9 More Free Museum Programs in All 5 Boroughs

6/15/07 - By Anna Fader

Wrapping up our week of free museum family programs, we're sending you off with some frequently overlooked museums that offer free classes for kids and toddlers. We're traveling to all five boroughs for lots of free family fun.

The Queens Museum is home to the NYC panorama and World's Fair memorabilia. They have free family drop-in art classes on Sundays and weekend scavenger hunts. Website is not updated, so check or call for summer schedule.

In addition, in July and August The Queens Museum resumes their Passport Fridays, a dance and music festival that features the culture of a different country every week. Brazil, Columbia, India, Mexico, South Africa and Tunisia will all be celebrated with live music and dancing followed by a film. Free children's art workshops are offered between 6:30 and 8PM.

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The Cloisters, located in Upper Manhattan, is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. In Gallery Workshops, Children 4-12 and their families participate in an hour-long programs.

Museum of the City of New York offers Family Programs about once a month include free workshops and performances. The Paper Bag Players will be performing for free on July 21.

The Brooklyn Museum stays open late for free programs of art and entertainment on Target First Saturdays. Food is for sale and a cash bar offers wine and beer.

Studio Museum in Harlem has free family art programs.

The Museum of Biblical Art has free craft workshops approximately monthly. Upcoming workshops include papermaking, batik and shadow puppets.

The Staten Island Museum has free science programs for kids plus some free vacation science camps and a relatively inexpensive summer science camp.

Wave Hill has free art programs for families every weekend.

New York Botanical Garden offers free hands-on activities introduce kids to the thrill of science exploration and of seeing what seeds and soil can become every day in their two family gardens. Each season brings special programs plus puppet shows, dance and music concerts, and other events throughout the year offer fun for the whole family in the beautiful setting of the Garden.

Also check out Newyorkology's helpful list of free museum hours for more free museum adventures with the kids.

Find more great activities like this in our Indoor Activities Guide.  

Find more tips for NYC art and kid shows in our Culture Guide.

 

 

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About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.