At-Home Philadelphia Activities for Kids

Keep your young ones entertained with these creative and educational Philadelphia-themed experiences.

Many local museums, attractions, and organizations offer interactive activities for all ages, serving as the perfect opportunity to introduce kids to Philadelphia’s history, art, and more. The Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau has compiled a few of the resources below:

• The National Constitution Center features an Interactive Constitution on its website, allowing those of all ages to navigate the text and decipher the meaning of the documents different sections, all with the help of insights from a variety of scholars. The museum also regularly hosts lectures and educational sessions.
• The Museum of the American Revolution offers a free coloring book featuring items from its collection as well as a virtual tour and virtual field trip. The museum also provides free, downloadable Mini Lesson Plans for teachers or caregivers.
• Mural Arts’ Homeschool with Mural Arts initiative consists of a series of instructional videos featuring local artists that offer at-home art projects with new videos published each Monday and Wednesday. Additional resources include downloadable coloring pages, a coloring book, Posters of Hope, and more.
• The Philly POPS’ new POPS in Schools@Home resource helps teach students and their caregivers the fundamentals of music with instrument lessons, guides to making instruments at home, and more.
• Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens offers an abundance of activity pages themed around the mosaic masterpiece, including coloring sheets, puzzles, mazes, and even a Make Your Own Mosaic activity.
• The Penn Museum’s At-Home Anthropology activities encourage families to engage with their surroundings at home with simple projects. The museum also offers interactive virtual learning via video conferencing, tools that translate your name into Hieroglyphs or Cuneiform, and more.
• The iconic LOVE Park has its very own activity book, complete with activities such as mazes and coloring pages available for free download courtesy of the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
• Kids can learn about the quest for liberty and various heroes throughout history with the help of the National Liberty Museum’s NLM @ Home resource, which includes liberty learning activities, a virtual Heroes Gallery, and more.
• The Pennsylvania Convention Center is challenging artists everywhere and of all ages to try their hand at recreating pieces from the building’s impressive art collection while at home via their #PCCArtAtHome initiative. Submissions will be judged by each of the original artists that are featured.
• Eastern State Penitentiary shares coloring pages based on items in the historic prison’s collection via the #ESPinColor hashtag on Twitter.
• The Philadelphia Zoo — the nation’s first zoo — broadcasts live looks at animals each weekday at 2 p.m. via social media, complete with insights from zookeepers. The full collection of videos is available via their Philly Zoo To YOU resource, which also features online activities including coloring sheets, animal-themed worksheets, and other DIY experiences.
• The Adventure Aquarium publishes new marine animal worksheets on their website daily, including mazes, puzzles, coloring pages, focus charts, and more.
• The Academy of Natural Sciences’ Science From Home website features coloring sheets made of images from the Academy’s library and archives, simple at-home science experiments, a reading list, and other activities. Beginning in June 2020, their ‘Ask the Scientists’ program will allow kids and their caregivers to engage with and learn from scientists and educators virtually. At 1 p.m. each Friday throughout the summer of 2020, the Academy of Natural Sciences’ “Live! From the Academy” will present up-close looks of animals and bugs from the museum’s collection via Facebook Live.
• The Association of Public Art’s series of printable activity pages feature mazes, connect the dots, and drawing prompts that help introduce kids to Philadelphia’s collection of outdoor art.
• The Independence Seaport Museum’s digital resources include coloring sheets of the historic Cruiser Olympia and several species of watershed wildlife, a printable Cruiser Olympia model kit and several bingo games based around the museum’s collection of historic ships. For those in grades 9-12, the museum offers a lesson plan centered on its River Alive! exhibit.
• The Clay Studio offers a collection of creative DIY clay projects via their Clay At Home YouTube series. No clay? No problem. Make some at home by mixing together two cups of flour, two cups of warm water, one cup of salt, and two tablespoons of vegetable oil until it has a smooth consistency.
• The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance and PhillyFunGuide have teamed up for Arts + Culture To Go, which features a “Kids Menu” with creative all-ages activities from organizations throughout the city.

For additional at-home city experiences, including virtual concerts, recipes, and additional digital museum experiences, reference our Philadelphia From Home guide.

Cover photo courtesy of the Museum of the American Revolution.