free things to do with kids in St. Louis

Follow the yellow brick road to Andrews Academy in Creve Coeur for a free performance of The Wizard of Oz.

The Summer Reading Road Trip is a reading festival for kids ages 0 to 12 and their families that includes author signings, crafts, and photo opps with your kids' favorite costume characters.

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Really Big Coloring Book Celebration

Really Big Coloring Books is celebrating 30 years with a fun, free, family event with lots of giveaways, musical entertainment and activities for kids, drawings, and prizes, including lots of coloring books!

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Summer Family Fun Series at the Missouri History Museum

Visit the Missouri History Museum this summer for all kinds of family fun that's free! On Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, children will enjoy art, storytelling, special entertaining guests, musical workshops, crafts, performances by St. Louis favorites like the Muny Kids, Celia and Friends, and lots more.

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Strange Donuts 5th Annual Donut Day Celebration

Celebrate National Donut Day at this family friendly event that includes performances by Cirus Harmony, a petting zoo, face painting, cariacatures, a balloon roof, Bulldog Rescue dogs, live music, lots of donuts, food from local restaurants, local brews and refreshments.

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Play Date Theater: Treasure Island

Treasure Island is a fast-paced, pirate-filled adventurous adaptation of a literary classic performed live on stage by the Hempstead Stage Company. This free performance is designed for the whole family and is focused on the shorter attention spans of young children.

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Children's Garden Club in Queeny Park

Kids of all ages can learn about gardening and horticulture at this free outdoor gardening workshop. Participants will begin a gardening project that they can take home and grow themselves.

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Planetarium Shows at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park

Visit the James S. McDonnell Planetarium in Forest Park and see a star show to experience the largest artificial sky in the Western Hemisphere. Star shows are lead LIVE by one of the Planetarium's educators, creating a new and tailored experience for every audience.

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Spring Training Sea Lion Shows at the Saint Louis Zoo

Sunday, March 16, 2025

Monday, March 17, 2025

See the amazing sea lions at the Saint Louis Zoo perform for the crowd and cheer them on from the bleachers as the popular Sea Lion Spring Training Shows return. You'll see these beautiful animals perform flipper walks, ball balancing, Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, lots of splashing and even more surprises!

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Preschool Science Series: Storybook STEM at the Saint Louis Science Center

Sunday, March 16, 2025

The Saint Louis Science Center has expanded its Preschool Science Series to include new offerings for different age groups of young scientists. Storybook STEM is for ages 3 to 5.

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Science Storytime at the Saint Louis Science Center

Young visitors and their families are invited to the Life Science Lab Classroom at the Saint Louis Science Center to enjoy interactive read-alouds of science-themed picture books. Story times are followed by a short demonstration or discussion connected to the book's main concepts.

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Animals Aglow at the Saint Louis Zoo

Explore the Saint Louis Zoo in the evenings at the Chinese lantern festival Animals Aglow! Animals Aglow returns to illuminate the Saint Louis Zoo for the second year with dozens of new, towering lanterns and light displays.

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Popular Stories

Why Summer Camp is Great for . . . Parents

Being able to focus on yourself, your partner, and other people in your life who mean a lot to you is no small matter. As parents, we’re used to being responsible providers and caregivers. However, there’s so much more to a person: we’re also partners and friends. These are important parts of our identities that we need to cultivate. Sending your kids to summer camp may bring out your more playful side that you haven’t shown for a while.

Want Your Kids to Learn? Teach Them It’s Okay to Make Mistakes

It’s normal for parents to want to protect their children from failure. It’s also normal to want them to achieve, win, and do their best. But here’s the truth: We don’t learn anything new without making mistakes. I’ll say it again. Making mistakes is a crucial step in learning. If we’re fearful of making mistakes, learning comes to a screeching halt.

Spring Break Camps Offer a Variety of Activities for Kids and Teens in St. Louis

Excitement is building for summer and the wide variety of summer camp experiences available for kids in the St. Louis metro area. But first! Spring break is around the corner, and there are plenty of Spring Break camps enrolling now.

7 Signs Your Kids Are Ready For Their First Sleepaway Camp

It’s time to decide whether to send your kids to sleepaway camp, but how do you know that's the right thing to do? How can you tell whether your kids are ready for their first extended stay away from home? Here are 7 important signs that experts say should inform your decision.

Life Lessons Learned at Overnight Camp

With the perfect blend of adventure and responsibility, camp life teaches kids valuable lessons they can use for the rest of their lives. If you send your child to overnight camp, here are some life lessons they are likely to learn.

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On your mark. Get set. Go! Who will cross the finish line first — the fast and confident hare or the slow but determined tortoise? The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra brings The Tortoise and the Hare to life as children dance and play along with the musicians of the SLSO. The Tortoise and the Hare is based on the book by Alison Ritchie, and set to the music of Beethoven, Rossini, Elgar, and Dvořák. The Tortoise and the Hare will be performed on Saturday, March 29 at 12 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Concert Hall. It is most enjoyed by ages 3-6 and their grownups. Pre-concert activities begin 30 minutes prior to each performance. GET TICKETS

Vetta Sports Spring Break and Summer Camps are where every kid wants to be! Give your kids a full week of sports, activities and friends during their school's Spring Break or all summer long at Vetta Sports. Enrollment is open for kids ages 5-12 for camps in a fun, active, creative environment full of sports, games, friends and special activities. LEARN MORE AND ENROLL TODAY!

On the Fly Pros is the most unique summer camp in town! This summer, let your kids perform, fly, and defy gravity at On the Fly STL Studios Aerial & Flying Summer Camps! Each action-packed week combines aerial, dance, acting, and harness flying with circus arts and performance fun! Campers will create an exciting performance by the end of the week - because at On the Fly, every camper is a star! Camp themes include Superheroes, Wicked & Wizard of Oz Mash-Up, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid, and more. Recommended for ages 6-16 (campers are broken into smaller age groups). Flexible scheduling is available! Learn more at ontheflypros.com

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