Swim with dolphins, take in the views from the top of a speeding roller coaster, and make lifelong memories
Pack your bags, and get ready to enjoy quality family time in Orlando, Florida. This sunshine and fun-filled town is the perfect getaway for families who love amusement parks, hidden gems, and delicious food. So whether you are road-tripping down south or taking a day trip from St Augustine, Daytona Beach, or Fort Lauderdale, Orlando is a bucket list town full of must-see places and family-friendly activities everyone in your crew will love. So, keep reading to plan your perfect family vacation in Orlando.
Best Things to Do in Orlando with Kids
Orlando is famous for everything Disney, but your crew can enjoy a week without visiting that famous mouse. Of course, you can find many things to do with kids in Orlando, including visiting Discovery Cove to swim with dolphins, riding a thrilling roller coaster at LEGOLAND, or exploring the Orlando Science Center. But there’s so much more this town has to offer, and we rounded up our favorites for a family vacation in Orlando.
Peppa Pig Theme Park
Visit the world’s first-ever theme park dedicated to Peppa Pig and all her friends and family. At this family-first theme park, you can ride behind Daddy Pig on a kid-friendly rollercoaster, hug Peppa at the meet-and-greet, and enjoy an affordable and kid-friendly dining experience complete with free refill stations. Almost everything on-site is included with the price of admission, and it’s the perfect place to celebrate a preschool birthday or enjoy a fun day on your family vacation in Orlando.
LEGOLAND Florida
Buy a 3-park ticket, and you’ll hang out at Peppa Pig Theme Park, LEGOLAND, and the LEGOLAND Waterpark without moving your car. The LEGO-lover in your crew will go nuts over this brick-themed park. With rides for all ages, building opportunities around every corner, and minifigure trading with Model Citizens throughout the park, you can build an epic family day full of LEGO fun.
Discovery Cove
Go swimming with dolphins and stay to enjoy the all-inclusive tropical experience, complete with animal encounters, delicious food, and unlimited slushies around every corner. Snorkel an artificial reef with colorful tropical fish and rays all around. Whether you’re looking to nap on a sun-drenched beach chair or float around the lazy river, you’ll head back to your resort with unforgettable memories, full stomachs, and a family vacation in Orlando experience you won’t soon forget.
Insider Tip: Feel free to leave your beach gear at home. Discovery Cove provides animal-safe sunscreen, towels, life jackets, snorkel gear, wet suits, and all food/non-alcoholic beverages.
Gatorland
Head to this animal-lovers paradise filled with unique animal encounters such as capybara, bird and alligator feedings, tortoise meet and greets, and jumping gator shows. Learn from the incredibly knowledgeable staff as you view the impressive animal collection, many rescued after injury or relocation. Gatorland provides animals for zoos across the country and works to breed endangered animals for future generations. Also, the shows and performers are hysterical.
Fun Spot America
Think old-school carnival complete with a kid-friendly funhouse and many rides even the littlest kids will enjoy, and you’re ready for an evening of fun at Fun Spot America. Whether you want to bump around on the bumper boats and cars, speed around the go-kart track, or throw your hands up on the wooden rollercoaster, you’ll quickly fill your time with fun. The shaded tables provide the perfect vantage point for worn-out parents to watch their little ones go from kiddie ride to kiddie ride.
Chocolate Kingdom
Explore the sweetest fairytale-themed tour during your family vacation in Orlando. Follow the prince and his fire-breathing dragon as they embark on an adventure to create chocolate shoes for the princess. Learn about the history of chocolate and the chocolate-making process and recipes. Taste delicious samples as you tour the factory, and take home a custom chocolate bar for your crew.
Orlando Science Center
If you’re stuck with a rainy day in the sunshine state, this science-filled museum is the perfect spot when you need to head inside. Test your STEM skills with four levels of interactive exhibits, shows, and displays. Check the daily schedule for unique group activities and tours throughout the museum. The cafe on the lower level offers pre-ordering, so you don’t have to wait in line when everyone is hangry.
ICON Park
The Wheel
You can’t miss this fun-filled town center because The Wheel is visible almost everywhere. Hop on this luxurious Ferris Wheel with a full bar on the way in and a Bluetooth-enabled playlist inside the climate-controlled cabin. Wait for sunset, and you’ll enjoy the best views in town.
Museum of Illusions
Give your social media followers something to talk about after you create and post some of the most astounding optical illusion photos. The photographer stands on the camera logo, and everyone else picks their spot in a themed space designed to trick the eye and the mind.
Insider Tip: Don’t hesitate to ask the friendly staff for help. They’ll help you get the best angles for each illusion.
Madame Tussaud’s
Take a stroll through history, superhero row, and celebrity sightings. Take realistic photos with Abraham Lincoln, Batman, and JLo. The lifelike figures make for some of the best photo ops in town, and you might even fool your friends into believing you got to hang out with Angelina Jolie or Beyonce during your family vacation in Orlando.
Sealife Aquarium
Touch a real sea star, walk under Florida’s only 360-degree Ocean Tunnel, or meet a mermaid at Orlando’s premier aquarium. This family-friendly attraction offers a great way to engage with nature in a fun, educational setting. Learn about how ecosystems work and how animals are protected in the wild.
Where to Eat with Kids in Orlando
Breakfast
Get ready for a poolside breakfast at Hilton Orlando’s FastBreak. With everything from an omelet station to all-you-can-eat chocolate muffins, even the pickiest eater in your traveling crew will find a way to fuel up for the adventurous day ahead.
Lunch
Arrive hungry because you’ll need room for one of the epic milkshakes at Jojo’s ShakeBAR. The eclectic menu offers something for everyone, but the milkshakes could be a meal alone. The Health Nut salad is a must-try at this funky restaurant.
Dinner
Get hooked on flavor at Gordon Ramsay’s Icon Park fish and chips restaurant. The multi-Michelin-starred chef raises the family-friendly restaurant experience to a new level, offering diners his signature take on the classic British dish.
Where to Stay with Kids in Orlando
Hilton Orlando
Known for the adjoining family-friendly rooms, this centrally located resort is a great home away from home. With gourmet-level restaurants, a massive lazy river, a rushing waterslide, and comfortable accommodations, you’ll want for nothing during your stay. Stop by Scratch Market for the ‘Breakfast Before the Parks’ special package, which includes breakfast for two guests each day while children five and under eat for free. It’s a great way to fuel up and save time.
Orlando World Center Marriott
You know you’ve found the perfect resort when your kids say the glass elevator feels like something out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. With suites to accommodate large families and an on-site waterpark, you only need to leave if you want to. The grab-and-go food options make it easy to eat with kids and get back to all the fun.
Insider Tip: Skip the early bedtime and let everyone stay up to watch the nightly laser show over the pool. Even better, head to the pool for the best seat in the house.
Hyatt Place Lake Mary/Orlando-North
If one of the bigger resorts doesn’t fit your budget, don’t worry. This budget-friendly hotel has family-friendly rooms with two beds and a pull-out sofa bed. Also, the daily breakfast buffet, complete with French toast, is complimentary. And, if you need a day to relax, the outdoor pool is a great spot to hang out.
Want to see more of Orlando with Kids? Check this out.
Orlando, Florida, is the ideal family destination with the perfect balance of relaxation and tons of family fun. Check out the Visit Orlando website for more ideas on what to do on your next family vacation in Orlando.
—photos by the author except where noted
Make sure to capture all the vacation fun—and share them with your family and friends near and far—with the Tinybeans app. The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.
Note: This trip was paid for by Visit Orlando, but all opinions expressed here belong to the writer.
