By: Maureen Leary, Youth & Family Programs Manager, Smithsonian National Postal Museum, and Anne Matlock, Hirshhorn Kids Team Lead, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

As the world’s largest museum, research, and education complex, the Smithsonian Institution provides a seemingly endless array of lessons, activities, and programs on all kinds of topics. When looking for resources for kids, the sheer magnitude of offerings can be daunting.

In response to this, we at the Smithsonian Early Learning Collaborative launched Smithsonian Kids, a one-stop-shop for young learners and their teachers and caregivers. We provide Smithsonian programs and at-home resources for kids age birth to eight, offer guidance on how to locate more from individual museums, and share ideas for making museums accessible and inviting to young children.

We bring the Smithsonian to you! Smithsonian Kids digital programs, lessons, and activities are accessible anytime, anywhere. Inspired by museum objects, we create digital experiences and lessons with extensions for hands-on learning. We share recorded Storytimes and other educational videos, as well as recurring virtual programs such as the National Postal Museum’s Virtual Story Time and the National Zoo's Get a Head Start with the Smithsonian series.

For those visiting our physical spaces, our Smithsonian Kids page provides quick access to our museums’ exciting and innovative in-person programs for early learners. You’ll find hands-on art and science experimentation, storytelling and play, close looking at objects that inspire wonder, and multi-generational activities and celebrations. Each program highlights their museum’s unique sparkle and many incorporate the viewpoints of more than one museum. Programs recur weekly or bi-weekly, helping young learners to build familiarity with museums.

Our content is designed to meet you where you are. Many of our resources can stand alone as digital experiences or be used as extension tools for in-person learning. For example, you can visit the Hirshhorn for a storytime program inspired by artist Mark Bradford and then use their digital family-friendly artist biography Get to Know Mark Bradford to learn more. Or, you can explore Mark Bradford’s work remotely on the Smithsonian Learning Lab, and then use this interactive biography on your own at home, in the classroom, or anywhere in the world.

We hope our Smithsonian Kids page will inspire you to explore museum content in your teaching or your home, and to dig deeper into the Learning Lab to see where museum objects can take you and your young learners. Whatever age learner you’re engaging with, there’s so much fascinating content waiting to be discovered!

Image: Smithsonian Kids Collection Collage
Many circles containing collection names from the Smithsonian Kids page, including Conservation Classroom, Jacob Lawrence: Painted Stories, and Explore Beyond Your Door. Visit Smithsonian Kids to begin exploring!