Spotlight on Special Needs...What To Do

Good parenting takes practice and patience especially with a special needs child. We've gathered some sensory fun things to do this Spring with your child as well as family friendly venues that are accessible. Please find summer camps and programs. Socialization is so important. KIDS Special Needs newsletters are here to help you make the best connections. You may also scan our online calendars for special events, explore our online special needs directories and flip through the latest Spring issue of the special needs e-book.


Please SHARE this special enewsletter edition with friends and family who can benefit! Stay tuned for more.

14 Things to Do for Children with Special Needs...we found these Spring activities that are welcoming you! Sensory shows, planetariums, zoos, play and more.

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Special Olympics NJ offers young athletes ages 2-7 a unique sports play program with and without intellectual disabilities. This program helps develop and improve gross motor, social and basic sports skills, including foundational skills, walking & running, balance & jumping, trapping & catching, throwing, striking and kicking. Register your child today.

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GAZILLION BUBBLE SHOW...Celebrate World Autism Month at a Sensory-Accessible Performance Saturday April 26 @ 430pm. In partnership with KultureCity®, offering a limited number of Sensory Bags which are free of charge and available on a first-come, first-served basis at the GBS merch booth on the 2nd floor, beginning 30 min before showtime. SAVE 35% WITH CODE: GBPOP101. TICKETS FROM $58* Buy tickets with link below.

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Earth Day Celebrations in NJ


Celebration for our Special Needs friends @ Monster Mini Golf locations on April 10th. 2-9pm. RSVP: Paramus, Fairfield, and Edison

Go See the Cherry Blossoms

Discover Mozart & Bach

New Jersey Symphony Family Concert:

A Music Discovery Zone

Events from the Calendar...pls assess whether these events are appropriate for your child.


Celebrating our Special Needs Friends @ Monster Mini Golf - Day

4/10


Sensory-Friendly Visit with the Easter Bunny 4/11


Renaissance Faire 4/12-13


Alstede Farms Easter Bunny Breakfast 4/12-13, 4/18-19


Fun Chess Tournament With Prizes & Food for Kids of ALL Levels 4/19


Sensory Saturday 4/19


Morning Mushroom Walk 4/19


Bunny Trail Spring Festival 4/19-20


Wild Earth Fest in Union County 4/27


Barnyard Buddies is Coming to Eatontown—Join Us for a Sensory-Friendly Petting Zoo! 5/3


Horse Show and Family Affair 5/3


Bridgewater Spring Carnival 5/4


NJ Symphony: Discover Mozart & Bach - Music Discovery Zone Interactive Family Concert 5/17


Lake Hopatcong Block Party 2025 at the Hopatcong State Park 5/17


Run Against ALS 5K Run/Walk & Kids Fun Run at Lake Drive School 5/17


A Walk for a Lifetime hosted by Spectrum 360 - 6/1


Sip and Stroll at Brandywine Zoo - 7/24

Specialized Programs ... Summer and All Year Round

MarbleJam Kids Summer Program


Enrolling now for summer programs and workshops. Also enrolling for their Vision Arts Filmmaking Practicum, a 2 year program for uniquely abled aspiring filmmakers. MarbleJam Kids is a NJ DDD and NJ DCF Authorized Provider promoting creativity in the community. MarbleJam provides programs for children, teens and adults with autism, ADHD, developmental disabilities and other special needs. info@marblejam.org Hackensack, NJ


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Seaton Hackney's Therapeutic Riding Camp


Horseback riding is a great way to build physical strength and dexterity while also forming a bond with your horse and discovering effective ways to communicate. All equine assisted services are planned for safety and therapeutic benefit with the individual's educational, physical, social, emotional and/or recreational goals in mind. For riders of all abilities and they have all types of horses to accommodate riders’ needs. 973-644-3355 for more information. Morristown, NJ


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Special Dragons Karate is now in 4 locations


Special Dragons is a karate program for children with autism and other developmental disabilities, exclusively teaching special needs students for over 12 years. Basic karate techniques are used to address eye/hand coordination, motor control, conditioning, balance, sensory integration, focus time on task and more. The program also helps students with cognitive processing speed and encourages neuroplasticity. Their on-location program can come to you too.Info@SpecialDragonsKarate.org. Locations: Union, Bellevue, Jersey City, and Paterson. 973.667.8525


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Camp On Tour


Camp On Tour is committed to helping young adults with social, emotional, learning, and cognitive differences have their summer of a lifetime! Their program takes groups of travelers around the world to experience new cultures and have fun while practicing social, emotional, independence, and executive functioning skills. 202.701.3979. theam@campontour.com


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The Center for Contemporary Arts Special Needs Summer Art Program


Registering now for special needs camp for students ages 6-16. Campers explore a variety of media as they experiment with drawing, painting and sculpture. Camp provides needed access to creative art experiences for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other special needs. The arts provide an invaluable avenue of self-expression for children with limited or no verbal communication, and because of heightened sensory needs, they often respond well to the multi-sensory stimulation and the hands-on approach inherent in art. 908.234.2345. Bedminster NJ


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Pony Power Therapies' therapeutic horseback riding, horse-assisted learning and garden-based learning programs


Connects people with disabilities or life challenges to the wonders of horses, farming and nature. Explore their spring and summer sessions. Therapeutic Horseback Riding for 2.5 yrs+, Horse-Assisted Learning for 6 yrs+, Garden-Assisted Learning for 6 yrs+, All Hands In for young adults, Forest Babies for 18 moms - 4 yrs, Forest Families, Farm in Motion for 5-12 yrs. Mahwah, NJ


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Join us for your next Field Trip @ Monster Mini Golf


Indoor Glow-in-the-Dark Mini golf, Arcade, prizes and more! Packages as low as $12 per person. We are wheelchair accessible, climate controlled, have interactive team members and is a one level facility. Come play at our Fairfield, Edison and Paramus locations.


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Harbor Haven Day Camp


Harbor Haven is registering for their 7-week summer day camp for 3-to-18-year-olds with mild special needs. Core areas include swimming instruction, athletics, creative arts, music, and nature/science. They promote many skills through karate, yoga, bicycle riding instruction, photography, cooking instruction, and the performing arts such as drama and dance. These program areas are run by adult specialists with knowledge and certifications in their content area as well as experience in working with children with special needs. West Orange, NJ


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Camp Shriver


A fun sports camp experience for individuals with intellectual disabilities of all ages. Campers make new friends, enhance sports skills, learn new sports and attend educational sessions on health and wellness. Plus any athlete registered with Special Olympics NJ is able to participate for free! Established in 1962 as part of the Special Olympics. camp@sonj.org


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FLIP through LATEST Resource Guide

SPRING 2025

SPECIAL NEEDS RESOURCE BOOKLET is out!


CLICK ON Cover Image to flip ebook

If you would like your school to receive the Special Needs Guide, please email admin@njkidsonline.com with the school address, and we will be happy to send copies.

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If you have a special needs program and would like to advertise your resources with NJ KIDS, please email advertise@njkidsonline.com

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