You’ll find more than Jack-o-lanterns at these pumpkin patches
Linus would be sad to hear the truly most sincere pumpkin patch is located right here in the great northwest! Actually – we’ve got a lot of ’em. Whether you are looking for some prime photo opportunities or for a full day of adventure, look no further. Our list contains the simple to the sublime. This year, be prepared to shoot apples from a cannon, get lost in a corn maze, ride on a cow train, and eat lots of good food. Some even host beer gardens. Oh! One features a fireworks show and another features a light show on the weekends. Plus, we’ve got a few tips and “tricks” you’ll need to make this October a blast.
Head north to find fall festivals, pumpkins, corn, and more
At this super popular farm, take a hayride out to the 40-acre pumpkin patch where you will find over 60 varieties of pumpkins. From ginormous 200 pounders to mini pumpkins, you’re sure to find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for every member of your family. And it’s not just about the pumpkins at Bob's. Kids come back year after year for the 10-acre corn maze, trike track, cow train, pony rides, kids' corn maze, and a new mining experience (extra fee). There’s also hot food concessions and face painting on the weekends. Psst! Get in line for the homemade hot donuts when you arrive; they're delicious and always sell out early in the day. And if that's not enough...you can book a personal bonfire here as well. They have a total of 18 fire pits inside the corn maze that can be rented out for small and large groups.
With a 20-acre pumpkin patch (and more than 30 varieties of pumpkins), a 15-acre Alice-In-Pumpkinland-themed corn maze, an apple slinger, petting zoo, and donut and espresso bar, this farm covers all the bases. Littles will especially love the non-scary I Spy Barn and all the fun harvest decorations around the farm (let's just say they're picture perfect). The Kids Adventure Maze is another great option for tots who are not quite ready for the 15-acre maze, but still want to enjoy "getting lost" at Craven Farm. Kids will wander through the Story Book Lane corn, viewing story boxes, until they come upon Adventure Alley where they can challenge each other on the obstacle course and finally make their way through the Maze answering farm-related questions to find the quickest way to the exit.
Good to Know: Farm activities can be purchased a la carte or get a wristband if your kids want to try it all.
Patch Perk: For added fun, ride the cow train or hay wagon ride, shoot the apple cannon, play a round of mini golf with your little putters or experience human foosball. Each are $5/person. (Axe throwing is also available on the weekends!)
Acres of oversized orange pumpkins aren't the only draw of this family farm up north. They've got lots to offer in the way of fall festivities too. The corn maze, duck races and picture board photos ops will keep the kids busy for a while. And when they're ready for more they can feed the chickens, climb through the tot tunnel and search for coins in the straw treasure hunt. Then it's off to see their farmyard favorites (think: chickens, goats, bunnies, pigs and ponies) if they still have any energy left.
Patch Perk: The animals take the spotlight here, and there's nothing cuter than watching baby chicks and ducks in the baby animal barn.
At this awesome farm, find a 50-acre pumpkin patch and 12-acre corn maze (in the shape of Washington state) as well as a children’s play area with a dump truck roller slide, hay pyramid, three-story hay maze, rubber duck races, petting farm, critter swings, cow train, barnyard sports zone, corn box, jumping pillows, pedal trikes, tractor pull, hay hoist and three-story hay barn. Looking for even more excitement? Try the ziplines, watch the live duck races, try your hand at the nine-hole putting course, take a wagon ride, nosh on kettle corn and hot drinks and listen to Farmer Ben's famous Four Little Pigs show. With all this excitement, a nap on the way home is almost guaranteed. Get your tickets online before heading out.
Patch Perk: This farm is great for little ones since it doesn’t have any scary Halloween decorations and instead has a fall harvest theme. And we love that you can u-pick apples when you visit, too. Gem Mining is available too - $10 per bag.
In addition to a 10-acre pumpkin patch and seven-acre corn maze, this farm features over 30 attractions, including a corn maze, hayrides, pumpkin and candy cannons (on select days), a kids climbing wall, trikes, tire mountain and so much more. Tots will be especially happy to race rubber ducks, see Old McDonald's pals at the animal barn, get their faces painted, create crafts and more! Don’t forget to bring your camera. If you feel like noshing, on the weekends you can savor the culinary delightfulness of their roasted corn, hamburger, and hand popped kettle corn. Mom and Dad will appreciate the beer garden too!
Explore the twists and turns of the 5-acre corn maze, ride the bucket train, check out the farm animals, try your hand with the apple guns or head into the Kids Korral to slip down the tube slides, glide on the zip swing, move down the roller slides and check out the climbing tires. For adventure, try out the paintball gallery and jump pad. Oh, and don’t forget to pick some pumpkins while you are there, of course! Every activity requires one ticket. Or, if you just want to hit up the no frills, but lovely pumpkin patch, feel free to do so. It is open to the public at no charge.
Good to Know: Pets are not allowed at the farm, so please leave the pooch at home. If you want to experience all that Carleton has to offer, think about purchasing their wristband that includes unlimited tickets to all activities. Wristband activities include access to the corn maze, hayride, game zone, bucket train, and the Farm Korral.
You love their berries in the summer, so why not check out their pumpkin patch in the fall. During the month of October families can pick pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. The kids will love making their way through the corn maze only to sit down for mini donuts (weekends only) once they've made it to the end. We hear they have a great fill the wheelbarrow deal too. Be sure to ask them all about it.
Patch Perk: This farm is all about the pooches, so bring yours (costume encouraged) for some fall fun.
We love these Eastside pumpkin farms with tons of fall activities
Remlinger Farms
Allison Sutcliffe
What to do at Remlinger Farms Fall Harvest Pumpkin Festival and Family Fun Park? Well, you can catch a ride on the steam train, shoot the apple cannon, check out the 4-H barnyard, explore the hay maze, go on a hayride and toddler play area and take a spin on the famous Flying Pumpkins. If that's not enough excitement, zip down the giant slide, ride the mini roller coaster and, of course, pick some pumpkins in the U-pick fields (the price of the pumpkin is included in your admission). When your crew gets hungry, Remlinger Farms has a full menu complete with their own mini donuts (made with real pumpkin), plus fair food, caramel apples and kettle corn. If you’re too tired to pick your own pumpkin after enjoying the plethora of farm activities, stop by the Farm Market and purchase a pre-picked one.
Patch Perk: Your kids will think the pony rides are tops. Make sure to reserve your spot in advance (it's $5/rider). Check out the new arcade and brewery too!
Celebrate the Oxtober Fall Festival at Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center in Carnation! offers lots of pre-picked organic pumpkins of all shapes and sizes, along with fun activities for kids and adults. They have hayrides, a scavenger hunt, OxEd Harvest Tours, children's book readings, face painting and pumpkin fixings to decorate your own mini pumpkin (one per kiddo). Everyone will have a blast at the Sling King slingshot. Be sure to bring a debit or credit card if eats are on your mind. Farm-fresh food will be for sale at Oxbow's on-site Outdoor Kitchen. Be sure to register early for this popular festival.
This family-owned, couple-acre pumpkin patch has been open for more than 25 years (the farm has been in the family for over 50 years!) and includes cornstalks, a large variety of winter squash, seasonal vegetables and both U-pick and pre-picked pumpkins and gourds in all kinds of varieties (orange, French red, white, mini orange, mini white and sugar). While you're there, be sure to pick up mini hay bales, corn stalks and ornamental corn for your harvest decorations. And be sure to visit with the farm's animals in the barn. The beat part? This farm can accommodate groups with a reservation.
Good to know: The farm is cash or check only. Hit that ATM before you visit.
