Mario the Magician

Looking to create amusement as well as amazement, Mario the Magician performs slapstick-inspired routines with an avian sidekick: a dove named Mozzarella. He will engage the young audience in his act, geared to ages 4 through 10 and influenced by classic comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

‘Sing Back, Brooklyn! With Lloyd H. Miller’

The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island are invited to sing back, too, in this family program at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Lloyd H. Miller, a proud son of Brooklyn and leader of the band the Deedle Deedle Dees, known for its tunes celebrating science and history, hosts this event — with singalongs, stories and skits — the first Saturday of every month.

Whodunnit Family Scavenger Hunt

Imagine playing the game of Clue when the board consists of the halls of a great museum. That’s what this scavenger hunt for children 10 and older, from Watson Adventures, is like: they’ll trail a killer who has committed a murder in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He’s mocked the police with an intriguing series of hints about his name, the weapon he used and the gallery where he hid the body. Teams, which must each include at least one adult and one child (six is the maximum number for a team), will receive a list of suspects, weapons and hiding places. Then the sleuthing begins.

Halloween Celebration at the American Museum of Natural History

This is a real “night at the museum” — or at least an afternoon. The American Museum of Natural History will open its halls to young trick-or-treaters for Halloween crafts; live performances (including the Big Nazo Lab puppet troupe and David Grover and the Big Bear Band); costumed characters like Curious George and Clifford the Big Red Dog; and, of course, goodies.

‘Dan Zanes Song Gusto Hour’ and ‘PhilharMonster!’

It’s going to be a musical Halloween weekend at Symphony Space. On Saturday at 11 a.m., young fans are invited to what may be the only concert activity that’s more fun than listening to Dan Zanes: singing with him. At “Dan Zanes Song Gusto Hour,” this beloved family rocker and folk artist will encourage audience members to join in just as loudly as they wish as he performs his hits, which will include selections from his latest album, the aptly titled “Get Loose and Get Together!” (Festival Five Records). On Sunday at 4 p.m., it’s time for some haunting — in all senses — symphonic pieces, as young musicians from the InterSchool Orchestras of New York offer “PhilharMonster!” Dressed in costume — they encourage the audience to do the same — the players will perform sepulchral works from classic movies and the classical canon, including Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and Berlioz’s “March to the Scaffold.”

‘Skeletons … A Day of the Dead Bedtime Story’

According to Mexican tradition, the spirits of deceased loved ones are revived on the Day of the Dead, a holiday that is joyous rather than ghoulish. In this new production from Teatro Sea, the Latino children’s theater, Jimmy is in mourning for his grandfather, who actually comes back to life for one night. Written by Richard Marino, the company’s managing director, “Skeletons” portrays the comical adventures that result when Grandpa and other departed relatives try to help Jimmy get on with life.

CirKiz Halloween Extravaganza

Electronic dance music doesn’t have many child-friendly connotations. But this rave will be strictly about wholesome fun for the 6-to-12-year-old set. Established by Jenny Song and Jesse Sprague (Mr. Sprague’s 8-year-old son, DJ Alden, will work with his father at this Halloween event), the CirKiz series of dance parties include movement lessons, D.J. lessons, entertainment and crafts. This Halloween extravaganza will also offer costume contests, dance contests and a table filled with glowing materials for festive creations.

‘Hatched’

Field trips sometimes take city children to farms, but this piece will take the farm to the children. Written by Mara McEwin and presented by the troupe Treehouse Shakers, this production for the youngest theatergoers — infants to 6-year-olds — uses dance, storytelling and handmade puppets to recreate the experience of a chick breaking out of its shell and encountering other animals, including a rooster, a calf, a lamb and baby birds.

Brookfield Place Halloween Party

Young ghosts and goblins will have plenty of opportunities to strut their scariest stuff at this event: It offers both a Costume Catwalk, for those who like to imitate fashion models, and a Parade Finale, for those who just like to frolic. Other attractions include face painting; Carmelo the Science Fellow and his Spooky Science Lab; the band Toys & Tiny Instruments; and, of course, trick-or-treating.

‘Party Games’ With R.L. Stine

Readers 6 to 12 have their own Stephen King: He’s R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series and the Fear Street series, novels about the weird, the wild and the supernatural. Now, in honor of Halloween, Mr. Stine is coming to McNally Jackson Books to discuss horror, the holiday and his latest Fear Street opus, “Party Games,” with the editor of the series, Kat Brzozowski.

‘Lumpy Bumpy Pumpkin’

This poor fellow doesn’t aspire to become anything as lofty as Cinderella’s coach, but he does long to be the scariest jack-o’-lantern of the season. He’s so misshapen, however, that all the smooth, rotund pumpkins in the patch feel sure that he’s just destined for pumpkin pie. Sandra Robbins has brought his story to life in this interactive mini-musical, presented by Shadow Box Theater for children in preschool through second grade.

