☀️ Westside Winter Fun: Holiday Activities for Kids This Week 🎅💫

12/13-12/19 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

🎁 Ivy Station Holiday Night Market @Ivy Station
About: Shop an array of handcrafted and curated gift items at this festive and fun holiday night market on the lawn. Enjoy dozens of local vendors, plus food trucks, pop-ups, and onsite dining, craft beer from Los Angeles Ale Works, photos with Santa, DIY ornamentmaking, adoptable dogs, and more. This is a family-friendly and pet-friendly event! *Free
Dates: 12/13: 5-10pm

🎄 Platform Snow Day @ The Platform
About: Saturday, December 14; 10am-2pm The ginormous sledding hill is back with cozy hot cocoa, smoldering s’mores and kid-friendly crafts. Time to break out those snow boots! *Free
Dates: 12/14: 10am-2pm

 🛍️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: 12/14: 10am-3pm

🎬 All About Santa A Musical for Kids age 2-102 @ SM Playhouse
About: It's the timeless Rudie-DeCarlo musical comedy ALL ABOUT SANTA. Where has Santa gone? And how can the inhabitants of the North Pole save the holidays from the diabolical machinations of an all-too-commercial world? Complete with perky elves, zany inventors, toy soldiers and porcelain dolls, audiences boo the villain, cheer the heroine, and help save the day in this delightful holiday event, perfect for the whole family! It's holiday time at the North Pole and everyone is in a tizzy – Santa has disappeared.
Date: 12/15: 5:30pm

 🎅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. *Free
Date: 12/15: 11am-2pm

☃️Meet me under the Fig Tree @ The Fairmont Hotel
About: Join us on Sunday, December 15, for a beloved holiday tradition filled with joy and community spirit! From 1 pm to 4 pm, our doors open to guests and locals alike for a festive, free-access celebration. Immerse yourself in the holiday magic with live music, special performances by the SaMo High Orchestra and Jason Pelsey, and an array of family-friendly activities including: Photos with Santa Claus under our iconic Fig Tree (click HERE for advance reservations) Kids activities like festive cookie decorating, a bounce house, a snow machine, and arts & crafts stations Delicious culinary delights from FIG Restaurant and our amazing local partners including Emporium Thai, BOA Steak, Sushi Roku, Chef Luigi Fineo, Michael’s and Shake Shack Fire station truck showcase and meet the SMDP horses. *Free
Date: 12/15: 1-4pm

📚Tuesday Tales: A traveling storytime @ Fairview 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: 12/17: 10:30am

 🥁 Musical Story Time @ Ivy Station
About: Join Books and Cookies for story time on the lawn. We'll read stories, sing, dance, jam with musical instruments, play with the parachute, and get crafty. Bring a blanket or mat to sit on.
Dates: 12/17: 10-11am

🎶 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: Musical Bob
Dates: 12/18: 10-11am

 🎸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 (rescheduled from 12/7)
Date: 12/21: 2-3:15pm

💕 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.

Leaf- audio memory app
I constantly find myself thinking “I need to remember this moment” or “Write down that funny quote my daughter said” and then of course (like any other brain lapse moment in parenthood) I totally forget to do it and the moment is gone. I recently discovered this app that allows you to record these moments and share them with your friends and family. It also organizes each of the recordings based on date, location, and person which is super helpful when wanting to go back and revisit those precious moments. I highly recommend it if you want to keep track of those fleeting moments!

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!
Update: We heard back from our community and many of you have mentioned that visual schedules or checklists have been very helpful for moving things along! Keep sending your tips so we can share what’s been working with other parents!

👋 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.}