If you’re looking for a pumpkin farm with all the bells and whistles, Maris Farms is your one stop shop for harvest fun. In addition to a wide variety of pumpkins on more than eight acres, the farm sells gourds, cornstalk bundles, hay bales and carving kits. Kids will especially love seeing the farm animals, watching the pig and duck races (not together!), weaving through the five-plus acre cornfield maze and riding on the wagon ride. The Kids Courtyard, designed for ages 2-11, is where you can ride the cow train, wave to the goats, sheep and piglets and view the live beehive. Other activities include the glass pumpkin patch, catch & release trout fishing and a light show offered four times a night. For those older (and braver!) kiddos of yours, check out The Haunted Woods (a nighttime, scary corn maze), if you dare! A large weekend munchie menu offers hot dogs, hamburgers, turkey legs, funnel cakes, chili, kettle corn and more. Get your advance tickets online.
With over 20 acres of pumpkins, you will have no problem finding the perfect jack-o'-lantern at the Carpinito U-Pick pumpkin patch. In addition to pumpkins, the farm boasts their famous corn maze and a Family Fun Yard with a children's hay maze, corn pit, hay slides, rubber duck races, "Rodeo Ropin' Cows", farm animals, and a Pygmy goat walk. Carpinito Brothers also offers tractor-pulled hayrides and a farm fresh produce stand with seasonal fruits and veggies. If you and your crew work up an appetite, indulge in delicious kettle corn, popped fresh on-site, as well as cool drinks, hot beverages and, of course, the ever-so-popular Carpinito Bros. roasted sweet corn.
Good to know: The pumpkin patch and corn maze are at a different location (see below).
Dates: Sep. 30, 2022
U-Pick Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze 27508 West Valley Hwy. N. Kent, WA
In 2018, Picha Farms was selected as one of the 10 Best Pumpkin Picking Spots in Washington by Best of American Towns, so you know the farm is going to be good! In addition to picking the perfect pumpkin in the U-pick fields, stroll through the farm's 5-acre corn maze, answering trivia questions along the way to earn a prize (hint: it's round and orange) when you answer them all. Other farm activities include the best slingshot in Puyallup (hit the target and win $5 off your pumpkin purchase), hayrides, the kiddie train ride and delish food (think: hot apple cider, kettle corn, homemade caramel apples, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs), plus a huge selection of gourds, cornstalks and squash.
Good to know: Dogs are part of the family and welcome at the patch. However, they are not allowed in confined spaces like the corn maze or hayride.
Patch Perk: Live bluegrass music will be playing on the weekends! Got an October baby? Consider hosting the party in Picha's birthday tent ($50 for 90 minutes). All you need to keep the kids busy is right on the farm.
Dates: Sept. 30 - Oct. 31, 2023
6502 52nd St. E. (one block off River Rd. at the 66th Ave. E. bridge) Puyallup Online:pichafarms.com
This family farm is perfect for first time pumpkin pickers and the under five crew. In addition to a large selection of pumpkins (sold by size), tykes will love the awesome corn maze and Jr. corn maze, plus the bubble table, duck races, cattle roping and slides. There's also tractors and tires to climb on, tractor train rides pulled by Grandpa Tim's John Deere, a hay maze, trike track, farm animals, apple sling shots, laser tag (on weekends only) and hay wagon rides around the farm. Remember to reserve your tickets online to enjoy this farm.
Good to know: The Thomasson Family Farm is part of an actual operating dairy farm, so please keep that in mind and wear appropriate clothing and shoes. If the skies are unforgiving, you may encounter rough and weathered structures and terrain. And please, no doggies allowed.
Patch Perk: Challenge the kids to a few rounds of Giant Jenga or Giant Connect Four on the lawn. Easy fun for everyone!
This family operated farm has been a South Sound favorite for more than 22 years and there's a good reason why. The farm boasts an impressive pumpkin harvest with more than 50 varieties of pumpkins, gourds, squash and ornamental corn. During October, the farm's Harvest Festival includes activities for kids of all ages. There's a 5-acre, "Hocus Pocus: A Quest to Save Jinx"-themed corn maze with over three miles of paths, a pumpkin sling shot, pedal karts and pony rides, plus Pumpkin Pete's Playtown and duck races. And don't forget about the farm animals, concessions, candy store and fun fall decorations. Phew! This farm has it all.
Good to Know: Pony rides will be available on weekends only. No pets allowed, please.
Make sure to capture all the fall fun—and share them with your family and friends near and far—with the Tinybeans app. The secure platform puts parents in total control of who sees and interacts with photos and videos of their kids.
Here’s the truth about your big concerns from the early years all the way through high school
From the first goodbye in kindergarten to the last day of twelfth grade, sending our kids to school means letting go a little bit every day. And for many parents, that nudge out of the nest brings up ALL the parental concerns. Questions run the gamut, from “Will my kindergartener get lost on her way to the bathroom? ” to “What if my college-bound kid doesn’t get good grades?” But teachers say to take a deep breath!
“What does worry actually contribute? A lot of times parents feel that it’s their responsibility and role to worry, but we’re having an epidemic of anxiety among young people right now. A lot of people point to technology, but I would also point to this culture of worry that parents have picked up,” said former Los Angeles school principal Bruce Harlan, who currently teaches middle school science.
Worried now? Don’t be. Whether you’ve got a kid just starting their school journey or a teen almost at the end, we talked to teachers about common parental concerns—and why you can rest easy knowing that your kids will be fine.
Preschool/Kindergarten/First Grade
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The Worry: Your child will get lost on the way to or from the bathroom (or the cafeteria or any other place inside the school).
The Truth: They might. But someone will help them find their way. “This happens all the time. It’s always within the first week. It’s all hands on deck that first week. Parents need to remember that school is a very safe place. There are teachers and support staff everywhere, and everybody knows that in the first few weeks of school, you’re going to find a random kindergartener wandering the halls,” said Los Angeles elementary school teacher Anne Vanderpool.
If your child is worried about getting lost, you can help ease the jitters by practicing. Stick around after school and walk around the school with your child (especially the way to and from the bathroom and classroom). By the first week or two of the school year, even the youngest of students will find their way.
The Worry: Your child will have a potty accident.
The Truth: Many do.
It is common for preschoolers, kindergarteners—and even older kids— to have an occasional accident said Amanda Yuill, a longtime teacher and educational spokesperson, on her website. “For this reason, it is a good idea to ask parents to send a labeled bag with extra clothes you can keep in the classroom if you are teaching kindergarten.” “If there is a child in an older class who still has trouble with this, you can do the same thing with just that child and not the whole class.”
Experts say some kids are just too shy to use the bathroom—whether it’s because they are too embarrassed to raise their hand to ask or they’re worried another schoolmate might hear them going (this is mortifying for some kids!). To help ease these worries (and yours), have a conversation with your child about their concerns—and how the alternative (wetting their pants) may actually be more problematic than not going in the first place. If they keep holding it in, talk to the teacher about letting your child use a single-stall bathroom (for instance, in the nurse’s office), which may alleviate their shyness.
The Worry: You’re wondering if you should hold your child back from kindergarten.
The Truth: More time is usually a good thing
According to Vanderpool, one of the most common questions she gets from parents is whether they should hold their younger children (those with late summer birthdays) back for kindergarten. She said she almost always thinks it’s a good idea to do so. “It varies by child, but always my reaction was to ask them a question back. I’d ask them, ‘Tell me when you had too much time to do something, and tell me when that was a problem for you.”’
Holding kids back—mainly when they are on the younger side for kinder—usually helps them by giving them the time they need to mature into ready-to-learn students. When it comes to kids in the middle of the age net, Vanderpool says the answer isn’t always as clear. “It might be OK. But then I ask the question, ‘How do you want your senior year to go? They’re going to be 18 before they start their senior year. Do you want them to be closer to 20 in their freshman year of college?'”
The Worry: Your kindergartener/first grader isn’t reading as well as some of her peers.
