What to Do This Spring With Kids in New York City

Watch the sheep from Queens Farm get their Spring haircuts! Sheep shearing is a beloved springtime tradition, and just because you live in NYC, doesn’t mean you have to miss out on it. After the shearing, you can learn about how the wool is dyed and woven into yarn to make clothing. There are also kids craft stations and hayrides happening throughout the afternoon. And, if you’re so inclined, you can also learn about composting and even adopt a worm!

Saturday May 9, 11 am – 4 pm

Children ($5), Adults ($10)

Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway

The Macy’s Flower Show is an iconic New York tradition. Stop by the Macy’s Herald Square location to see some truly extravagant and exquisite flower displays. This year’s theme is “Voyage to Oceanum.” The displays will take you and your kids on a magical undersea journey, filled with buried treasure and friendly mer-people. Flower bouquets slowly morph themselves into shark tanks, mermaid thrones, reefs explored by underwater divers. And if you stop by, you can explore them too!

Sunday March 22 – Sunday April 5

Free to attend

Macy’s Herald Square, 151 West 34th Street

Holi originated in India, a festival that celebrates springtime, color and play. Since then, it has extended to other parts of the world, including New York City. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum is hosting a kid-friendly Holi celebration, complete with colorful powder to throw around. (It’s more fun if you wear white and let the color powder devour your outfit). Come early for a day of art, dance and food!

Saturday March 28, 10 am – 5  pm

Free with museum admission ($13 per person)

Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue

When you’re living in New York City, you don’t always get the chance to put your green thumb to use. But now your kids can! Every Tuesday, Rockefeller Park hosts digging and planting workshops in the Children’s Garden. They can learn about composting and other green practices. More importantly, now that the weather is warming up, they can get back outside and in touch with nature.

Tuesdays, 3:45 pm – 5 pm, March 17 – April 21

$75 for five sessions

Rockefeller Park, 75 Battery Place

Ring in Easter Sunday in the most fun and “New York” way possible. The Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival attracts all kinds of New Yorkers (especially those in extravagant hats and bunny costumes). Head up Fifth Avenue from St. Patrick’s Cathedral up to 57th Street, meeting colorful characters along the way. If you don’t have a fun bonnet, don’t worry! Once you get there just pick up a pair of bunny ears from one of the street vendors.

Sunday April 12, 10 am – 4 pm

Free to attend

St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Ave. (bet. 50th and 51st streets)

You can also celebrate spring with a Japanese cherry blossom festival! Rain or shine, you can head over to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden for “Sakura Matsuri,” the annual cherry blossom celebration. The specific event schedule will be posted in mid-March. In past years, it’s included traditional tea ceremonies for families, fan-decorating workshops for kids and kid-friendly classes in taiko drumming.

Saturday April 25 & Sunday April 26, 11 am – 6 pm

Adults ($40), children under 12 free with ticket holder

Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 990 Washington Ave.

The Wyckoff House Museum in Brooklyn has an awesome day of spring-themed activities planned. The day will start with a “seasonal storytime” (suitable for kids 6 and under). Then all the kids will get the chance to make bird feeders out of recycled containers. After that, you’ll be able to take a walk around the gardens and even help tend to the spring flowers. The farmhouse is so quaint and relaxed, you won’t even feel like you’re still in New York!

Saturday April 18, 11 am – 3 pm

Free to attend

Wyckoff House Museum, 5816 Clarendon Road

Spring isn’t spring without a visit to the New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show. This year, acclaimed artist director Jeff Leatham has created an entrancing show based on the theme “kaleidoscope.” Leatham plays with bold colors and visual effects to create a flower journey not unlike looking through an actual kaleidoscope. The show includes thousands of orchids in a variety of colors, all artfully shifting into overhead arches, vine-like ribbons and creative sculptures.

Saturday February 15 – Sunday April 19

Free with All-Garden Pass ticket ($22 for adults and $10 for children on weekdays; $30 for adults and $15 for children on weekends and holidays)

New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Blvd

For your creative and literary-minded kids, there’s no better way to celebrate Spring than through seasonal crafts and poetry. Kids ages 3-14 will love wondering through the Morgan Library’s Spring exhibitions, including a selection of photographs from pop artist, Ray Johnson. Then, kids will be able to compose poetry on the “poetry wall,” and do craft projects inspired by the museum’s exhibitions. Finally, they’ll get the chance to meet an actress portraying Belle da Costa Greene, the first director of the Morgan.

Sunday April 26, 2pm 4:30 pm

Free with museum admission ($22 for adults, kids under 12 enter free)

The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue

Kids ages 10 and older are welcome on this special spring bird-watching trip by Wave Hill. Participants will learn from naturalist Gabriel Willow about all the rare and resident birds in the area while exploring the gardens and woodlands. The bird watching trip is free with admission to the grounds, so feel free to hang around afterwards with the family and enjoy the outdoors.

Sunday March 8, 9:30 am – 11 am

Free with admission to the grounds ($10 for adults, $6 for students, $4 for children six and up)

Perkins Visitor Center in Wave Hill, 675 West 249th Street