Public Programs
At the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, there’s always something new to explore! Designed for children ages 0 – 6, our hands-on programs encourage creativity, learning, and play through art, music, science, and storytelling, all rooted in research-backed methods that support early brain development. From ever-changing themed activities to PlayWorks, our dedicated space for our youngest visitors, every experience is designed to engage children at the right developmental stage. With a rotating schedule of interactive programs, there’s always a reason to visit and discover something exciting!
PlayWorks Schedule:
Daily programs for our youngest learners 0 – 4, with activities changing regularly on weekdays and weekends.
- 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Circle Time
- 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM: Mural Wall or Messy with Art
- 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM: Special Daily Program or Mural Wall
- 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM: Messy with Art
- 4:00 PM: Alphie’s Goodbye Storytime
Check out our latest schedule and book your tickets today. Be sure to sign-up for our newsletter and check back often—to stay up-to-date as new programs are added regularly! Each program is drop-in unless marked with an asterisk after.
New Experiences Every Month:
March Programming
Family Health Fest!
Wednesday – Sunday, March 4 – 8
Families explore togetherness, play, creativity, and caring for ourselves and each other.
Workshop: Cocinarte with Casa Lu!*
Saturday, March 7 | 11:30 am – 12:10 pm & 12:30 pm – 1:10 pm |*Sign-up | Ages 4 & up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Learn about and make your own healthy meal with Casa Lu, in both Spanish and in English! Explore global recipes and create a reflective family art project to take home. Make seasonal recipes made with organic ingredients, and practice essential cooking skills.
Performance: Sueñito/Tiny Dreams with Jugando N Play*
Sunday, March 8 | 10:30 am – 11:00 am & 11:30 am – 12:00 pm | *Sign-up | Ages 3 – 5 | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Join us for a multilingual interactive theatre piece for the very young and their caregivers. Transporting families into a dream world/un mundo de sueños, Sueñito explores the journey of falling asleep and the magical world of dreams.
Watercolor Painting of Dreams
Wednesday – Friday, March 4 – 6 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Saturday & Sunday, March 7 – 8 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
What do you dream of when you sleep at night? Use a paintbrush to create a watercolor dream scene.
Food is Fuel Magnets
Wednesday – Friday, March 4 – 6 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Saturday & Sunday, March 7 – 8 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
What healthy foods does your family enjoy together? Shape and mold your favorite healthy snacks with clay and turn them into magnets for your fridge!
PARTNER PROGRAM AT THE WHITNEY:
CMOM: Pop up Play Lounge Sun, Mar 8, 2026 11 am–3 pm
Sun, March 8, 2026 11 am–3 pm
Floor 3, Artspace
The Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014
Open to families with kids under 5
Families with young kids are invited to explore an engaging pop-up play lounge, created and led by the Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM), on March 8, as part of Free Second Sundays.
Dive into playtime with CMOM’s expert early childhood education team! Together we will play in the sand, explore colors and shadows with our lightboards, build collaborative structures, dance our way through a bubble party, and let children take the lead during our music and movement circle times.
Circle Time and Play Exploration Sessions
11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
Iconic Women’s Week
Tuesday – Sunday, March 10 – 15
In honor of Women’s History Month, celebrate the creativity, courage, and imagination of women who help the world grow.
Music and Marks Performance: eGALitarian Brass
Saturday, March 14 | 10:15 am – 10:40 am & 11:15 am – 11:40 am | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
eGALitarian Brass is a chamber ensemble comprised of New York City’s best women and non-binary brass players. eGALitarian Brass will perform an engaging family friendly concert featuring familiar tunes and stories with dragons, heroes, and more! Draw along with what you hear in this joyful performance.
Courage Crowns
Tuesday – Sunday, March 10 – 15 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Decorate a crown with empowering words, textures, and symbols that represent bravery, confidence, and leadership inspired by the powerful women in our lives.
My Iconic Self-portrait
Tuesday – Friday, March 10 – 13 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Saturday & Sunday, March 14 – 15 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Explore different paper shapes and place them together to make a portrait of your face. Use drawing tools and collage materials to add special details to your paper portrait.
Workshop: Bandana Design with Meg Roberts of Echo Design Group*
Sunday, March 15 | 10:30 am – 11:15 am; 11:30 am – 12:15 pm; 1:30 pm – 2:15 pm; 2:30 pm – 3:15 pm; 3:30 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 4 & up | *Sign-up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Join Senior Design Director Meg Roberts of Echo Design Group for an interactive bandana design workshop. Take inspiration from Echo’s scarf collection, including the Echo100 charity project featuring collaborations with iconic creators from around the world. Create a one-of-a-kind keepsake to cherish – and wear as your new signature accessory!