The Truth: Some kids take longer than others—and that’s OK.
AnnMarie Sossong, a reading specialist in Florida, told US News and World Report,“Some children are ready to learn to read at age 3, and some take much longer. I have seen both, and by age 12 or 13, they are reading at the same level, which seems counter-intuitive, but it is not. When they are ready, they are ready, and everything clicks.” And while there seems to be a national push for kids to read earlier and earlier, literacy expert Timothy Shanahan said children only really need to master around 20 sight words by the end of kindergarten and 100 by the end of first grade.
The Worry: Your child has separation anxiety when you drop him off.
The truth: Your kids are (almost always) fine once you leave.
The trick to easing the separation and making your child realize that school is non-negotiable is to be confident at dropoff. “It’s a transition issue. Most of the time, the parent has the hardest time with this—the kids are completely fine. Your child is probably four or five, and you’ve fixed everything up to this point. This is the first time they’re going to do it themselves. The worst thing you can do is tell them they can’t do it. Just swallow the tears for a minute, give them your brave face, and say, ‘I’m so proud of you. You’re going to be great. I’ll see you in a few hours,’” says Vanderpool.
The Worry: Your kid isn’t learning how to spell correctly.
The Truth: Spelling doesn’t matter until later on (and some teachers say it is a nonissue even then).
There’s no denying that kiddified spelling is adorable, but at what point should you correct those cute little misspells and teach your kid the proper way to spell those tricky words?
Not in kindergarten or first grade, say teachers. “There’s a heavier focus on fluency and building confidence [in kinder and first grade], and then you circle back to the nitty gritty later in second and third grade,” said Vanderpool. Even later on, when they’re in upper grades, spelling isn’t the obstacle it used to be, with some teachers admitting that in the age of spell-check and voice type, spelling isn’t as important as it used to be. Dierdre Amey, a third and fourth-grade teacher in Philadelphia, PA, says, “Don’t sweat it if your students are not the best spellers in the upper grades. There are so many strategies and accommodations available for their children via computer.”
Elementary Years
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The Worry: Your child doesn’t seem to like school.
The Truth: How worried you should be depends on the reason.
This is a tricky one, teachers say, since some kids may legitimately be struggling while others don’t like school simply because they’d rather be elsewhere. “Ask your child, ‘Why?’ He might say, ‘Oh, it’s boring.’ Or, ‘I don’t have any friends.’ Or, ‘It’s too hard.’ All of these are great responses that should be explored. Sometimes it’s just a preference; there’s no real good reason; it’s just that your child would rather be home playing video games,” said Vanderpool.
For better or worse, not liking school is a common predicament—especially as kids get older. A 2020 survey of more than 21,000 American high schoolers showed that the top two feelings students said they experienced at school were “stressed” (79.8 percent) and “bored” (69.5 percent), with nearly 75 percent of their self-reported feelings about school being negative.
Friendships play a big part. According to a University of Illinois study, kids with “reciprocal friendships” were more likely to like school and be more academically successful. Similarly, a Gallup poll found that friendships were the biggest predictor of student engagement in both fifth grade and 11th. Talk to your child about whether they have friends at school; if not, try to set up some time with their peers to forge better relationships.
“If we are to help kids gain happiness from their education in the short and long term, we need to bring to bear more resources to facilitate friendship, which tends to solve both the loneliness and boredom problems.” Arthur C Brooks writes in The Atlantic.
The Worry: Your kids’ teachers don’t give enough homework—or your kid doesn’t want to do it.
The Truth: Homework isn’t how young kids learn best anyway.
Dierde Amey, who has been teaching elementary school for 19 years, says “It is the least effective method for learning at a young age.” In fact, a study from the University of Missouri found no academic advantage to doling out homework in elementary school. For middle schoolers, however, homework does help—but only if the work lasts between one to two hours per night (after that, achievement levels don’t change, experts say).
If your school does a “Student of the Month” certificate (or anything like that), it may be disappointing when you don’t see your little scholar standing in the spotlight. Try not to worry.
“Short of a Nobel or Pulitzer, most awards don’t really have a long-term effect on anyone’s life. How many adults can truly point to a childhood award making a deep impact on their future?” teacher Braden Bell told the Washington Post. Parents can use these moments to build empathy, as he did himself when his son didn’t get an award in kindergarten—but a good friend did. “I explained that feelings are like living things, whichever one he fed would get bigger. He realized that he had a choice: He could focus on his own unhappiness or be happy for his friend.”
The Worry: Your child didn’t get into the Gifted and Talented program.
The Truth: It doesn’t mean your child isn’t smart.
Parents often misunderstand the Gifted and Talented (GATE) program as a Smart Kids Club. But teachers say that’s not really the case. “The Gifted and Talented program is not for good students. It’s for kids who learn differently, who can excel in a program that offers a different style of learning,” said Vanderpool. Of course, this reality doesn’t stop parents from wondering how they can “get their child into” the program.
“Holy moly, I had so many parents want to have a personal conference with me about how they’re going to GATE test and their expectation for this child to pass. My greatest recommendation is for parents to be a little more informed and realize it might not be a good fit for your child,” she says.
If your child does get into the program, take that as a cue that maybe your child needs alternative types of teaching, and discuss how you can accommodate these needs at home and as your child grows.
The Worry: Your kid lost (or keeps losing) a game.
The Truth: Consider it a win.
You’re holding your breath as your child steps up to the plate. They swing… miss… and strike out. What do you do now? Cheer, of course! “They don’t have to win. All you really need to say to your kid after a game—win or lose—is ‘I love watching you play,'” said Bruce Harlan, who also worked as a swim coach before his experience teaching middle school.
Here’s the real win: Losing has been shown to help kids. A 2019 Brigham Young University study found that high school students who had participated in youth sports showed higher levels of resilience—as well as self-regulation and empathy—than students who didn’t participate.
“Learning to cope with loss is important because they’re not always going to win later in life. It’s an important skill to develop, to lose with grace, not to blame other people, and to take responsibility for the loss,” psychologist Dr. Kate Lund said in this article.
Parental Concerns About Middle & High School
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The Worry: Your child is dealing with social drama.
The Truth: Don’t get involved (unless you have to).
Harlan, who has been working with kids for 33 years, says “Adolescents ride an emotional roller coaster. The role of the parent is to be steady and calm and not ride that roller coaster with them. This is normal socialization. Kids are going to get feedback from their peers—and often not in a gentle way—about how to be. That is how they learn, and sometimes it is painful.”
That means if your daughter comes home complaining that a friend was mean to her in school, resist the urge to call that friend’s mom. “It sends a bad message to the kids that, ‘Wow, this thing that I brought home must be really important because now all the adults are getting involved,'” says Harlan.
The other unintended consequence is that kids might stop sharing their troubles with parents to avoid them stepping in (which can be embarrassing for most kids). “You want open communication, but sometimes kids will stop telling their parents because they don’t want their parents to overreact,” Harlan said.
The Worry: You’re putting too much pressure on grades.
The Truth: The grades aren’t what matters most.
Sure, you want your kids to do well in school—but how much pressure is too much? “Don’t care more than your kid cares. The teacher will reach out if concerned. And stay off the grading websites,” said Kate England, a 10th-grade civics teacher in Abington, PA.
Instead, focus on effort… and kindness. It sounds hokey, but experts say that if parents worry less about grades and more about teaching decency, good grades will follow naturally. A study done by Arizona State University found that teaching children kindness and compassion—instead of focusing solely on academic achievement and extracurricular activities—helped kids do better in school. Researchers looked at the school performance of 506 sixth-grade students, then asked what their parents valued the most about them. The kids that performed the best in school were the ones whose parents seemed to value kindness more than grades.