‘Ivy + Bean, the Musical’

Ivy and Bean aren’t a pair of plants: They’re two little girls who are the creation of Annie Barrows, whose popular book series about their exploits consists of 10 adventures. Now Atlantic for Kids, the children’s wing of the Atlantic Theater Company, is presenting the New York premiere of Scott Elmegreen’s musical adaptation of the books. The hourlong show deals with how these second graders — the quiet, contemplative Ivy and the boisterous, extroverted Bean — become the best of friends, even though, at first meeting, they’re positive they can’t stand each other.

‘Shmita and Beyond’: Family Art Day

And just what is Shmita? According to Jewish tradition, it is a year of respite for the earth, when the land of Israel must lie fallow. The JCC is celebrating it with this family day, centered on its lobby exhibition, “Incubating Ideas and Cultivating Connections.” The show, which includes ecological art, also features greenery that doesn’t grow in the ground, like bottles of algae. Children will get into the spirit by planting herbs in recycled containers, making art with reused materials and exploring books about the environment.

Watson Adventures’ Ghosts of Greenwich Village Family Scavenger Hunt

The ghosts won’t need to haunt you; you’ll be visiting them in this family hunt in Greenwich Village, for young people ages 7 to 17 and accompanying adults. It will lead participants to discover places like the haunted former homes of Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain, as well as hidden motifs like bats on a building. Harry Potter’s nemesis will play a role, too. Location will be revealed with R.S.V.P.

Baby Loves Salsa

If you’re a fan of the Baby Loves Disco dance parties, this one expands the concept with a Spanish accent. To introduce children 2 to 6 to salsa, the singer-songwriter Jose Conde came up with a delightful conceit: a band of gatitos y perritos (kittens and puppies) from the streets of New York. His own group plays the cuddly creatures’ bilingual tunes, like “Bailar Rapido” (“Dance Fast”), which might be considered the motto for this interactive concert.

Enchanted Wave Hill Weekend

Remember the woodland fairies in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”? This weekend they will be conjured up at Wave Hill, the public garden in the Bronx. The drop-in Family Art Project, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be devoted to making fairy wands and tiny houses from leaves and twigs and other natural materials. Children can also hear stories about the resident sprites and at 11 a.m. enjoy the spell cast by the music of the Metropolitan Four, a flute quartet.

Kids ‘N Comedy: ‘The Scary Halloween Show’

The class clown gets applause, not detention, at this series, in which tween and teenage comics perform stand-up. At this show the theme relates to Halloween, with the young monologuists joking about topics like the flesh-eating zombies who ride the subway. The material is recommended for children 9 and older, but there’s no need to worry about appropriateness (profanity is banned) or knock-knock jokes (these dudes are sophisticated). Reservations required.

Fall Kids Fest

Children are invited to experience all the fun of autumn — as well as activities that are exciting year round — at this frolic, presented by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. The schedule will include a leaf identification project; decorating pumpkins picked from a patch; playing soccer, tennis and other games; participating in a costume parade led by the Big Apple Circus; and trying filmmaking with the New York International Children’s Film Festival and the Good School. The fest will also feature a reading corner for those who prefer quiet entertainment, and live bands and performances for those who like it loud.

Author Visit: R.L. Stine

Readers 6 to 12 have their own Stephen King: He’s R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series, novels about the weird and supernatural that are second only to the Harry Potter franchise in sales. (So says Scholastic, which publishes them both.) Now, in honor of Halloween, Mr. Stine is coming to the Scholastic Store in New York to read from his latest, “Zombie Halloween.” He’ll also be signing books and raising goosebumps on his fans.

Astrograss

You could say that this Brooklyn band takes bluegrass to starry heights. At this concert, a family hoedown in honor of Sukkot, the Jewish harvest holiday, it will offer not only that, but also folk music, comedy and singalongs. You can expect plenty of songs about the natural world and tunes from Astrograss’s 2012 album, “Colored Pencil Factory.”

Tinkerbell Theater

Despite the title, don’t expect to see Peter Pan. This double bill at the West End Theater consists of “Cinderella” and “Snow White,” presented in repertory by Frog and Peach Theater Company. Both adaptations are written and directed by Lynnea Benson, who has reimagined these classic tales: Cinderella plays Crazy Eights and discusses ornithology with the Prince, and Snow White has a terrible temper and hides out with the Seven Little Guys, who have names like Beasty and Stoolie. Soft puppets play some of the roles in both pieces, which include songs by Ted Zurkowski and are followed by puppet-making workshops; each theatergoer should bring an old sock, or parents can buy an optional puppet kit for $10.