Lucky Me! Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day
Tuesday, March 17
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making art inspired by symbols of luck, gratitude, and the joy of finding magic in everyday moments.
Tape and Take Map
Tuesday, March 17 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making your own treasure map. Tear and stick strips of washi tape to a piece of paper. Will the taped paths lead to a pot of gold? Don’t forget to add decorations using drawing tools and collage materials.
Lucky Charms We Carry
Tuesday, March 17 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Color a tote bag and add a personalized charm keychain with positive words and symbols of luck!
Eid al-Fitr
Wednesday – Friday, March 18 – 20
Eid al-Fitr is a holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world marking the end of Ramadan, a month of reflection, care for others, and community.
Eid al-Fitr Celebration with the Culture Tree
Friday, March 20 | 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm | All ages | 1st Floor & 3rd Floors | Inside Art & Discovery Classroom
Eid Mubarak! Join us for an exciting afternoon with the Culture Tree. Join us for a warm and welcoming Eid celebration designed for children and families.
Read-Aloud: Storytime with Anu Sehgal of the Culture Tree
Friday, March 20 | 2:00 pm – 2:25 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Join us for a special storytime with author Anu Sehgal, creating a rich, engaging experience that weaves together storytelling, music, dance, and art to help children learn about the meaning and joy of Eid in a fun and meaningful way.
Read-Aloud: Noura’s Crescent Moon with Author Zainab Khan
Friday, March 20 | 2:40 pm – 3:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Author Zainab Khan will read from her beautiful picture book Noura’s Crescent Moon, sharing the story of a young girl experiencing the excitement and meaning of seeing the moon that begins the holiday, followed by collaborative moon art-making.
Performance and Workshop: Kathak Dance with Shayona Sachdev
Friday, March 20 | 3:30 pm – 4:00 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
The celebration will also include a special Kathak dance performance by Meha Sedan, followed by an interactive workshop where children can learn simple movements from this classical Indian dance form and understand how storytelling and rhythm come together through dance.
Workshop and Demonstration: Henna Tattoo Making*
Friday, March 20 | 2:45 pm – 3:15 pm; 3:25pm – 3:55 pm; 4:05 pm – 4:35pm| Ages 4 & up | *Sign-up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Families will enjoy hands-on cultural activities centered on Henna Tattoos design, with The Culture Tree Founder Anu Sehgal! Learn about this traditional art form and its role in celebrations across South Asia and the Muslim world. Then, you’ll have the opportunity to draw your own celebratory design.
Eid al-Fitr Moon Binoculars
Wednesday – Friday, March 18 – 20 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Take a closer look and track phases of the moon this Eid al-Fitr by decorating a pair of cardboard binoculars with festive colors!
Watercolor Well Wishes
Wednesday – Friday, March 18 – 20 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Create your own watercolor postcards to wish people a happy Eid al-Fitr!
Moon Artmaking
Wednesday & Thursday, March 18 – 19 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Create your own collaborative stamped moon art in its different phases and learn about the significance of the moon during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr!
Spring is Coming!
Saturday – Friday, March 21 – 27
We love Spring! Colors are returning, flowers are budding, and imaginations are blossoming! Make art inspired by Spring’s bright colors and blooms and art from the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Collection.
PARTNER PROGRAM: Whitney Museum Pop-Up Open Studio at CMOM
Sunday, March 22 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 3 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art
You are invited to join us for a special pop-up Whitney Open Studio at CMOM! Whitney Family Programs brings artmaking to CMOM as we celebrate the Spring Equinox and welcome the new season. Join Whitney Educators as we look closely at paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe and notice how she observed the natural world. Then, create your own work of art inspired by nature.
Flower Petal Collage
Saturday & Sunday, March 21 – 22 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Tuesday – Friday, March 24 –27 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
How nice does Spring smell? Create your own flower petal collage!
Art Garden Gallery
Saturday, March 21 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Tuesday – Friday, March 24 – 27 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Cut, color, collage, and arrange an art garden to brighten up your favorite space.
Laughter is the Best Medicine!
Saturday – Wednesday, March 28 – April 1
Did you know that laughter is not only fun but good for you as well? Find joy in connection and laugh together this weekend at CMOM! Enjoy our fun and sometimes silly interactive programs as we get ready for April Fools’ Day.
Jokes and Improv with Ray Munoz
Saturday, March 28 | 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm & 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | Ages 5 & up |3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Have the whole family join comedian Ray Munoz to play with funny tools, make silly jokes, and play improv games!
Clowns Abound with Mélissa Smith
Sunday, March 29 | 2:00 pm – 2:40 pm & 3:00 pm – 3:40 pm | Ages 5 & up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Explore the world of clowning by playing with physical comedy, improvisation games, and character exploration! Mélissa Smith is a New York City based physical actor and educator who has worked with kids of all ages.