In this article, Suniya Luthar, a professor of psychology at ASU said, “When parents emphasize children’s achievement much more than their compassion and decency during the formative years, they are sowing the seeds of stress and poorer well-being. In order to foster well-being and academic success during the critical years surrounding early adolescence. . . parents should accentuate kindness and respect for others at least as much as (or more than) stellar academic performance and extracurricular accolades.”
The Worry: Your child wants to be/can’t get into AP classes?
The Truth: AP Classes aren’t always a good thing.
AP classes sound good. After all, they give your kid a chance to earn college credit while still in high school (Woohoo! No math class freshman year at university!). But many teachers advise against them—and some, like these eight private schools in Washington DC—are doing away with them altogether.
“The truth is that college courses, which demand critical thinking and rigorous analysis, look nothing like AP courses, which stress breadth over depth. Moving away from AP courses will allow us to offer courses that are foundational, allow for authentic engagement with the world and demonstrate respect for students’ intellectual curiosity and interests,” the schools said in a joint statement published by The Washington Post.
Instead of worrying about AP courses, let your kids enroll in interesting electives. “Let them take cooking, sewing, and art even though those classes don’t boost GPAs. They make for a well-rounded student who isn’t stressed beyond belief,” advises England, a teacher of 17 years.
Harlan echoed her thoughts. “There’s no joy in AP classes. It’s a drill-and-kill type of instructional style that is so old-fashioned and goes against everything we know. . . Even the colleges don’t like them because once you’ve gotten credit, you cant retake it in college… but you don’t get the same level of instruction you do in college.”
The Worry: Your child’s SAT scores aren’t great.
The Truth: SATs aren’t always required.
While SATs used to be the gold standard by which every student measured their college-bound worth, that has changed. Today more than 80 percent of US colleges have “test-optional” applications, meaning SAT scores are not required for admission. The California State University system went a step further when it announced in 2022 that it won’t accept SATs or ACTs in the application process for any of its 23 schools—so kids don’t have to worry about whether or not they should “option-in” their scores when applying.
“The era of standardized testing is starting to slide away,” Harlan said, adding that the same is true for tests kids take in elementary and middle school. “Most of the high schools in our area aren’t even accepting them anymore.”
The Worry: Your kid isn’t who you thought they’d be.
The truth: Love the kid you’ve got.
Parents often despair when their kids grow up to be a different person they’d imagined they would be—whether that means that you expected your kid to love sports and they only love computers; or whether you hoped for a cheerleader and got a bookworm. All this worry goes nowhere, experts say.
“Parents start to graph out the life of their kids, and they extrapolate all the way to graduate school. That is not fair to the kids. It’s their life, their ups, and downs,” Harlan said. Instead, he emphasized loving the kid you have. “You don’t order a fully-baked human being when you have a kid. Stop worrying about how you thought things would go for your kid.”
And don’t feel guilty about your feelings. Doctors say it’s normal to feel some loss when our children don’t grow up to be what we thought they’d be. But don’t let those expectations dictate how you treat your child. “When our fantasies about our children do not coincide with their interests, talents, and tendencies, our expectations can strike a debilitating blow to our children’s development. Accepting these losses and mourning them opens our eyes to what we can celebrate about our children.” psychotherapist David Braucher said in Psychology Today.
They just don’t make ’em like they used to. Thankfully, the streaming platforms stream them like they do. From Tubi to Paramount+, to Netflix, the digital shelves are alive and well with the ’90s kids’ shows that raised you and that you can now share with your own little ones.
If you’re dreaming of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Clarissa Explains It All, Good Burger, and more shows and movies you used to watch back in the day, many of them are available to stream right now in your living room. Looking for a little more watch-list inspo? Keep scrolling for a list of favorites you will want to enjoy with your own kids.
’90s Kids’ Shows to Watch with the Family
1. Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers
Netflix
Choosing a favorite Power Ranger was like picking a partner for Four Square: He or she would be your loyal companion for an unforgettable battle, so you had to pick wisely. Inspired by Japan’s Super Sentai franchise, the series about a group of teenage martial arts pros tasked with saving Earth from various villains was a smash when it debuted in 1993. And even though the series has evolved over the decades, nothing packs a punch of nostalgia like the high-energy original.
In 1991, Nickelodeon debuted a 90-minute block of game-changing animation. Called Nicktoons, the lineup kicked off Sunday mornings and included The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rugrats, and this quirksome classic about a kid named Doug Funnie. The series, based on its creator’s real life and journal doodles, jumps between grade-school mishaps, growing pains, and heroic daydreams about a persona named Quailman. Trust us: It won’t be long before your little one sports their undies over their shorts. IYKYK!
Another original Nicktoon, Rugrats was the brainchild of then husband-and-wife animation duo Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo. A peek into the secret world of wobbly toddlers, their series features a klatch of adorable playpen dwellers who may not have teeth or potty skills down just yet but are all stocked up with senses of adventure and unbridled curiosity. Led by protag baby Tommy Pickles, Rugrats offers a hilarious bridge between two realms: that of innocent perception and that of the real world.
A few years after Mr. Wizard took his bow in 1989, Bill Nye picked up the Bunsen burner and ran with it. Or rather, walked briskly, because running with fire is dangerous. Always cooking up the coolest experiments in a light blue lab coat and forever-present bow tie, Bill Nye uses boundless enthusiasm as a way to ignite curious minds and turn science into a fun escapade. Each episode is an electrifying experiment in the love of learning and is a fantastic way to introduce kids to science.
The star of this jazzy motley toon is a kid named Arnold. A nine-year-old who lives with his grandparents in a boarding house, he tackles everyday fourth-grader obstacles. You know, stuff like bullies, kiddie pools, and the power of friendship. Back then, Hey Arnold! was just our way of decompressing after school. Today, it’s a rad time machine that whisks us back to a world where the jazz is too good and “football-headed” kiddos are the real heroes.
If ever there were a way to get kids to crack a textbook outside the walls of a school, it’s this cosmic roller coaster of a '90s kids' show, featuring a shapeshifting yellow school bus and a zany teacher sporting some truly wonky fits. The series goes round and round with Ms. Frizzle and her students as they embark on adventures into the depths of the digestive system one day, and animal habitats in the wild the next, fusing a kid’s core curriculum with a healthy dose of magic and fierce staying power.
Maestro of the Muppets, Jim Henson, helped pioneer puppetry on prime time with this prehistoric fantasy series. A peek into the household of the Sinclairs, a family of full-body animatronic marvels, Dinosaurs is brilliant in that it’s entertainment for little ones and their parents. And thanks to its irreverent combination of sly satire and silly slapstick, it’s also a funny watch no matter which decade you view it in—even the Mesozoic era.
Nineties fashion icon Clarissa Darling knew a thing or two about, well, everything—hence the title of this coming-of-age comedy that had every preteen harmonizing with Rachel Sweet’s single-syllable theme song. Navigating the labyrinth of teen life and decoding every motivation along the way, Clarissa (played by the fantastic Melissa Joan Hart) breaks the fourth wall to fill her audience in on dilemmas that include how to master dating, friendships, and bratty little brothers.
There’s an award-winning book series, a movie that launched the acting careers of Rachael Leigh Cook (She’s All That) and Larisa Oleynik (10 Things I Hate About You), and even a reboot that has critics bowing down, but no one can forget about the single-season series that solidified its fan base for life. With iconic episodes, like “Dawn and the Dream Boy,” “Stacey Takes a Stand,” and “Claudia and the Missing Jewels,” the world of the Baby-Sitters Club unfolds with empowerment that transcends time.
