☀️ Westside Holiday Magic: Festive Kids’ Activities Near You This Week 🎄

12/6-12/12 Weekly Event Lineup

… or click here to access our evergreen activity database.

🌟 Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder @ Santa Monica Place
About: Step into a nostalgic world of make-believe. Explore 11 fully interactive rooms that reimagine your favorite childhood games and activities with the magic of Lite-Brite. Dive into interactive artworks, explore sensory play stations, and play in a life-sized interactive arcade. Relive your childhood dreams in our 360-degree immersive theater where you’ll travel underwater, go back in time, and venture into outer space. Be inspired to dream, play, create, and remember what it’s like to be a kid again. Get your tickets now for Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder in Los Angeles! Discount alert! Use code SMWORLD for 10% off ticket purchases (1 per user)
Dates: 11/8-1/31

🎁 Holiday Stroll @ Palisades Village
About: Celebrate the Holidays at Palisades Village! Join us for a festive celebration that transforms Palisades Village into a magical holiday wonderland! Experience a day filled with holiday cheer, including live entertainment, complimentary kids’ activities, and delicious festive bites and drinks from our retailers at the Holiday Market. Don’t miss a visit to the Champagne Chalet to unwind with seasonal sips as the Village comes alive with holiday spirit. *Free
Dates: 12/7: 11am-7pm

🎄 Montana Ave Holiday Walk @ Montana Ave.
About: It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the festive spirit has arrived to Montana Avenue! Gather on December 7 for live music, face painting, carolers strolling up and down the street and meet Santa and the gang at Montana Avenue’s biggest event of the year! Listen to live music and hear an upbeat klezmer band to get friends and family in the dancing mood, and feel the good cheer viewing shop windows dressed for the season. See you for some good fun and great holiday gift shopping along Montana Avenue! *Free
Dates: 12/7: 3-8pm

 🛍️Creative Communal @ Playa Vista Runway
About: Join us for another fun filled Creative Communal event for December! The Holidays are here and it’s the perfect opportunity to stop by and shop a diverse selection of amazing local artisan makers and vendors to find the perfect gift! *Free
Date: 12/7: 10am-3pm

 🎸Holiday Concert & Ukulele Strum Along @ Santa Monica Library
About: Cali Rose and the CC Strummers invite you to strum along, sing along, and enjoy festive holiday and popular songs. Bring your own uke, borrow one of ours (supplies are limited) or check out a Ukulele RED Kit. *Free
Date: 12/7: 2-3:15pm

🎬 Movie Night @ Ivy Station
About: Meet and snap a selfie with the Grinch starting at 4:30 until the movie begins at 5:30. Enjoy complimentary popcorn and a selection of candy for purchase from @motion.flix, with hot chocolate and coffee available for purchase from @equatorcoffees and takeout available from @healthnutla, @sweetfin, and @eightkitchen (in front of @laaleworks_culver). 🍿☕️ Don’t forget to bring your own blanket or low beach-style chair to sit on.
Date: 12/7: 4:30pm

 🎅Santa Photos @ Brentwood Country Mart
About: Located in the south courtyard. Reservations recommended, but walk-ins are also welcome! Please arrive within the 30 minute window. First come, first serve.One registration per family please.
Date: 12/8: 11am-2pm

☃️Miracle on Main St. @ Main Street
About: Miracle on Main Street 2024 with kids activities, Santa and the tree lighting on the Heritage Museum lawn. Plus, Carolers & street-wide festivities and holiday parties into the night!
Date: 12/8: 3:30-7:30pm

👶🏻 Baby Time @ Santa Monica Library
About: Introduce your child to storytime with interactive books, bounces, and more. Free tickets available at 10:15. For ages 0-17 months. (Check the website for an additional time). Free
Dates: 12/9: 10:30am

📚Tuesday Tales: A traveling storytime @ Montana Ave. Branch Library
About: This fun and engaging weekly series, featuring stories, songs, and rhymes, travels to a different library location each week. Free tickets are available at 10:15 a.m. For ages 2-5.
Dates: 12/10: 10:30am

🎶 Kids Club @ Palisades Village
About: Every Wednesday in The Park | 10AM & 11AM Kids, parents and caregivers are invited to experience a weekly dose of fun, featuring live music, storytelling, puppet shows and so much more! This week’s guest: Jammin with Jared
Dates: 12/11: 10-11am

💕 Things I’m loving this month!

I’m constantly searching for activities, experiences, gadgets, recipes, places, and more that will make my life easier as a mom of 2. Each month I’ll share 1-3 things, whether it’s a new restaurant that has a good environment for kids, a recipe that is kid-friendly and quick, while also being healthy (yes, I’m a mostly scrunchy mom), an experience or service that will fill my mom self-care cup up, or just an in-home activity that we are loving that week. I thought I would share my experiences along the way with hopes it could also make your life easier or spark a moment of creativity for your own family.

Timer for kids
We have been trying to figure out the best way to keep our toddler on a schedule for mornings when we have to get out of the house for school or do a bedtime routine that doesn’t take 15 hours. I purchased this timer during Black Friday to see if it would help her visualize how much time she has to finish activities (in hopes it would move things along and help with tantrums). So far, it’s been super helpful for us and she likes the motion of setting the timer herself. I have friends who also use this to encourage sharing which I think could also be super helpful. #toddlerhack
*Side note: do you have any toddler tips and tricks you’d want to share with the community that has helped you navigate the “toddler years” or avoid tantrums? Feel free to respond to this email and I can put together a list with everyone’s suggestions to share!

Bunch Bike
Recently our family decided to get a Bunch Bike which is an electric cargo bike that can fit our whole family. We’ve had such a fun time riding the bike around Santa Monica and have used it as our “second car” to get us to the park, beach, and other great places close by. Not only is it super easy to ride but we love that it’s electric so we can charge it after we use it at the end of the day. It’s also been a great way to get our family outdoors and get some sunshine. If you’re looking to step up your bike game and find something that fits your whole family (and even your dog), I highly recommend this. If you’re interested in purchasing, mention “SMALLWORLD” to score a free sunshade!

👋 Are you new here? (+ a little more about me):

As a mom of now 2 littles, I am constantly on the search for fun activities that would keep our family out of the house and trying new things as well as meeting other families in the community. Small world was born with the idea to create one space that could curate something for everyone whether that be storytime at the local library, music class in the park, holiday celebrations, and more (not to mention a lot of these activities are free). I love putting these newsletters together but as I do this in my (sparingly) free moments, I’d love for this community to grow into a resource that all families can depend on and use for their weekly activity guide, please share this with a friend/caregiver/family or anyone that would find this useful!

^{Disclaimer: Small World is not affiliated with any of the activities linked in the Airtable and does not receive compensation from any of the organizations. Please check live links for accurate schedule/pricing info.}