Are you trying to keep toddlers and preschoolers entertained in New West this summer?
If you’re looking for ways to get out of the house, enjoy the company of other families and work on building your village, we’ve rounded up this list of places to start.
Best of all? All these options are free or minimal cost.
Storytime in the Park
The New Westminster Public Library is bringing storytime outdoors this summer with stories, rhymes and songs in local parks. The drop-in sessions are suitable for all ages and run from 10:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesdays.
You can find the sessions in Sapperton Park on July 11, Aug. 1 and Aug. 22; Moody Park on July 25 and Aug. 15; and Connaught Heights Park on July 18, Aug. 8 and Aug. 29. Find info at the NWPL website.
Family drop-in at Quayside Park
The New Westminster Public Library and New Westminster Family Place have partnered up to offer up a special storytime, with stories, rhymes and songs, at Quayside Park on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. It’s part of the Family Place morning drop-in at the park that runs Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with a focus on families with children aged zero to six.
Family drop-in at Eighth & Eight
Enjoy a chance to connect with other families and chat with New Westminster Family Place staff during the daily drop-in at Eighth & Eight Creative Spaces in Room 1A (735 Eighth Ave.), with arts-based activities, free play and circle time. There’s no cost and no pre-registration necessary — just turn up with your child(ren) to take part. It runs most weekday mornings (except holidays) from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. You can confirm details at the New West Family Place events calendar.
Gymnastics drop-ins
The City of New Westminster is offering a series of drop-in Parent & Tot Gymnastics sessions for $5 per child at the Queen’s Park Sportsplex this summer. Parents or caregivers of children aged one to six can team up with their child for an introduction to gymnastics — working on balance, motor skills and body awareness with the full gymnastics and trampoline set-up.
It runs from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on nine evenings: July 24, 26 and 31; Aug. 2, 9, 14, 16, 21 and 23.
There’s also an all-ages Family Gymnastics drop-in running on 10 evenings from 6 to 7:15 p.m.: July 20, 25, 27; Aug. 1, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22 and 24. That costs $3.57 per person (free for children aged 0-1).
Find information at the city’s recreation registration site.
Indoor Playland
You can turn out to Queensborough Community Centre’s gymnasium for a free indoor playland for kids aged zero to five, for a drop-in fee of $3.25 per child. Enjoy the fun on six Thursday mornings between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.: July 20, 27, Aug. 3, 10, 17 and 24.
Save your spot at the city’s recreation registration site.
Babytime
These song and story sessions for caregivers and children under two years old (zero to 23 months) are on offer Thursdays from 10:30 to 11 a.m. in the auditorium at the New Westminster Public Library’s main branch (716 Sixth Ave., uptown).
Rainbow Play Café
New Westminster’s newly opened Rainbow Play Café (921 12th St.) offers a café area for grown-ups and a play area for kids. Plus, it’s hosting a variety of activities and events over the summer to help connect local families. There are free storytimes in English on Fridays, plus a paid Spanish-language storytime session ($12) on Tuesdays. The café will also be hosting a parent-child Mother Goose Program session on Fridays (July 14, 21, 28 and Aug. 4) at 10:30 a.m. — offering stories, rhymes and song for parents and children (with particular focus on those aged six months to two years). Spaces are limited, so registration is required. You can find out more about the café and other offerings (including yoga and music classes) at its website.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