Remember SNICK? Nickelodeon's answer for preteens who preferred spending Saturday night on the couch watching TV, the two-hour lineup saw shows like All That and The Adventures of Pete and Pete get some play. But our favorite has to be Are You Afraid of the Dark? Eerie and atmospheric, the series is a collection of ghost stories conjured up by teenage storytellers who call themselves the Midnight Society. And don't be surprised if you see some familiar faces when you revisit the show. Read: Ryan Gosling!
Though the Boy Meets World universe is filled with guest-star cameos from the likes of Keri Russell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Adam Scott, and Rue McClanahan, the core cast remained the same for seven seasons. Cory, Topanga, Shawn, Eric, and, later, Morgan guided fans through the '90s with humor, heart, and so much Feeny. Morphing from a lighthearted sitcom to a self-aware portrait of adolescence, this gem is totally worth revisiting with a younger generation.
Another leg of the SNICK lineup, this weekend hit is basically Saturday Night Live for younger audiences. Sketch comedy for kids, by kids, it gave now-household names like Nick Cannon, Amanda Bynes, and Kenan Thompson, a shot to raise the roof with skits that, though wildly different, all shared one goal: getting all that laughter. Fun fact: In a stroke of fate, Thompson would go on to star on the big-kids' SNL for 20+ years.
Fans of All That know where we're going with this: Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell first appeared together on SNICK's sketch comedy show before landing a sketch comedy show of their own. Dubbed Kenan & Kel, the show is set in Chicago and follows the misadventures of two high schoolers who reeeaaally love to ask, "Who loves orange soda?" It's peak humor that eventually leads to the two best friends starring in a whopper of a movie together.
Twin sisters Tia and Tamera are separated at birth but reunite in their teens, then move in together to create one big, happy family with dad Ray and mom Lisa. So goes the fictional small-screen story of real-life twins Tia and Tamera Mowry. The result? One of the most genuine displays of onscreen chemistry, female empowerment, and sibling dynamics to ever grace the screen. Fun fact: Tia and Tamera performed the catchy "Sistaaa! Sistaaa!" theme song you still sing today.
We'll be the first to admit it: Saved by the Bell hasn't aged well. Bloated machismo, fat-shaming, gender stereotypes, and a lack of diversity aren't okay now, and they weren't okay then. But that doesn't mean you won't also find yourself waxing nostalgic over the Bayside crew's antics, from Zack and Kelly's puppy love to Slater and Lisa's top-notch comedic timing to Screech and Mr. Belding's odd coupling. As for the 2020 reboot? It's so good, we can't believe it was canceled.
We’ve even got a few tips and tricks to help you make it work
Sibling room sharing can be great, and it can be… not so great. Putting two people in a room together is always a little complicated, even when, or maybe especially when, they’re related. Whether you’re thinking about having your kids share a room because you desperately need a dedicated home office with a door or you’re expecting a second child and staying put in your two-bedroom apartment, we’ve got wisdom to share. Here’s a list of the pros and cons of siblings sharing a bedroom, complete with advice from seasoned experts.
First, a few benefits of siblings sharing a room
You’ll save money.
When siblings share a room, you can squeeze your family into a smaller space. If you’re squirreling away dollars for a down payment on a house or your budget’s tight, two kids in one bedroom make sense. Many kids–as many as seventy percent in the US alone–share a room. Two of my kids shared for a decade out of necessity in a house with three bedrooms and five people, and we found benefits in addition to practical cost savings and making the most of a small space.
A dedicated space practically guarantees a good night’s sleep.
Some families decide to have their kids share a room so they can have one room set aside for sleep and another room used as a play space. That keeps distracting toys out of the sleep space, which can be especially helpful for younger children who find the siren song of their beloved wooden trains impossible to resist.
Sibling bonding gets a boost.
Whispering and giggling after lights out, knowing your sibling is there in the big dark, shared bedtime stories–sharing a bedroom gives brothers and sisters lots of opportunities to bond. Kids create memories. As one of my sons, who shared a room with his brother for years, said, “We got to hang out all the time in our room, and we talked every night.”
In a shared bedroom, siblings have opportunities for pillow fights with their built-in buddy—if they’re both up for it. When they’re not, a shared room gives kids extra practice navigating disagreements and conflict. They learn what to do if one person wants a pillow fight and the other wants to play UNO. Learning to compromise, understanding someone else’s point of view, and taking turns–kids need these skills as they get older, and when kids share space with siblings, they get extra practice.
Here are the trickier parts of sibling room sharing
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Kids don’t have their own space.
Finding alone time is tricky when kids share a bedroom. Many older kids and tweens want to put up posters, scribble in their diaries in private, and keep their best stuff off-limits. Some families with kids in a shared bedroom find that letting kids have a say in what their side of the room looks like helps—things like picking out their bedding, hanging favorite pictures, or using a loft bed to make more private space. It’s also a good idea to make sure each child has designated storage that’s just for them, whether it’s a dresser or a closet.
Sibling conflict can be rough.
Often, especially at first, and when kids are tweens or teens, room sharing leads to more fighting, whether over room décor or just plain getting annoyed with each other. The little sister messes with her older sister’s LEGO, or a big brother takes a beloved t-shirt without permission: countless battles start over stuff. To reduce fights, establish ground rules together, or set them yourself if kids are too little to participate. Dr. Taylor suggests parents model and remind their children of their family’s core values: “You might say, ‘We love each other, and we respect each other. Even if it’s challenging and we’re in close quarters, we have to work things out respectfully.’”
Dr. Taylor also notes there may be other considerations depending on individual children. “Most children regulate really well. A small minority have challenges with that and amp up at night, which makes it difficult for the other sibling who wants to wind down, chill out, and go to sleep.” If that’s the case in your house, consider how you can give each child what they need. If one child needs extra time to settle in the bedroom, the other might go on a walk with a parent, do homework at the kitchen table, or relax on the couch with a story. Get creative, and while sibling conflict in a shared bedroom probably won’t disappear, you may be able to keep it to a minimum.
Different gender siblings.
As kids of different genders get older, they may crave more privacy. This often happens in later elementary school, at about age 10. Of course, this can also happen with kids of the same gender. Puberty is always a roller coaster. If older brothers and sisters are sharing a bedroom and space is limited, brainstorm ways to add privacy within a shared bedroom. A privacy wall, like this one with built-in storage, or a room divider can help!
Sleep disruptions will drive everyone bananas.
If a baby isn’t yet sleeping through the night, sharing a bedroom with their sibling will only make things worse. The last thing parents need is less sleep. Cara Dumaplin, a nurse and sleep expert from Taking Cara Babies, offers lots of wisdom for promoting sleep in a shared bedroom. She says, “The biggest mistake I see parents make when setting up a shared sibling room is putting little ones in the same room before they’re sleeping well.”
Luckily, there are ways around room-sharing sleep trouble. If you’re planning to have a baby and an older child share a room, wait to move the baby into the shared bedroom until your child is at least six months old and sleeping through the night. Cara also suggests staggering bedtimes, with the younger child going to bed before the older child, to support good sleep habits. Then, carefully arrange the shared room.
“Once you have two great little sleepers, you’ll want to set the room up for success. Arrange the furniture so that the crib and bed are on opposite sides of the room. Add a sound machine, ideally between the two of them. This can keep the sounds of one child from waking the other,” Dumaplin explains.
If room sharing is right for your family, don’t give up. “Expect that you may see some sleep hiccups right when your little ones move into the same room, especially around stalling at bedtime and early morning wakings. Don’t let that scare you. Be consistent, and remember that it takes time to adjust to any change. However, if you prepare your little ones, yourself, and the room ahead of time, most siblings do really well after a short adjustment period,” says Dumaplin.
