11 upcoming events · 292 local studios
The most suburban of NYC's five boroughs, Staten Island is genuinely spread out, and most families here get around by car. That's worth knowing upfront: a lot of the good stuff, from playgrounds to classes, requires a short drive to reach. That said, there's real green space to enjoy once you get there. Clove Lakes Park, a popular spot near the middle of the island, has a playground right on the grounds alongside trails and a lake. Down by the waterfront, the nautical-themed Seaside Wildlife Nature Park in Great Kills is a genuine toddler hit, with a fenced area for younger kids, spray showers in summer, and play equipment shaped like ships and sharks. The NYPL has branches scattered across the borough, many running storytime and toddler programs, and the St. George Library Center near the ferry terminal has a dedicated Children's Room. For structured classes, the Bernikow JCC runs a Grown Up and Me program through Happy Day Play, and Sunny Side Up Birth Co. focuses on early-childhood programming for the newborn-to-toddler crowd. On weekends the parks fill up with families, and the pace feels genuinely slower than the rest of NYC.