24 places and programs for kids in and around Lincoln Square, Manhattan (4 free): music, theater, sports. Includes Lincoln Center Kids & Family Programs and New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater.
Home stage of New York City Ballet, where families can see full ballet performances, including the holiday Nutcracker. Seeing the company live is a popular first-ballet outing for kids who take dance.
A large Upper West Side climbing gym with bouldering, auto-belay walls and a fitness area. Kids 12 and under can climb during set daytime hours, and the gym runs summer and school-vacation climbing programs.
Summer campers dive into themed STEM weeks such as astronaut training, aviation and coding plus game development, with older groups spending about half the day outdoors in nearby Central Park. Half-day mini-camps are offered for the youngest kids.
A season-long lineup of kid-oriented concerts, dance, theater and hands-on workshops across the Lincoln Center campus. Offerings include sensory-friendly shows and programs from resident groups like the Philharmonic and NYC Ballet.
Spotlight Kids' newer Upper West Side studio near Lincoln Center runs weekly musical theater classes grouped by age, from Fairytales for 3.5-5 year olds to a Grease-themed class for ages 8 and up. Each class performs its show in the spring.
An Upper West Side NY Kids Club location with gym classes for infants through early grade-schoolers. Little ones build motor skills while older kids learn basic gymnastics moves.
A kids' activity center offering baby and toddler gym, sports, STEM, music, art and yoga classes, along with preschool prep, camps and parties. Younger children tumble and play in a dedicated gym while older kids take skill-based enrichment classes.
NYC Elite's Riverside Boulevard gym teaches progressive gymnastics from parent-and-child classes to school-age skill levels. Camps and private sessions are also available.
Families come for free story times and sing-alongs for the youngest readers, while school-age kids use the space for reading, computers and homework after class. Near Lincoln Center, this branch gives Upper West Side kids a place for picture books, chapter books and homework.
Kids build and program robots, design Minecraft worlds, make stop-motion animations and experiment with circuits in small, inclusive classes. Little Engineers sessions introduce preschoolers to building, while older kids move into coding and game design.
Kids at this community Y take part in swim classes, youth sports, teen programs, and holiday or school-break activities in a shared family setting. Program offerings and times vary by season, so families check the branch schedule.
The West Side Y near Columbus Circle offers youth classes in basketball, gymnastics, karate, soccer, tennis, kids' fitness and yoga. Sessions run in seasonal blocks, with members getting early registration.
An internationally known youth chorus that brings together kids from every background to train in singing and perform at major venues. Choristers progress through multiple divisions and also get homework help and college-prep support.
A free museum across from Lincoln Center showing quilts, carvings, portraits and works by self-taught artists. Its compact galleries are an easy, low-pressure art stop with kids, and family art programs are offered periodically.
New York's classic one-ring circus sets up a tent in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center each holiday season, so every seat is close to the ring. The show mixes aerialists, acrobats, comedy and trained dogs and runs a little over two hours with intermission.
Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center in Lincoln Square has an indoor pool inside a Parks recreation center. Kids can join family swim periods and seasonal Learn to Swim classes run by NYC Parks. Swimmers need a Parks recreation center membership, which is free for youth.
A Saturday music program for talented young instrumentalists from communities underrepresented in classical music. Students get lessons, ensembles and musicianship classes, plus instrument loans and other support.
An audition-based Saturday program for serious young musicians, combining private lessons with theory, ear training and ensembles. Students spend the full Saturday at Juilliard's Lincoln Center campus.
Kaufman Music Center's community school near Lincoln Center offers theater classes for children and teens alongside its music and dance programs. Classes are open to all skill levels.
The youth ballet school at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center offers children's ballet and aerial silk classes that build to a showcase performance. It's located near Lincoln Center.
Young singers who pass an audition train in the Met's own children's chorus and appear onstage in opera productions such as La Bohème and Carmen. Choristers learn music reading, languages and stagecraft alongside professional singers.
The Philharmonic's long-running concert series for young listeners pairs full-orchestra performances with lively explanations, so kids learn how music is built while hearing it live at David Geffen Hall. Pre-concert activities add hands-on fun.
The official school of New York City Ballet, training young dancers in classical technique through an audition-based program. Its SAB Open classes introduce toddlers and preschoolers to ballet without an audition.
The West Side Y has two indoor pools used for youth swim lessons, family swim and lap swim. Lessons run in seasonal sessions for kids of different ages and skill levels.
LittleGotham lists 24 places and programs for kids in Lincoln Square, Manhattan. The largest groups are 6 music programs, 4 theater programs, 3 sports programs.
Yes. 4 of 24 are free to attend, including American Folk Art Museum, Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center Pool, Riverside Library.
24 listings are indoors, such as Lincoln Center Kids & Family Programs, New York City Ballet at the David H. Koch Theater, Central Rock Gym Manhattan.