A viral video of a dad fainting in the delivery room has women in stitches at what is obviously the weaker sex
We all know that men are the weaker sex, but it’s not often that we get proof. On video. But that’s what happened in a viral TikTok video that shows a dad fainting in the delivery room, because of course. While the women keep working around his limp body, because of course. And it happened before his wife had even gotten to the worst of it, because of freaking course.
New mom Corianne Johnson filmed the video, which shows her husband, Cody, crumpled on the delivery room floor. The extra hilarious part is how the labor and delivery nurses just keep carrying on around him like he’s not even there. I’m sure they’ve seen this before. In later clips in the video, Cody is seen crawling on the floor, sipping some juice, and passed out on the couch. His wife, meanwhile, continues the process of giving birth to their child.
The text over the video reads, “I’m totally not going to pass out while you’re in labor, babe.”
Here’s the really wild part: Cody didn’t even make it to gnarly parts of delivery before fainting. He passed out while his wife was getting her epidural. That’s like being on a roller coaster and throwing up while it’s being pulled up the hill before the first drop.
Luckily, the TikTok commenters are appropriately roasting Cody.
“Not him tucked in like he had a hard day,” one wrote.
“I would have laughed so hard the baby would have just came right out.”
“The crawling has me DEAD.”
And also luckily, Corianne said he’s been taking it all in stride.
“They’re savage. We’ve just been laughing at them,” she told Today.
A licensed clinical psychologist on TikTok explains what “eggshell parenting” is and why you should strive to avoid it
All kids deserve a home where they feel safe, loved, and secure—where they know that no matter what happens, they’ll always have a safe harbor to return to. But sadly, that’s not what all kids have. One clinical psychologist is shining a light on a common “parenting style” that’s pretty much the exact opposite of this: she calls it “eggshell parenting.”
Dr. Kim Sage went viral on TikTok for describing this parenting style, which she says makes kids feel as though they’re “walking on eggshells” because their parents’ moods are unstable and unpredictable.
Eggshell parenting is “a way of putting your child in a position where they have to always be hyper-vigilant to what may or may not happen next,” she explained. “Even if you’re loving and safe and wonderful, if it follows that you can be unsafe at the core, you are not safe.”
The result is kids who constantly feel insecure, cautious, and afraid of making the wrong move—like they’re walking on eggshells so they don’t set off their parents.
In her video, Sage gives this example: “The parent’s mood is like being on a roller coaster. You never know what to expect, but there’s always going to be significant high highs and low lows. Basically, emotionally, you never know what to expect, but you have to prepare for the part where it’s not safe.”
Sage has gone on to make tons of other videos about eggshell parenting—both for people who are parents now and for people who may have grown up with these types of parents. She explains how to identify eggshell parenting (hint: if you’re reading this and wondering if you’re an eggshell parent, your self-awareness is already high enough that you’re probably not), and gives people tips on how to break the eggshell cycle.
If you were raised by eggshell parents, she says, it will likely take some active work to make sure those patterns don’t emerge as you raise your own kids. The first steps to take: work on regulating your own emotions so they aren’t changing on a dime. Then, take responsibility for your own actions and apologize to your kids if a sudden emotional switch or outburst left them reeling.
This new addition will be the park’s second roller coaster
Buckle up and start your engines! Universal Studios Hollywood has announced a brand-new roller coaster will be joining its line-up of tinsel town-inspired attractions. And we can’t wait to join the family and enter the world of the Vin Diesel films in an all-new way.
Construction will soon begin on a new Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster, inspired by Universal Pictures’ most-profitable and longest-running franchise. The now iconic films currently have a presence in the park as Fast & Furious: Supercharged, a portion of the World-Famous Studios Tour, but this addition will add a welcomed new level of thrill.
Buckle up… our new Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster is officially under construction! 🚦🚧
— Universal Studios Hollywood (@UniStudios) July 12, 2023
Universal shares of the forthcoming attraction: “Equipped with a state-of-the-art ride system uniquely created to engulf guests within the dynamic Fast & Furious universe, this all-new roller coaster will benefit from Universal Destinations & Experiences’ decades-long expertise in revolutionizing the development of the contemporary roller coaster across its global theme park destinations.” It promises to “bring innovative and technological achievements never previously employed to this all-new thrill ride,” and we couldn’t be more excited for this addition.
Rumors of the proposed roller coaster began to circulate when permits were discovered last year. That theory was further solicited when the park’s beloved longtime productions, Universal’s Animal Actors and Special Effects show, were shuttered for good to make way for “a future attraction.” Throughout the rumor mill, Universal Studios Hollywood has had a bit of fun with teasing until the official announcement was made. Earlier this year, an ambient roller coaster audio track could be heard playing near the anticipated coaster’s location.
istock
The attraction will join the park’s already impressive line-up of family-friendly attractions that includes rides and experiences celebrating the biggest brands in movies, television, and digital media, like Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.
This news comes during a tremendous period of growth for the southern California park and on the heels of the recently opened Super Nintendo World. As the first Mario-themed land in the United States, the whimsically colored space, located on the park’s lower lot, invites guests into the 8-Bit fantasy world of Mario, Luigi, and the gang. Adding a new level of immersion to the park, the land features character meet and greets, never-before-seen interactive games, and its headliner attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge. The country’s second Super Nintendo World is slated to open at Universal Orlando Resort in 2025.
When the upcoming Fast & Furious-themed roller coaster opens, it will join the theme park’s sole other roller coaster, Revenge of the Mummy—The Ride.
Kids under three get in free to celebrate the opening of “Count’s Splash Castle”
Kids have a whole new way of getting soaked at Sesame Place San Diego now that the theme park has opened “Count’s Splash Castle,” a multi-story water feature featuring more than 100 play elements to get even the tiniest tots kids splashing, playing, and totally drenched all day long.
Read on to get all the details on this and everything else you need to know about the SoCal park.
Kyle Williams/ Sesame Place
No more do the tinier tots have to worry about that pesky 42″ height minimum (which is the rule on most of Sesame Place’s other water rides)—Count’s Castle is open to all! Standing atop a splash pool just 8 inches deep, the structure features four small water slides and three giant tipping buckets that dump over 1,300 gallons of water onto whoever dares stand below (Hint: That’s basically every kid.)
There are also a ton of interactive features like water soakers, flow pipes, hose jets, spray jets, water shooters, water curtains, tipping troughs, spinning, and sliding buckets. So yeah: Your kids will get soaked.
The attraction is twice the size of the splash pad that used to sit in its footprint—and it’s located right in the center of the sprawling Big Bird’s Lazy River. All that means parents: You may want to stake out a spot and plan on staying a while; this is the place to be at S.P.
And it’s not the only way to splash. The new water playground is the 11th water feature at the 1-year-old amusement park, with other popular wet rides including the Cookie Monster Mixer, which plunges riders into a giant funnel; the Honker Dinger Dash racing slide; and Big Bird’s Beach, one of the largest wave pools in SoCal.
Good to know: Some water attractions require life jackets for smaller kids (which are provided free of charge).
Sesame Place
Want to stay (or be blown) dry? Sesame Place isn’t solely a water park. There are seven “dry” rides, including a slew of spinny rides to dizzy your littles and a “family-friendly” roller coaster for young daredevils—so make sure you bring a change of clothes for your little guppies to change into when they’re done splashing around.
Sesame Place
And, of course, your kids will have plenty of opportunities to hug, take pictures with, gawk at, and dance alongside their favorite Sesame Street characters! Take a stroll down the recreated Sesame Street Neighborhood (complete with the iconic 123 Stoop!); enjoy daily live character shows; line up for the award-winning parade; and, of course, save some space on your social feeds for all those Sesame Street photo ops.