Clowning Around: Dress Up!
Saturday & Sunday, March 28 – 29 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 31 – April 1 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
What kind of clown will you be? Dress up in fun and colorful costume pieces and play with silly props to create your clown character!
Joke in the Box
Saturday & Sunday, March 28 – 29 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 31 – April 1 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Roll up your sleeves, grab a mystery box, and let your imagination run wild when you create a joke in a box perfect for any comic!
April Programming
Laughter is the Best Medicine!
Did you know that laughter is not only fun but good for you as well? Find joy in connection and laugh together at CMOM! Enjoy our fun and sometimes silly interactive programs as we celebrate April Fools’ Day.
Clowning Around: Dress Up!
Wednesday, April 1 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
What kind of clown will you be? Dress up in fun and colorful costume pieces and play with silly props to create your clown character!
Joke in A Jar!
Wednesday, April 1 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Grab a jar and let your imagination run wild when you create a joke in a box, perfect for any comic!
Break Week: Celebrate Spring Holidays & Best of CMOM!
Thursday – Sunday, April 2 – 12
This Spring Break Week, the Children’s Museum of Manhattan features special performances and hands-on experiences with some of CMOM’s fan favorites, including a Passover singalong with Joanie Leeds, a Spring focused I-Spy Easter Egg Hunt, a recycled artmaking installation with Dan Jones. Don’t miss wearable art workshops with Ebony Bolt, performances from Spellbound Theatre, and exciting partners to be announced. Explore the performing arts, creativity, and self-expression all week long!
Break Week: Passover Stories of Freedom
Thursday & Friday, April 2 – 3
Explore Passover symbols through artmaking and fun games, honoring rituals while encouraging creativity and curiosity about the Passover story.
Performance: Joanie Leeds’ Passover!
Thursday, April 2 | 11:00 am – 11:25 am & 12:00 pm – 12:25 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Join GRAMMY ® winning children’s musician and CMOM favorite Joanie Leeds (and her daughter Joya!) for a very special Passover program. This duo shares the story of Passover through fun, interactive songs and engaging storytelling.
My Seder Plate
Thursday & Friday, April 2 – 3 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Explore collage materials and put them together to fill your Seder plate with traditional Passover foods!
Counting Frogs
Thursday & Friday, April 2 – 3 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks Classroom
Frogs are an important symbol in the Passover story. Fill a basket with small frogs as you launch them into flight using your hands! How many frogs did you catch? Read family friendly versions of the Passover story and listen to fun Passover songs!
Break Week: Easter
Celebrate the important spring holiday with CMOM! Find the large eggs in our easter egg hunt (hint: look up!), design wearable art, and create your own eggs to take home!
CMOM’S I-Spy Spring Scavenger Hunt Adventure!
Saturday & Sunday, April 4 – 5 | 10:00 am – 4:45 pm| All ages | Museum-wide
Find the hanging eggs around the museum that match the pictures on our “I-Spy” sheet. Check them off as you go and bring your completed sheet to the 3rd floor staff for a prize!
Bloom Buddy Egg Sculptures*
Saturday & Sunday, April 4 – 5 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up | Sign-up*| 1st Floor | Makerspace
Transform wooden eggs into cheerful spring companions inspired by flowers, patterns, and bright seasonal colors. Paint, decorate, and give your egg its own personality!
Reclaimed Spring Baskets
Saturday & Sunday, April 4 – 5 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | Ages 5 & up| 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Loop, curl, and weave repurposed paper and materials to build a one-of-a-kind basket. Explore texture and creative problem-solving through hands-on construction.
Easter Parade Hat Making
Saturday & Sunday, April 4 – 5 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks Classroom
Create a festive hat inspired by the 5th Avenue Easter Bonnet Parade! Add colorful art materials to a paper bowl to make your one-of-a-kind piece.
Break Week: Best of CMOM
Join us for dance, theatre, and artmaking in large and small formats with some of CMOM’s fan favorites!
Workshop: Spring Transformation Installation with artist Dan Jones
Monday, April 6 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Dan Jones is a Queens-based puppetry artist, designer and playwright who has worked with companies across the country, including New York’s New Victory Theater and several Broadway shows. In this interactive drop-in space, help transform a striking winter forest into a spectacular, colorful, and interactive celebration of spring!
Workshop: Paper Mosaics with artist Marco DaSilva
Tuesday, April 7 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Create a collaborative artwork with recycled materials inspired by your own outdoor memories and make your own paper collage to take home! Come to CMOM to explore the mythology of mermaids, from Brooklyn to Brazil, focusing on the Afro-Brazilian goddess Iemanjá to the iconography of Coney Island, with multidisciplinary artist Marco DaSilva.
