What should we do with the kids?

Free printables, kid-friendly Houston trails, indoor spots for the too-hot days, weekend ideas and short parenting guides.

This weekend Free printables

A parent couple and their small child walking hand in hand down a garden path, seen from behind

A child hugging a parent from behind, against a cloudy sky

Help NowDoing it on your own? Real Houston help for food, bills, childcare and more

A child's hands coloring a sun and rainbow with markers

Printables30 free PDFs by age & theme

Tossing a big bowl of salad in a Houston home kitchen

Quick recipes20 family dinners, breakfasts & snacks in 30 min

Buffalo Bayou Park trees and water with the downtown Houston skyline behind

Trails10 stroller-tested walks

The colorful columned entrance of the Children's Museum Houston

Indoor daysToo hot, too wet

The pond at Hermann Park surrounded by green trees

Weekend ideasFree days & story times

Miller Outdoor Theatre's big roof and lawn in Hermann Park

Local eventsFestivals, shows & tickets

A hand holding a bunch of bright party balloons

Birthday parties10 Houston party spots

A birthday party table with cake and pink and white balloons

Party plannerA few quick questions, then a printable party plan

A light blue station wagon driving down a highway on a sunny day

Day trip plannerStops near your ZIP, packing list & printout

A parent pushing a stroller down a shady park path

Gear we likeStroller fan, insulated bottle, sunscreen stick, splash-pad shoes

A wooden shape-sorting puzzle with square, triangle and circle pieces

Montessori at home21 activities by age

A parent's hand holding a baby's small hand

Parenting guidesTantrums, screens, two homes

This week's printable

Preview of the Houston park and zoo scavenger hunt printable

Ages 5–7PDF

Houston park & zoo scavenger hunt

Twelve painted things to spot on a bayou trail and four at the zoo. Take it to Buffalo Bayou Park or the Arboretum this weekend.

Download PDF All printables

Houston, this week

Free this week

Children's Museum is free Thursday 5–8 pm, HMNS is free Tuesday 5–8 pm, the Health Museum is free Thursday 2–5 pm. Sources and the full list on Weekend ideas.

Weather call

Hot and sunny? Morning at the Arboretum or Eastern Glades, indoors after lunch. Raining? Ten indoor picks with prices from their own sites.

Five quiet minutes

The tantrum guide is a four-minute read. The screen-time one has three rules that actually hold.

The weekly email

The best weekend picks, free events and a new printable — straight to your inbox every Thursday.

Gear we like

13 things that hold up in Houston heat and rain

A clip-on stroller fan, a 12 oz insulated bottle, a mineral sunscreen stick, splash-pad clogs, a freezable lunch bag and mess-free coloring, each with a short honest note on why it suits Houston. No fake reviews.

See the gear list

As an Amazon Associate, Bayou Littles earns from qualifying purchases.