6 Children’s Museum of Phoenix Tips (for Savvy Parents)

Kids of all ages have a blast at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Designed for young guests from birth through 10 years, this attraction offers all sorts of opportunities to PLAY. Climbing structures, interactive displays, building materials, a book loft, and more add to the fun. To make the most of your Phoenix Children’s Museum visit, follow these six tips to maximize fun and learning.

Kids playing at the Phoenix Children's Museum
Kids playing at the Phoenix Children’s Museum Whoosh exhibit (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

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1. Get in on the fun at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix.

Hey parents, don’t just sit back and watch…get in on the action at this children’s museum! Play shopkeeper or shopper with your kids at the Market, a pint-sized pretend grocery store. Then, help build a fort with foam bricks, crates, buckets, and fabric at Building Big. You just may remember how much fun it is to play like a kid!

Noodle Forest at Phoenix Children's Museum
A sweet sibling moment in the Noodle Forest (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

2. Follow, don’t lead.

The grownups are in charge of most things in a young child’s life. At the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, let kids be in charge for a change. Give them the freedom to choose which exhibits to explore and for how long.

Some kids will want to snuggle up with you and a book for story time in the Book Loft. Others will delight in getting lost amongst Styrofoam tubes in the Noodle Forest.

Watching children discover the museum in their own way, at their own pace, gives kids a sense of control and opens them to learning opportunities. Besides, following their lead may give you insight into the workings of their unique minds and personalities.

Schuff-Perini Tower at Children's Museum of Phoenix
The tree-house-like Schuff-Perini Tower at the museum’s center, made from unusual building materials (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

3. Go midweek.

Want to avoid crowds? Go to the Phoenix Children’s Museum midweek to avoid the busy weekend rush, if possible. Also, you may want to call first to see if any large groups from schools or camps will be at the museum so you can schedule accordingly.

Building Big exhibit at Children's Museum of Phoenix
Making a fort at the Building Big exhibit at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

4. Wear play clothes.

Don’t dress your darlings in their holiday finest for a visit to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Kids and adults alike will want comfortable clothing to climb and explore.

Plus, in the Art Studio, children can express their inner artist with colorful paints and create with gobs of glue. This can make for some beautiful creations…and messy clothes. Smocks are available, but to be on the safe side, put everyone in comfortable dark play clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

An art installation that embodies reduce, reuse, recycle made with old CDs at Phoenix Children's Museum
An art installation that embodies reduce, reuse, recycle made with old CDs (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

5. Watch children closely.

This museum is not the kind of place where you can sit back and surf the Web on your smartphone while young ones play quietly. It’s an interactive space with oh-so-much to discover, and you could easily lose sight of kiddos if you don’t watch vigilantly. Additionally, bigger kids can get excited and rambunctious while playing here, so be extra cautious when visiting with toddlers and preschoolers.

This is especially true at Whoosh, which is described by the museum’s website as, “a jumble of connected tubes where children feed scarves in a rainbow of colors into the transparent, air-powered structure. The colorful scarves shoot up through the pipes at high speeds, to heights of 20 feet or more, and are released in a burst of energy from high above.” Stand guard over little ones to make sure they don’t get hurt by errant elbows and giggling grade-schoolers.

Having a ball in the Grand Ballroom at Childrens Museum of Phoenix
Having a ball in the Grand Ballroom at the Phoenix Children’s Museum (Photo credit: Colleen Lanin)

6. Plan a mellow evening.

Most visitors spend two to four hours exploring the museum’s 14 exhibits. After a day at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, an afternoon nap and a mellow evening may be in order. Your kids will be tuckered out from all that building, experimenting, playing, and thinking. Meanwhile, parents will be tired from trying to keep up!

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6 Tips to Maximize Fun and Learning at the Children's Museum of Phoenix

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Would your kids would enjoy the Children’s Museum of Phoenix? Let us know in the comments below!

A Note from The Travel Mama: My kids and I received admission tickets to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix free of charge for the purposes of this story. My opinions and observations are mine, as always.

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3 Comments

  1. Is this museum something a 9 month old would enjoy? We’ll be in the area next month to visit my parents and would love to find some fun activities for my son. Thanks.

    1. Jessie – Yes! There are plenty of activities appropriate for babies at the Children’s Museum of Phoenix. Here’s a link to some fun stuff for those 3 & under at the museum: http://childrensmuseumofphoenix.org/exhibits-and-experiences/babies-toddlers-preschoolers/

  2. With temperatures going up in the Phoenix area this is the sort of place everyone really appreciates.