Play: More Important Than Ever!

STEAM

Podcast

Power of Play

Helping Hands

PlaySpace

Joyful Discovery!

We invite you to explore the Museum with your family and friends and take part in the playful exploration and learning that happen at the Museum. Exhibits and programs for every age, stage and interest generate novel experiences, rich interactions, and opportunities for creative expression.  The Museum’s unique hands-on environment inspires playful learning with objects, tools, fun materials, new challenges, and social interactions that support healthy development. Make a memory and much more, visit today!

Children with sidewalk chalk

Dinos in Space!

How far can your imagination take you? Visit our new fun, silly, and ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­uncommon exhibit that imagines a universe with dinosaurs in space. An out of the ordinary and fantastic experience to stretch the imagination.
Illustration of the museum along the Charles River with kids playing outside

Online Games

Build your own museum, test your memory through matching, create a fun Mad Lib, and more!

Psychedelic Milk online activity

At-Home Activities for Kids

View our growing archive of play and learning activities that you can enjoy at home.

COllections

Museum Collection

Come explore our over 100-year-old collection that includes items from all around the world.

This Month in the Art Lab

Dinos In Space

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!

Next Exhibit

Japanese House

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.

Learn more about the Japanese House

Next Exhibit

Japanese House Gallery

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!

Learn about the current Japanese House Gallery exhibition.