-olds move around the zoo, see animals up close and take part in themed activities. Offered as drop-in Sundays or a three-week Saturday series.
Kids' gymnastics classes inside the Field House on the Hudson River piers, progressing from caregiver-assisted tot classes to independent preschool and school-age groups. Children work on rolls, handstands, beam, bars and trampoline in a large dedicated gym.
A padded indoor play area inside the Chelsea Piers Field House where toddlers crawl, climb and bounce on mats, mini beams and bars, trampolines and a ball pit. It is a good rainy-day outlet for very young children to burn energy and build coordination with a caregiver nearby.
Indoor soccer classes and leagues on turf fields at the Chelsea Piers Field House, from toddler intro classes through skills training for older kids.
A small neighborhood swim school in a building basement pool where babies, toddlers and children take group or private lessons. Infant classes include parent participation, and the pool is kept warm at 86-88 degrees.
Symphony Space's family programming brings music, storytelling, dance and theater performances for kids to its Upper West Side stages. Check the Family filter on its calendar for current shows.
Babies from birth until they start standing get unstructured floor time to explore movement while certified infant developmental movement educators observe. Parents and caregivers take part, share observations and get suggestions for supporting their baby's natural development.
Baby Fingers' Sign & Song classes blend American Sign Language with songs and play, giving babies and toddlers a way to communicate before they can talk. Classes welcome both Deaf and hearing families.
87 listings
Coney Island's aquarium features sharks, sea turtles, sea lions and penguins, including the Ocean Wonders: Sharks! building and live sea lion shows at the Aquatheater. Admission includes a 4-D theater film.
A compact, kid-scaled zoo in Prospect Park with sea lions, red pandas, kangaroos and a barnyard area where children can see farm animals up close. Easy to cover in a couple of hours with little ones.
The nation's first urban Audubon Center, set in Prospect Park's Boathouse by the Lullwater. Families meet park animals at free Animal Encounter sessions, borrow gear for nature exploration and join beginner bird walks.
Caregiver-and-child classes at the New York Aquarium that introduce toddlers and preschoolers to sea creatures through songs, stories, crafts and exhibit visits.
Little ones take short ballet and hip-hop classes built around play, starting with grown-up-and-me sessions for 18-month-olds. Children then graduate to independent classes sorted by age.
Toddlers and young children learn ballet and hip-hop basics in short, playful classes, with parent-participation 'You & Me' classes for the youngest dancers. Older kids move up to kids-only classes grouped by age.
Little ones take short, playful dance classes that mix ballet and hip-hop, grouped by age. The youngest dancers (18 months to 3) attend with a grown-up, while older preschoolers join kids-only classes; the school also runs dance and theatre camps.
The world's first children's museum, with three floors of hands-on exhibits on nature, science and Brooklyn's cultures. Little ones can play in a pretend neighborhood, explore a sensory space and meet live animals.
Prospect Heights families join 45-minute Music Together classes at Brooklyn Brainery, with singing, dancing and instrument play for babies through preschoolers and their caregivers.
22 listings
A zoo in Flushing Meadows Corona Park focused on animals of the Americas, such as Andean bears, sea lions, pumas and bison, plus a domestic-animal area. It is small enough to see everything in a morning.
A nonprofit gallery and performance space near the Long Island City waterfront hosting exhibitions, live music and theater, many of them free. Its Culture Lab for Kids programming includes music-movement-and-craft sessions for young children.
A children's art studio in Hunters Point offering drop-in hourly art classes, after-school programs and camps. Toddlers and caregivers can join a 90-minute Grown Up & Me art and sensory session on weekday mornings.
A walk-through aviary at the Queens Zoo, housed in a dome originally built for the 1964 World's Fair, where kids follow a path through treetops filled with birds of the Americas.
Children learn ballet through story-based classes that draw on famous classical ballets and their music. Levels run from caregiver-and-baby sessions for infants and toddlers up to primary ballet prep for early elementary kids.
Commonpoint's Forest Hills center houses a parenting center with classes and support for families, along with early childhood programs, after-school for ages 6–12, and children's sports and dance classes.
