Summer Hours: The Museum is open 7 days a week through Labor Day!
July 1–September 7
Explore our outdoor pop-up exhibit that celebrates the delights of playing with natural materials! Make a mud pie, crush up some pine cones, or add pebbles to your stone soup.
Step into the Hundred Acre Wood this summer at Boston Children's Museum! From May 23 to September 7, 2026, families can explore beloved locations from A.A. Milne's classic story, including Pooh Bear's house, Rabbit's garden, and Owl's library. With hands-on activities, weekly programs, and character meet and greets, there's something magical waiting for every Winnie-the-Pooh fan.
Come experience our brand new Dream it! Build it! exhibit today! This fun new exhibit will empower children and the adults in their lives to dream up, design, and build things that make our world a better place. Experience real tools, real collaboration, and real joy as you try out construction, architecture, and engineering challenges.
Take a ride around the channel on one of the five unique animal pedal boats: Duck, Blue Heron, Flamingo, Pelican, and Dragon! Fees apply. Departing from the dock at Boston Children’s Museum daily from 12pm until 30 minutes before sunset.
Come visit the Japanese House Gallery for our compelling new art installation, Trees Make Happiness 2. This exhibit showcases works by Japanese student artists, providing insights into contemporary youth culture and highlighting the significance of trees in our lives. Open through Summer 2026.
Looking Back to Leap Forward: Celebrating the Legacy of President and CEO Carole Charnow.
See the results of the Museum and BostonMoms.com 2024 Play Survey. Thank you to all who took the time to tell us about how your family is playing!
Beyond the Chalkboard is an online resource for learning beyond school. Explore hundreds of science, math, art, and engineering activities using simple, low-cost materials you likely already have.
Build your own museum, test your memory through matching, create a fun Mad Lib, and more!
View our growing archive of play and learning activities that you can enjoy at home.
Come explore our over 100-year-old collection that includes items from all around the world.
Age: 4-5, 6-8 Category: STEAM, Play!
Dream up, design, and build things that make our world a better place in Dream it! Build it! Engage in hands-on making and collaborative problem solving to discover the power of architecture, design, engineering, construction, and teamwork. Dream big about the future of our cities and communities. Design creative solutions by experimenting with ideas, materials, light, and color. Build hands-on projects with real tools, real collaboration, and real joy.
Age: 4-5, 6-8 Category: Play!
How far can your imagination take you? It’s dinosaurs in space! And it’s just as fun, creative, and silly as you imagine. Enter a space dome and create a landscape for dinosaurs, design a new constellation, send an inter-galactic message, and dress up a dinosaur for a space flight. Start with the question “What if…?” and see where your imagination and creativity go next!
Age: 6-8 Category: Culture and Identity
Welcome to the Japanese House! Walk down the street, take off your shoes, and step into an authentic two-story silk merchant’s home from Kyoto, Japan. The Japanese House was transported piece by piece from Kyoto and reconstructed here in Boston by Japanese carpenters. Families can explore every corner of the fully-equipped home. Japanese family life, customs, ceremonies, art, architecture, and seasonal events are all highlighted in this fully functional 100-year-old house inside the Museum. This house was a gift to the City of Boston from the City of Kyoto on the 20th Anniversary of their sister city relationship in 1979. Come explore this rare and very special landmark.
Age: 6-8 Category: Art
Adjacent to the Japanese House, an authentic 1880s house from Kyoto, Japan, this gallery space explores contemporary stories of Japan, especially of the vibrant and multifaceted lives and expressions of youth. Using art and culture as vehicles, local and international artists, storytellers, and curators co-create a culturally responsive gallery space that invites visitors to build empathy. Shared narratives are authentic and complex, bringing more appreciation to the lived experiences of each individual. Children and their grownups are encouraged to experience imagination and belonging in the Japanese House Gallery. This small space has a large mission!