Good to know: Sesame Place is a “Certified Autism Center,” which means all of its staff are trained and required to “have the skills, temperament, and expertise to cater to all children, including those with special needs.” There are designated Quiet Rooms for when kids need to get away; as well as Sensory Guides posted in front of every attraction that includes a rating scale of 1-5 on how a child with sensory processing issues may be affected by each sense.
Sesame Place
Free Under 3!
In honor of the new water feature, Sesame Place recently announced that all kids under 3 will now receive free admission to Sesame Place San Diego (it used to be only kids under 2)!
COST:
Admission includes wet and dry rides, shows, parades, and open lounge chairs. Single-day tickets start at $62.99 online, parking is not included. Season Passes start at $132 online and do include parking. Kids under 3 are free.
PARKING:
General parking is $35 per car, while up-close parking ranges from $35-$50 per car and varies by day.
HOURS:
Hours vary but are generally from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends with extended hours during the summer. They’re generally only open for weekends, holidays, and school breaks; with a closure between January-March.
Brand-new rides and waterparks, discount tickets, line-skipping tips, and so much more
As summer temperatures rise and the school year becomes a distant memory, many families are packing up to head out on vacation. Sitting atop many summer bucket lists? A theme park trip. And 2023 may be the year to visit one of the many that the U.S. has to offer.
It’s not just Disney. From sea to shining sea, theme parks are shelling out the latest and greatest in attractions for all ages, from the littlest parkgoers to the serious thrill seekers. Travelers headed to Tennessee can experience Dollywood’s brand new family-friendly coaster, Big Bear Mountain, while Universal Studios Hollywood is ushering the 8-bit obsessed directly into the technicolor world of Mario and Luigi.
Theme park expert Carly Caramanna shared everything you can expect from the major theme parks this summer—and how to make the most of your time while there.
Cinema magic meets thrilling fun at Universal Studios Hollywood, in the heart of Los Angeles. Here, you can come face to face with a towering dinosaur aboard Jurassic World — The Ride while younger parkgoers will love the innovative dark attraction, The Secret Life of Pets: Off The Leash. Tinsel Town’s newest offering, Super Nintendo World, is the first in North America. Here, guests step directly inside the 360-degree, multicolored world of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach before battling Bowser inside his castle on an innovative, augmented-reality attraction thrusting you into real-life Mario Kart.
Before you say Let’s-A Go… With the opening of Super Nintendo World, the park has proved busier than ever. Theme park reservations aren’t required but reservations may be required to enter the land during peak visits via a virtual line. Universal offers an early access ticket to Super Nintendo World that is available for an additional fee while Universal Express Pass grants holders a one-time, reservation-free entry into the land. To make the most of your visit, purchase a Power-Up Band for a more immersive experience as you earn stamps, digital coins, and even interact with the famous ? blocks.
Everything is awesome at LEGOLAND New York, one of three theme parks in the U.S. based on the beloved toy. Less than an hour from New York City, the park is built for the LEGO-obsessed family with a number of attractions that everyone can enjoy together. Don’t miss LEGO Factory Adventure Ride, exclusive to the NY location, a state-of-the-art dark attraction that shrinks riders to the size of a LEGO minifigure.
This Memorial Day will welcome a brand-new water playground complete with four water slides, a 318-gallon water bucket, and a station to build and race your own LEGO boat—all included with park admission. Even better? The addition features a changing area so your kids won’t miss a beat splashing in the water but can be ready minutes later for all the dry fun the park has to offer.
Advanced ticket purchases are suggested and come with the perks of discounted rates. Vacation packages, including a stay at the neighboring LEGOLAND Hotel, offer further savings. Book a Pirate room. Trust us.
There’s a special sort of pixie-dusted magic that’s hard to pinpoint when you walk down the streets of Walt Disney’s original park. In the midst of the Disney100 celebration, Disneyland’s new offerings have already become instant favorites, like nighttime spectaculars, Wondrous Journeys and World of Color — One. This summer will see the opening of a newly reimagined Big Hero 6-themed land, San Fransokyo, and a Marvel-inspired “Rogers The Musical” running at the Hyperion Theater.
It’s important to note that Disneyland Resort still enforces theme park reservations, and those are known to completely book out well in advance. This summer, Disneyland Resort Hotels are offering discounts of up to 20% for Magic Key holders and US Military members.
With Dolly Parton as its Dreamer-In-Chief, Dollywood is a theme park like no other, offering a heaping dose of Southern hospitality alongside industry-recognized attractions. There’s plenty for guests of all ages, from its collection of record-breaking coasters, to lands designed just for the littler park goers. Kid-friendly Wildwood Grove is celebrating the opening of the park’s newest attraction, Big Bear Mountain, a family roller coaster marking the park’s longest and first with onboard audio. It’s just the beginning of many new additions planned for a decade-long $500 million investment property-wide.
With a neighboring waterpark, Splash Country, there’s plenty to make Dollywood not just a 9 to 5 visit but a multi-day affair. Guests staying at the on-site Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa can soak up its posh accommodations and receive shuttle services to the parks and complimentary TimeSaver passes offering expedited entrance to most attractions.
Its 50th-anniversary celebration may be in the rear-view mirror, but the fun marches on at the “most magical place on Earth.” Between the return of beloved Magic Kingdom fireworks, Happily Ever After, to brand new thrill attraction TRON Lightcycle / Run there are plenty of reasons to head to Walt Disney World this summer.
There’s no doubt that Walt Disney World is a pricey vacation destination, but the theme park resort is offering some smoking deals this summer, including $99 tickets with no theme park reservation required. Most tickets still require a park reservation and it’s critical to confirm ahead of your visit. Summer magic seekers can also take advantage of up to 25% off Disney Resort hotel stays.
Home to three parks and eight on-site hotels, the mega Orlando vacation destination embraces movie nostalgia while showcasing the best in modern-day blockbusters, from classic attractions, like E.T. Adventure, to two fantastical lands exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Did somebody say bananas? This summer families will want to check out a brand-new Minion Land, complete with new attraction Villain-Con Minion Blast, and a colorful Minion Café. Also a can’t-miss, Universal’s Volcano Bay, a South Seas-inspired oasis, is the perfect way to beat the heat with thrilling slides and a sparkling lagoon pool.
Ticket offers this summer include a buy 2 days, get the 3rd free. Summer is the perfect time to add an Express Pass, its version of expedited line access. With the sheer amount of attractions to explore, it can prove cost-effective to stay on-site at one of Universal’s Premier resorts where guests receive a complimentary Unlimited Express Pass for the duration of their stay, saving hundreds.
Since opening in 2011, LEGOLAND Florida Resort has grown into a bona fide destination complete with a LEGOLAND theme park and water park, on-site resorts, and its newest addition, a Peppa Pig Theme Park. The latter is a first-of-its-kind theme park in the US, targeted at the tiniest of travelers ages 2 to 6, taking families into the whimsical world of the British animated character. This summer will welcome a new character dining experience where guests can get up close and personal with Peppa over waffles. Over at LEGOLAND, the new Pirate River Quest is an all-ages pirate-themed boat ride that sails along the historic canals the park is built on.
Peppa Pig Theme Park is a separately ticketed admission from that of LEGOLAND. Hotel & ticket vacation packages can add savings, including free nights, and are perfect for a multi-day stay.
The first LEGOLAND to open in the US, LEGOLAND California sits just 30 minutes outside of San Diego. Its brick-tastically unique offerings include a LEGO-themed SEA LIFE Aquarium, a LEGO-themed water park, and a signature Miniland complete with a new installment depicting the iconic landmarks of San Diego. This year, all LEGOLAND North America parks became Certified Autism Centers, providing both advanced and on-site resources for families with sensory issues, setting a new industry standard.
Tickets begin at just $89 for a 1-day park ticket but savings can be found when bundling with the aquarium, water park, and hotel vacation packages.