Screens off, play ON! On September 26, 2026, the National Children’s Museum joins Nickelodeon and the Association of Children’s Museums for Worldwide Day of Play, a global celebration that believes play is essential to learning, creativity, and connection.

There’s a full day of fun for the whole family! Explore pop-up activities happening throughout the museum, including:

A Quilt Book of Stars
Enjoy an author reading and book signing of Quilt of Stars with former NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg.

Burger Flip Challenge Pop-Up
Test your engineering skills by launching “burger ingredients” into a stacking target using adjustable seesaws.

Danny Joe’s Treehouse Performance
Sing, dance, and play along with a live performance from Danny Joe’s Treehouse

Papel Picado
Celebrate Mexican culture by designing your own papel Picado, traditional decorative paper banners that can be displayed in the museum as part of the Placita Mágica exhibit.

Worldwide Day of Play activities are included with general museum admission. (Admission is free for museum members and children under 1.)Learn more and purchase tickets at the link below.