Families with babies through preschoolers meet at Community Church in Jackson Heights to sing, move and play percussion in a Music Together circle. It's a gentle first music class that grown-ups join in on.
Sunnyside families bring babies and toddlers to this Music Together class for songs, chants, instrument play and dancing. The caregiver-and-child format builds early rhythm and singing skills through play.
A second Sunnyside-area Music Together site, held in a ballet studio on Queens Boulevard, where little kids and grown-ups sing and move together. Classes use a rotating song collection with instruments and dances.
16 listings
A family-friendly Halloween celebration at the Bronx Zoo with costume-friendly activities and themed fun spread across the park, included with regular admission.
Small caregiver-and-child music and movement classes for babies and toddlers, split into age groups from 6 months to 3 years. A separate Prelude Prep class gets 4- and 5-year-olds ready for private lessons.
The borough's first children's museum, with hands-on galleries where kids explore Bronx nature, culture and communities through building, pretend play and art-making. Sessions are timed, so families book a morning or afternoon block.
A seasonal walk-through garden at the Bronx Zoo where hundreds of free-flying butterflies flutter around visitors. Kids learn about butterfly life cycles and may get one landing nearby.
An immersive rainforest walk inside the Bronx Zoo where families watch a troop of western lowland gorillas through large viewing windows, plus okapi, mandrills and colobus monkeys along the trail.
An indoor Asian rainforest habitat where kids spot tree kangaroos, gibbons, gharials and tropical birds among waterfalls and dense greenery. A good warm stop on cold or rainy days.
An indoor exhibit in a restored historic building showcasing lemurs, Nile crocodiles, hissing cockroaches and other animals from the island of Madagascar.
A central pool at the Bronx Zoo where kids gather to watch sea lions swim and dive, especially during scheduled feedings.
A habitat where families watch Amur tigers roam, swim and play, with glass viewing areas that bring kids nose-to-nose with the big cats.
11 listings
A hands-on museum on the Snug Harbor campus where young children explore interactive exhibits about nature, science, community helpers and art. Kids can climb, build, splash and pretend-play across several themed galleries.
Staten Island's long-running Music Together provider holds family and babies classes at Oakwood Heights Community Church. Children up to five sing, move and play instruments with their caregivers in 45-minute sessions.
North Shore families take Music Together classes at Spotlight Studios on Forest Avenue, with morning, afternoon and early-evening options. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing and play instruments alongside a caregiver.
An AZA-accredited zoo in Clove Lakes area with a noted reptile collection, an aquarium, farm animals and a conservation-themed carousel. Its manageable size works well for toddlers and young kids.
Children from 18 months to 9 years play soccer inside a climate-controlled facility, starting with parent-and-me sessions for toddlers and moving up to more technical and advanced levels. Coaches use the game to build motor skills, balance, focus and teamwork in small groups.
A dedicated kids' swim school with a warm indoor pool, teaching babies from 4 months up through age 12. Levels run from Mini parent-and-baby classes to Junior, Glider and Pro, plus the Swim Force pre-team program.
A Mid-Island Music Together provider where caregivers and children from birth to preschool sing, move and play instruments together in weekly classes. Songs change each season with a collection families can use at home.
Children from age 2 learn acrobatics, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, jazz, tap and technique at this Staten Island studio. Both recreational and competitive tracks are offered.
Kids spend class time outdoors year-round, playing in mud kitchens, running obstacle courses and splashing in water play. Options include caregiver-and-me sessions, a nature school, an adventure crew, a homeschool collective and outdoor birthday parties.
192 toddler-friendly listings are indoors, including Prospect Park Audubon Center at the Boathouse, Chelsea Piers Field House Gymnastics, Chelsea Piers Toddler Gym.
Yes. 59 music programs take kids 2 and under, such as Bronx Bops at Bronx School for Music, City Sounds Music Together – Brooklyn Brainery, City Sounds Music Together – Greenwich House Music School.
234 listings: Manhattan (98), Brooklyn (87), Queens (22), the Bronx (16), Staten Island (11).