Fun COVID-Safe Activity Guide for Kids - by Ages

By: Lindsey Disabella

SmartSitting Diversity and Inclusion Council Education & Resource Advocate

This past month marked a full year of New Yorkers living in a pandemic. With warmer weather coming, we are all itching to find fun and COVID-safe activities for kids. Many of our kids are missing friends, extended family, teachers, and classmates. In light of this, we have put together this guide to help provide fun and educational activities to supplement children’s learning and foster children’s development.

Fun COVID-safe Activity Guide from SmartSitting

Photo from Home Baking Association

Preschool Age

The Rubin Museum

Cost: Free

The Rubin Museumoffers a free Family Sundays series for children ages 3 and up. This series takes place live on Zoom on the first Sunday of each month, where families can make fun and creative art projects together. This is a great opportunity for children to be creative and improve gross and fine motor skills!

Preschool and Early Elementary Ages

New York Public Library

Cost:Free

The New York Public Library hosts a weekly online storytime, featuring fun and engaging children’s books. Each storytime is recorded and saved on their storytime library, so it’s a great educational resource for a rainy day. Be sure to check out the different storytime series like multilingual storytime series and Juneteenth storytime series. This is a great way to expose children to multicultural texts and strong female lead characters.

Elementary Age (5-10)

Whitney Museum of American Art

Cost: Free

The Whitney Museum of American Art holds a live weekly After-School Art Club via Zoom on Wednesdays, for children ages 5-10. Due to virtual learning, many students are missing out on preferred “specials”, such as art. In this art club, students first learn about an artist before using their imagination to make their own work of art using the artist’s technique. 

Elementary, Middle and High School Ages

The Artistic Stamp

Cost: $99

Another fun and interactive on-going adventure is The Artistic Stamp, which is tailored to children of all ages. Children receive a thrilling letter in the mail every 2-3 weeks from the “main character". Then they have the chance to respond and solve puzzles and determine the next steps in the characters’ journey. This program allows children to explore their creativity through problem-solving, decision-making, and writing. You can read more about this unique program here.

The Kids Table

Cost: $94 for 6 weeks of sessions or $18 single session

The Kids Table offers virtual classes for children aged 5-14. This is a great way for families to participate in a fun activity all together. Cooking allows children to measure, mix, and activate their senses (i.e., smell and touch). Current class options include: chocolate dipped churros, baked mac n’ cheese, and carrot cupcakes. Parent involvement is necessary and diet/allergy modifications can be made!

High School Age

Girls Who Code

Cost: Free

Is your teen interested in computer science and code? Girls Who Code is a two-week, FREE summer immersion program for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors. The program runs 4-5 hours per day. This program is a great way to stay busy for a few weeks over the summer, while introducing the field of computer science and technology to young females. Apply today before spots fill up! The three sessions run June 21st-July 2nd; July 12-23rd; August 2-13th. Also, check out free after-school clubs for girls grade 3-12 here!

Have you discovered any great, COVID-safe activities for the kiddos in your life? Tag SmartSitting in your Facebook and Instagram posts, so that we can see and share your suggestions on our channels. Want to know more about our childcare tips and tricks? Then make sure to sign up for our newsletter for all the latest info coming from our team!