A little bit of winter weather never stopped a true Chicagoan from getting out there and enjoying the city…except when the city is in the grip of a polar vortex. Or when just getting outside also involves putting boots and five layers of winter gear on a troop of small people.

Sometimes it can be hard to get motivated to head out into the cold for all the kid-friendly events happening in Chicago. But to help, we've compiled a list of awesome places for kids to run, jump, bounce, learn, create, and get cultured indoors this winter.

There is also plenty to do on our list of indoor activities you can do at home and our mega-guide of 40 Indoor Snow Day Boredom Busters. Or, check out the outdoor options in our Winter Activities Guide.

That darling toddler that couldn't spend enough time with you somehow morphed into an often sulky or sullen tween or teen who suddenly thinks you're fairly lame. Now, when you suggest a fun family activity, you're more likely to be met with an eye roll than a hug. Well, we happen to have a list of outings that will definitely get your teenager off the couch. We have an entire Mommy Poppins guide just for teens and tweens, but if you're looking for one handy list, here are 20 activity ideas that will make your tween or teen smile for a minute. If you mention there might be Instagram photo opportunities, they may even smile for two or three minutes. 

Free indoor playground time in Atlanta means exciting (and warm) hijinks for the kiddos and a load off the wallet. Atlanta is boiling in the summer, icy in the winter, and a wet mess during the rainy season, so free indoor playgrounds can offer relief for kids to run around without hefty fees and entrance costs. And besides the happy moment of watching your children run off that pent-up energy in a place other than your own house, it's also a perk to have saved some cash in the process.

If it seems like colleges are becoming more competitive, you're not imagining it. These days good grades, great SAT scores, and solid extracurriculars don't always cut it—many colleges also want to see some hands-on, real-world experience. That's where summer internships come in. While many summer internship programs are geared towards college students, the DC area offers plenty of programs for high school students with a variety of interests.

Here are seven great summer internship opportunities near DC for teens. These internships in the fields of STEM, biomedical research, history, and more will really help your child stand out from the pack. The opportunities are listed in order of application deadline, so keep a close eye on them—the deadlines fall before most teens have started thinking about their summer plans. As these programs tend to be competitive, encourage your teen to get an early start on applications.

Whatever summer internship or job your teen ends up with, they'll still need to make time for fun. Check out our Summer Activities Guide for DC Kids and our list of 12 fun things to do with tweens and teens near DC for ideas that will impress even the most jaded teen.

We'll just say it: Raising a kid is expensive. Weekend classes, summer camp, after-school care, sports, dance, and music lessons can add up. And let’s face it, as New Yorkers, we’re most likely paying much more than the average parent. That’s why we’ve rounded up a collection of FREE classes in NYC. These enriching activities lighten the financial load and all occur within free-to-access stores and public places, but there are also plenty of free and low-cost activities inside NYC museums and gardens, which make membership costs worth the splurge.

Read on for our picks for the best FREE classes in NYC and find more enrichment opportunities in our Guide to Classes and Activities for NYC Kids.

Forget lugging your kid’s guitar on a crowded 6 train or sloshing through a New York City snowstorm to get to a piano lesson. If skilled instructors who will teach your child "Here Comes the Sun" on the ukulele in the comfort of your own home or through an engaging virtual music lesson sound more your speed, Hey Joe Guitar Music School is about to game-change your future Beethoven's education. The dad-owned business has been matching Manhattan and Brooklyn children (and adults) with highly-trained teachers for private in-home lessons for more than 15 years and, now, they’re offering flexible online lessons and hybrid options too.

Hey Joe Guitar was founded by fourth-generation New Yorker and long-time musician, Joe Berger, after countless friends asked him to recommend music teachers for themselves and their children. With the school in its second decade, he's still personally involved with every client and monitors each instructor. Above all, he takes care of perfectly matching teachers to eager learners.

From Joe's helpful hand-holding to the program's promise of individualized attention and flexibility with both in-person and virtual lessons, this stress-free learning style is tough to top—and getting started is as easy as one, two, three, four.