Workshop: Original Textile Artwork with artist Ebony Bolt*
Friday, April 10 | 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm | *Sign-up | Ages 5 & up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Join artist Ebony Bolt for an interactive artmaking workshop informed by her creative practice and mural installation Driving the Future (currently on view). Design your own wearable artwork using custom stamps inspired by motifs found in the artist’s work.
Workshop: Spring Transformation Installation Finale with artist Dan Jones
Saturday, April 11 | 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
The transformation to Spring is almost complete! Join artist Dan Jones for the installation finale.
Performance: Spellbound Theatre
Sunday, April 12 | 11:00 am & 12:00 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Join us for an exciting show with our friends at Spellbound Theatre. Details to be announced!
Landscape Watercolor Painting
Monday – Sunday, April 6 – 12 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | Ages 4 & younger | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
The earth contains many different environments: from oceans to jungle, and from desserts to forests. Add colors of paint to the paper to create your favorite natural landscape.
Spring Transformation Installation
Tuesday, April 7; Friday & Saturday April 10 – 11 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Wednesday & Thursday, April 8 – 9 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Add to our exciting large-scale Spring installation!
Migratory Birds of New York City
Monday, April 6 | 10:30 am —12:30 pm | All ages| 1st Floor | Makerspace
Sunday, April 12 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Learn more about the birds that are coming back home to NYC in April! Design a bird that flies back to Central Park and set them in motion on paper. Inspiration can be drawn from the Audubon Mural project featuring murals of birds from NYC and beyond.
Earth Week: Great and Growing
Tuesday – Wednesday, April 14 – 22
Dig in and explore how things grow, change, and connect beneath and above the ground through sensory play and artmaking, as we celebrate Earth Week!
Garden of Produce Sensory Bin
Tuesday – Friday, April 14 – 17; Tuesday & Wednesday, April 21 – 22 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | All ages |3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Saturday & Sunday, April 18 – 19 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Learn about the different stages of plant growth as you explore this nature-based sensory bin. Get your hands dirty in the soil and rearrange the vegetables and fruits in the garden.
Seed to Sky Collage Murals
Tuesday – Friday, April 14 – 17; Tuesday & Wednesday, April 21 – 22 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages| 1st Floor | Makerspace
Saturday & Sunday, April 18 – 19 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm| All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Build a large-scale mural with other CMOM friends showing plants growing from underground to above the clouds using paper, fabric, and found textures.
Readaloud and Artmaking: I Hate Honey (Crash the Cub) with artist and illustrator Sasha Kahn
Saturday, April 18 | 10:30 am – 11:10 am & 11:30 am – 12:10 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
I Hate Honey is about a little cub who wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, refuses breakfast and resorts to all sorts of shenanigans to get out of eating it, only to find, of course, that his mother was right all along. Along the way, Crash learns about the crucial role bears and bees have in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. This charming tale explores the importance of cooperation and the interconnectedness of nature, allowing children to understand how crucial it is to care for our environment. After the reading, children can make their own animal craft, inspired by the story!
Performance: Climate Song and Story Time, with Esther Crow and Puppets!*
Sunday, April 19 | 11:15 am & 12:00 pm | All ages | *Sign-up | 3rd Floor | Discovery Classroom
Join NYC Kindie climate-rocker and puppeteer, Esther Crow with puppets, original music, and environmental story books in this fun and interactive program. Puppets like Oliver Owl, Bernie the Bee, and Sustainable Sammy join Esther for interactive songs that make an important subject like climate change accessible, empowering, and fun!
Move to the Rhythm
Thursday – Thursday, April 23 – 30
Close out April with creativity in motion! Inspired by dance and jazz, this week invites families to respond to rhythm, sound, and movement through art.
Drawing Little and Big Art
Thursday & Friday, April 23 – 24; Tuesday – Thursday, April 28 – 30 | 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | All ages | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Saturday & Sunday, April 25 – 26 | 11:15 am – 12:15 pm & 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm | All ages | 3rd Floor | PlayWorks
Experiment with different drawing tools as you draw on papers of varying sizes. How do your movements change as you fill the different sized papers?
Sculptures in Step
Thursday & Friday, April 23 – 24; Tuesday – Thursday, April 28 – 30 | 10:30 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Saturday & Sunday, April 25 – 26 | 2:00 pm – 4:15 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Makerspace
Create dynamic sculptures and celebrate the art of movement!
International Dance Day Jazz Party!
Thursday, April 30 | 4:00 pm – 4:25 pm | All ages | 1st Floor | Inside Art
Grab a bubble wand and tap your wiggles out to classic upbeat jazz sounds, honoring the best way to move- dancing!
Public Programs are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City.
Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Additional support is provided by The Nissan Foundation and the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation.
