Get gaudy! Wear your craziest clothes for Wear Something Gaudy Day on October 17!
Halloween, Fluffernutter Day, and More Holidays & Activities for October 2025
Learn some random fun facts that will leave your kids laughing. Photo by Sara Marentette
125 Fun Facts For Kids That Will Blow Their Minds
GUIDE
Halloween Activities Guide for Families
Snuggle up with one of these beloved bedtime stories for kids. Photo courtesy of Bigstock
41 Best Bedtime Stories for Kids, Including Free Bedtime Stories Online
Starbucks birthday freebies can include cake pops, drinks, or other treats! Photo by Heather Cox Rosenberg
Birthday Freebies for Kids: 63 Places To Get Free Stuff on Your Birthday
Test your family's knowledge with this fun list of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader questions.
100 Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader Questions
How many of these trivia questions can your little brainiac answer? Photo by J. Fanchin, courtesy of Canva
100 Trivia Questions for Kids - With Answers!
Find out why kids are utterly obsessed with these
The Labubu Obsession: A Parent’s Guide to the Trendy Toy
Camp Lindenmere is a jam-packed Pennsylvania summer camp offering sports, circus arts, creative activities, and more. Photo courtesy of the camp
GUIDE
National Summer Camp Guide
Would you rather drink hot chocolate or chocolate milk? Photo by the author
100 Best 'Would You Rather' Questions for Clever Kids
A perfectly packed lunchbox helps kick the school blues. Photo courtesy of www.YumboxLunch.com
100 School Lunch Ideas for Kids: Back-to-School Lunches Kids Will Actually Eat
Printable word search puzzles are a great way to keep little brains engaged.
Printable Word Puzzles for Kids: Great Sites for Word Searches, Crosswords, & Word Scrambles
It's easier than you'd think to turn a simple paper lunch bag into a festive piñata!
How To Make a Piñata at Home: Easy Paper Bag Piñatas
Cheap All-Inclusive Resorts with Packages for Families
How about a birthday celebration at a local park for free! Photo by Antonius Ferret vis Pexels
GUIDE
Free Activities, Events, Classes, and Camps for Kids
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program mails one free, high-quality book per month to children ages 0-5! Photo courtesy of the Dollywood Foundation
Free Stuff For Kids in the Mail: Free Books, Magazines, Toys, and More
GUIDE
What Should I Do Today?
Make memories to last a lifetime at the all-inclusive Beaches Turks and Caicos.
42 Warm and Sunny Family Winter Vacation Ideas in the US and Abroad
Have sweet dreams of all the free baby stuff you'll get. Photo by Garrett Jackson courtesy of Unsplash
How to Get Free Baby Stuff: Free Diapers, Formula, Baby Gear, and More
These boredom-busting activities turn a stuck-at-home day into a lasting memory.
75 Indoor Activities for Kids on a Rainy Day
The Saguaro in Palm Springs, California, beckons families with its pool and more.
GUIDE
Guide to Family-Friendly Resorts & Hotels
Teachers have found inspiring ways to be there for our kids. Here are some ways to show our appreciation. Photo by Yan Krukov, Pexels
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week 2025: Teacher Appreciation Gifts They’ll Love
Mommy Poppins Family Travel Guide
Get a sunscreen they won't mind slathering on! Babyganics Mineral Sunscreen Lotion image courtesy of the company
Reef-Safe Sunscreen for Kids: Protecting Their Skin and the Planet
When kids are bored, bored, bored, it's handy to have a whole list of fun things to do. Photo by Mommy Poppins
"I’m Bored, What Should I Do?" 100 Things To Do When Kids Are Bored

Free Stuff: Breakfast, Burgers, a Play-Doh Contest and Where to Fill Your Water Bottle

8/13/09 - By Anna Fader

Some random freebies for NYC folks from free food to where to fill up your water bottle when you are out and about (for free) to a Play-Doh "cooking" contest with a prize of $10,000 and a cool-sounding play just for kids that is being performed for free in New York City parks. Note: I can't take responsibility for the promotions enclosed. Please visit the linked site when available and sally forth with a free spirit and a sense of humor if the burgers are gone when you get there.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Play-Doh Contest: Submit your child's Play-Doh "recipe" and you could win $10,000.

BOGO Breakfast at Big Daddy's : Valid through 8/14, buy one breakfast entree and get one free.

Free Water: Save your wallet and the planet from bottled water. Refill your own bottle at cafes all around the city. TapIt is a website with printable maps and also has an iPhone app to show you where.

Free Burgers: Come by Madison Square Park’s Shake Shack on Friday, 8/14, 8/21 or 8/28 from 3-6pm, help test a new computer game and they'll treat you to a free burger. Quantities are limited to the first 50 people who show up, so come early.

Free Play for Kids: One man show of Robinson Crusoe just for kids. Sounds cool. Saturdays and Sundays in August.



About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

Recent Articles By Anna Fader:
Read more articles by Anna Fader.