Spring break in Kansas City is fast approaching and if you’re not traveling, you are probably looking for ways to keep your kids occupied! Never fear, we’ve pulled together 101 ideas for your family from cat cafes to new indoor play spaces and fun day trips. Scroll down to items 54-101 for lots of free and inexpensive ideas that won’t break the bank. Get out there and explore all that Kansas City has to offer and make some great memories with your kids!
- Visit one of the area’s cat cafes like Sugar Kittens, Whiskers, or Second Cup and play with some adorable, adoptable cats.
- Have a family staycation at a hotel with a pool or Great Wolf Lodge.
- Take a day trip to Topeka. Spring is an excellent time to visit Gage Park.
- Go bowling at an old school bowling alley or a fancy new one that takes reservations.
- Play among the dinosaurs at Prehistoric Putt indoor mini-golfing.
- Pack a lunch and spend the day at Wonderscope. Make a reservation first as they are limiting capacity over spring break.
- Go swimming at a local community center. Most have day passes and open swim hours. Great Wolf Lodge even offers a day pass.
- Visit the planetarium at Union Station. There are several shows to choose from.
- Make a trip to Science City, they have exhibits for kids of all ages to enjoy, including toddlers.
- Check out the discovery room and dinosaur bones at the Museum at Prairiefire.
- Get energy out at a trampoline park like Get Air, Sky Zone, or Urban Air.
- Relax a bit and let your kids play at Kidscape at the Johnson County Museum. The entire exhibit is enclosed in one room.
- Reach new heights while indoor rock climbing at RoKC.
- Take the whole family to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
- Go to open gym to get the wiggles out at a nearby gymnastics studio.
- Teach the kids how to roller skate at a local rink like Skate City or Winnwood Skate Center.
- Ride the carousel at Oak Park Mall. Small kids can enjoy the free play area as well.
- Visit Legoland and let your kids build to their heart’s content.
- Visit SeaLife to see the new Stingray Nursery with Cownose Ray Pups who were just recently born in mid-March. The newly redone space within the aquarium will be for these newborn pups and their moms to be out on display in their own area for guests to see! Combo tickets for Legoland and Sealife are a great deal.
- Get crafty at one of Creative Culture’s two locations (and enjoy a fancy milkshake!)
- Take your little ones to My Play Cafe, Rough and Bumble, or Inspired Play Cafe.
- Paint your own ceramics at a local studio like Paint, Glaze, and Fire or Potter’s Haven Art Studio.
- It might still be too cold for the park but your kids can stay warm playing on the play sets at Rainbow of the Heartland.
- Let the kids fight safely with their siblings at Get Nerfed Battle Arena.
- Enjoy the giant indoor playground and inflatables at Fun Run in Liberty.
- Visit a local arcade.
- Take your sports lover to the College Basketball Experience.
- Bounce the wiggles out at the new Pump it Up location.
- Check out the new Kanga’s Indoor Playcenter in Independence.
- Design your own donut at Donutology or Duck Donuts.
- Shop for inexpensive craft supplies at Scraps KC.
- See Junie B Jones and a Little Monkey Business on the stage at Theatre for Young America.
- Hit the road for a day trip to Lawrence (Up and Away Play is perfect for kids).
- Visit the Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
- Attend Planet Comicon from March 17-19. On Friday and Saturday, children ages 7 and under are free. Sunday is Family Day and kids 12 and under are free!
- Go ice skating at Crown Center before they close for the season.
- Visit Ya-Ya’s Alpaca Farm in Garden City, MO.
- Take a day trip to Springfield, Missouri.
- Visit the Kansas City Zoo.
- Take your Daniel Tiger lover to the Kansas Children’s Discovery Museum for their Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Exhibit. Members of Wonderscope can even participate in their free museum swap on March 12.
- Need to get some work done? Check out one of these spots where mom’s work while kid’s play.
- If you have a kid that loves trains, visit one of the best places for train lovers in Kansas City.
- Check out BRKTHROUGH, a social gaming place perfect for older kids and teens.
- Visit Powell Gardens or the Overland Park Arboretum and look for early signs of spring.
- Try a new pizza place, donut shop, or ice cream parlor.
- Introduce your kids to the rich history of Kansas City.
- Do a cooking camp or workshop at Tastebuds Kitchen.
- Get your kids enrolled in swimming lessons. Many places even offer jump start lessons over spring break!
- Step into the past at Mahaffie Stagecoach Shop and Farm Historic Site for their Spring Break Living History event on Friday, March 16.
- Spend a day in Downtown Overland Park.
- Visit the Louisburg Cider Mill. You can get fresh cider and donuts year-round!
- Have a blast at the new Superkidz Club in Shawnee.
- Take your kids for a “mom and me” pedicure at one of these local salons.
Free and Inexpensive Spring Break Ideas
- Have a movie night with movie theater style snacks.
- Take your family on a hike at one of the many local trails.
- Visit a library with a fun children’s section.
- Explore one of the many nature centers in the metro.
- Visit a new park. The inclusive playgrounds are great for toddlers.
- Play a board game at Cardboard Cafe or Pawn and Pint.
- Check out the free indoor play areas at Foundry Church and Kaw Prairie Church.
- Make a reservation and visit Kaleidoscope to get your craft on.
- Plan a family game night.
- Camp out in the living room and make s’mores in the microwave.
- Keep your pajamas on all day and have a no screen limits day.
- Bring your teen to game at The Zone at Indian Creek Library in Olathe.
- Use painter’s tape on your floor to create roads for your toy cars.
- Let your kids play “the floor is lava.” The Netflix show by that name is also really good.
- Visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
- Challenge yourself with this list of 200+ Minute to Win It Games.
- Build a blanket fort.
- Make a sensory bin with things you already have like rice or beans and measuring cups.
- Set up a water play station for your kids in the sink or bathtub.
- Introduce your kids to a favorite movie from your childhood.
- Eat at Spin Pizza or Rock & Brews on a Sunday when kids eat free.
- Have a screen free day.
- Go through old family photos.
- Make a visit to the Money Museum.
- Paint kindness rocks and hide them in a nearby park.
- Have a dance party.
- Arrange a playdate swap with a friend.
- Check out the Hallmark Visitors Center.
- Have an indoor Easter egg hunt. Take a it up a notch by making it a flashlight game.
- Get a jump on some spring cleaning.
- Attend one of the area St. Patrick’s Day parades.
- Try an easy origami project.
- Check out Funville, the new free exhibit at Crown Center.
- Explore the Parkville Nature Sanctuary. And check out our suggestions for spending a day in Parkville.
- Visit the Native Hooved Animal Enclosure in Lee’s Summit.
- Ride the KC Streetcar. Some fun free stops would be the model train gallery at Union Station and the Central Library.
- Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these 5 free printable and digital activities.
- Enjoy these screen free indoor activities for toddlers.
- Visit the play area at Independence Center.
- Plan out a garden to plant later this spring.
- Check out the murals in the Crossroads district.
- Make and donate some Happy Kits for Children’s Mercy.
- Find your zen with Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube.
- Visit Chicken N Pickle in the Northland or Overland Park and enjoy their yard games including cornhole, ping pong, bocce, battleship, and Jenga.
- Bake cookies or muffins and deliver them to friends and neighbors.
- Try one of these 20 baking soda experiments for kids.
- Visit Scheels in Overland Park. They have $1 mini-bowling and ferris wheel rides as well as an indoor play area and a candy store.
- Enlist your kids to help you put together a summer bucket list, school will be out before you know it!
