4 Ways To Keep Kids Entertained This Season

From drop-in crafts to butterflies, you’ll find endless entertainment for children this season.

Happy Summer! The solstice has arrived, all the schools are out and the season can officially begin (and it looks like the weather may have finally gotten with the program as well).

Of course, there are some challenges to having kids home and not at school for seven hours—namely, keeping the little ones entertained. With many local camps starting in early July, what can kids do now to get moving and get out of the house?

Happily, you have a wealth of options in Bergen to keep them busy. Try a fun event, a picnic or an easy walk, for instance. Craving more structured programming? Here are other places you can stop by (make sure you check links for registration information and more!):

Check out a library. Bergen’s public libraries can be the saviors of long summer days. Most of them offer daily activities and crafts geared for children, oftentimes free with a library card or with registration. Three of many options: Stop by story time, slime making or a weekly drop-in craft at the Paramus Library, weekly song and dance sessions for ages 1 to 5, story times or a weekly hangout for teens at the Mahwah library or story time and crafts at the Englewood Library. The best part? Most of these activities are inside, and just as good for rainy days as they are for sunny ones.

Get outside. You can go beyond a casual stroll at one of our county’s beautiful public parks. Check out free programming at the Teaneck Creek Conservatory, including a story time next to the water and a community science day where you can help document plants in the park. Tenafly Nature Center’s butterfly house is also open, and gives kids a unique opportunity to both feed butterflies and interact with them up close and personal. Have older kids, or very active ones? Consider renting a canoe or kayak for the day and paddling around Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park.

Burn off some energy. Time to get those wiggles out! Check out open playtime at indoor playgrounds such as Jumpin’ Jax in Paramus, Twin Monkey Playhouse in Lyndhurst and The Great Story in Ridgefield and Hackensack, all also great ways to make new friends and connections. For kids who really want to move around, try SkyZone trampoline park in Allendale or Xtreme Energy in Paramus and Englewood, where they can bounce, climb and try out obstacle courses.

Have an adventure. You don’t need to go far for new experiences in Bergen. Day trips to the Bergen County Zoo in Paramus are sure to please, educate and keep everyone’s attention for a whole afternoon. It’s also always a good time to check out DreamWorks Water Park at American Dream in East Rutherford if you’re looking to celebrate summer (and, as this attraction is indoors, you can take the kids if it’s raining). If the sun is shining and you’d rather be outside, try Darlington County Park in Mahwah, where you’ll not only find a lake and beach perfect for swimming but an impressive splash zone to run through and play on.

Have a favorite place to take your kids in Bergen? Make sure you tell us all about it on Instagram @bergenmagnj!