Children between the ages of 4 and 8 feel at home at nearly every space in Chicago Children’s Museum—in fact, you could call this age range the museum’s sweet spot. From family Saturday afternoons to mid-week field trips, Chicago Children’s Museum provides valuable educational experiences and activities for young school-aged children—that also happen to be a blast.

Permanent Exhibits

Because Chicago Children’s Museum is an ideal play space for kids ages 4-8, all our exhibits offer a play experience for them that’s valuable, fun, and unique every time.

Here are just a few favorite exhibits for young school-aged children:

• Experience the twists, climbs, and views of Cloud Buster, our one-of-a-kind climbing sculpture. 

• Learn about dinosaurs and dig for “bones” in Dinosaur Expedition.

• Design and build skyscrapers in Skyline.

• Tap into your inner artist in the Art Studio.

• Explore DIY skills in Tinkering Lab—where kids get to use real tools (with supervision) to engineer their own contraptions.

Museum-wide Programs

A variety of programs are offered each day. Throughout the year, visitors can find:

• Arts and culture programs like workshops, performances, and visiting artists

• Diversity and inclusion focused programs like Play For All events

• Health and wellness programs that get children moving and playing actively

• Literacy programs that encourage talking, listening, reading, and writing

• STEM programs to encourage wonder, inquiry, experimentation, and problem solving

Visit our Program Calendar for details on today’s programs.