Family Programs at the Rubin Museum of Art

It’s time to explore the Himalayas. That region is the specialty of the Rubin Museum of Art, and children can investigate it in two programs this weekend. On Saturday, from 2 to 4 p.m., Family Art Lab will present “The Art of Nepali Paper Making,” a workshop for ages 5 and older that will use the exhibition “Francesco Clemente: Inspired by India” as a springboard. After examining Mr. Clemente’s works on handmade paper, each young participant will tear up and mix recycled paper, fibers, flowers and herbs to create a sheet of paper to take home. On Sunday, from 1 to 4 p.m., the museum will host its continuing Family Sundays program, a new series consisting of gallery exploration (there’s a guided tour at 2 p.m.) and art making. October’s theme is “Celebrate Diwali!,” the Hindu Festival of Lights, which will include searching for light-themed objects.

New York City Ballet Family Saturday: ‘Fancy Footwork’

Children who know New York City Ballet mainly for its “Nutcracker” performances can see other sides of the repertory in this hourlong workshop, which introduces those 5 and older to classical dance. This program, to be hosted by the principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht,will be an exploration of the intricate steps featured in many ballets, with company members performing excerpts from pieces in the fall season, including “The Steadfast Tin Soldier,” “Interplay” and “Mozartiana.”

‘Step Into: Sukkot’

During Sukkot, the Jewish harvest festival, you normally eat inside a sukkah, a joyously decorated hut. But at “Step Into Sukkot,” a family program for ages 2 through 10 at Hannah Senesh Community Day School, from 9 a.m. to noon, you can eat the sukkah itself. Children can make edible versions at this celebration, which will also include creating decorations for the sukkah at home; enjoying an interactive concert featuring Timbalooloo, the clarinetist Oran Etkin’s preschool music program (at 9:30); and participating in “Stone Soup,” a holiday variation of that classical tale, presented by the group Play Me a Story (at 10:30).

Nitehawk Cinema’s Lil’ Hawk Friendly Halloween Series: ‘Monster House’

Eating at a movie usually means popcorn and candy, but Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn provides real meal service at tables in each of its theaters. This month it’s also been offering a brunch series for children, with films that have a Halloween theme. This Saturday and Sunday it’s screening “Monster House” (2006), an animated movie recommended for ages 8 and older. Directed by Gil Kenan and rated PG, this adventure focuses on a 12-year-old boy, D.J. Walters, who believes that his neighbor’s house isn’t haunted — it’s actually a monster that swallows things up.

Family Friday: ‘Great Balls of Paper!’

Goodness gracious, you can do a lot of geometry with simple paper units. In this program, part of the Family Fridays series at the National Museum of Mathematics, children will work with the mathematician Edmund Harriss to make interesting forms out of precut pieces of paper. Rules of geometry govern how these elements can fit together, and participants will learn about some of these principles, including recent revelations about four-dimensional space.

‘Sing Back, Brooklyn! With Lloyd H. Miller’

The Bronx, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island are invited to sing back, too, in this family program at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Lloyd H. Miller, a proud son of Brooklyn and leader of the band the Deedle Deedle Dees, known for its tunes celebrating science and history, hosts this event — with singalongs, stories and skits — the first Saturday of every month.

Submerge! NYC Marine Science Festival

No one will actually dive at this event, but attendees will still be able to investigate the depths of the local estuary — where seawater meets fresh water — and the many creatures that live there. Presented by the Hudson River Park Trust and the New York Hall of Science, this salute to marine life will include catch-and-release fishing, kayaking, research stations, live music and science talks. The Hall of Science’s tent will let young festivalgoers test the ocean’s acidity and build a raft, and a River Ranger’s tent will offer water-theme crafts, touch tanks filled with creatures and a chance to observe plankton through a microscope.

Kid Cool Theremin School

Yes, it’s great to study the piano or the flute or the trumpet. But imagine being able to say that you play the theremin. That’s really cool — or at least that’s what the New York Theremin Society will try to persuade young people in this theremin workshop for kids. This crash course, taught by Dorit Chrysler and Rob Schwimmer, will teach how to play the instrument, but even if participants don’t emerge as experts, they’ll refine their motor skills and train their ears.

Children’s Potions and Planting Tea Parties

If children haven’t received their invitations yet to study at Hogwarts, this may be the next-best thing. Annabella, described as the resident herb mother at Gallow Green, the rooftop restaurant at the McKittrick Hotel, is welcoming children ages 6 through 11 to learn all about potions and plantings and to pot some greenery to take home. Afternoon tea — with pink lemonade for young guests — will be served, and each participant may bring a favorite stuffed animal or doll. (Each adult attending must be accompanied by at least one and no more than three children; each child should bring a recyclable bottle.)