Your Guide to the Children's Museum of Manhattan

By Emma Rausch July 17, 2015

The Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) proves that museums don't have to be boring. This NYC museum for young kids offers a full day of fun that will leave your tots with a love of hands-on learning.

alphie the dragon at cmom

Kids can ‘feed’ letters to Alphie, the museum’s giant talking dragon, in the PlayWorks exhibit, which also includes a deli, fire truck, MTA bus, sand play, giant Lite Brite, and soft space for crawlers.

Located off Broadway on West 83rd Street, the Children's Museum of Manhattan provides play-based learning opportunities for children of all ages through exhibit exploration and hands-on activities. Since its founding in 1973, the museum has continued to bring fun cultural, artistic, and academic activities to beginning learners on the Upper West Side and surrounding neighborhoods; its diverse array of offerings make a trip from the outer boroughs worthwhile, and suburbanites heading into the city for a day would be wise to make a pit-stop here to break up the day's agenda.

eat sleep play exhibit at cmom

In the EatSleepPlay exhibit, kids can crawl through a giant digestive system, follow nutrients into the body, and pump a giant heart.

Year-Round Features

The Children's Museum of Manhattan is open year-round, featuring a range of exhibits that introduce basic academics, healthy habits, and a wide range of cultural traditions through interactive displays and activities.

In the EatSleepPlay: Building Health Every Day exhibit, discover why sleep is good for your body, what nutrients are good for your heart, and what simple family routines can help develop your brain. Explore a giant digestive system and learn the value of a good night’s rest among other healthy habit-building exhibits.

The PlayWorks exhibit helps prepare children for kindergarten through learning-based play activities. PlayWorks Art Lab programs have daily themes, such as Bubble Party Tuesdays and Leaping Literacy Fridays, which introduce science, math, healthy lifestyles, and vocabulary through hands-on exploration.

dora exhibit at cmom

Little Nickelodeon fans (ages 2-6) will love the Adventures with Dora and Diego exhibit, where they can become Diego’s sidekick during exciting animal rescue missions while learning about different species and parts of the world. Kids can also help plan a fiesta at Dora’s house, where they can play drums and “cook” Latin American food.

Throughout the year, kids ages 5 and older can Meet the Author and Meet the Artist during these programs that bring modern professionals into the museum for intimate workshops. And all ages can enjoy a wide variety of Performances at the museum by Broadway and recording artists as well as professional dance and acting troupes.

Annual Attraction

city splash exhibit at cmom

During the warm summer months, the museum opens its City Splash exhibit for children of all ages in the Sussman Environmental Center. From launching boats down stream to building rivers with sand at the Erosion table, the interactive exhibit teaches children about the different properties of water and its effects on its surrounding environment.