Need ideas for educational activities to do with your kids in Miami, but you’re on a budget? Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve compiled a list of FREE educational activities to do in Miami with your kids.
Here we go:
1. Museums
There are ways to get into many Miami museums for free.
Here are a few:
- The Museum Pass Program through Miami-Dade Public Library System
- There are a limited number of passes at each branch, and they are handed out on a first come, first serve basis, but it can get a family of four into a given museum for free!
- Free Family Days at HistoryMiami
- On the second Saturday of each month, HistoryMiami offers free admission to the museum between the hours of 10am and 5pm, with activities from 12pm to 4pm.
- Summer Passport Program at HistoryMiami
- HistoryMiami offers one free passport per child between the dates of June 8th and August 18th. Each passport includes free admission for the child and their families (up to four people per passport).
- PAMM Student Pass
- Pérez Art Museum of Miami (PAMM) offers a free annual pass to each student attending a Miami-Dade Public School (M-DCPS). The pass gives free admission to the child and one adult.
- Free First Saturdays at Gold Coast Railroad Museum
- On the first Saturday of the month, from 11am to 4pm, families can visit the museum for free. Kids who love trains can go in and out of historical trains, and they have a whole room dedicated to train tables for the little ones to play. Check their website for specific dates.
2. The beach
- This one’s more for the older kids, ages 16 and up.
- Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center in Crandon Park in Key Biscayne Florida has beach cleanups, restoration, and other volunteering opportunities available. Check out their website for details.
- DIY educational activities
- You can measure the tides by drawing lines in the sand at the shoreline and seeing when the lines are swept away. This could be an education on the rising of the tides, which could lead to a discussion on which weather conditions and other variables affect the tides.
- Shell and stone collecting: This could be a wonderful lesson on the different shapes and colors of the shells and stones, what they’re made of, and how they get their shapes. Make sure to leave them at the beach when you’re done to keep our beaches beautiful and to not disturb the ecosystem.
3. Errands
- The grocery store
- Give them a budget and a list and let them shop for what the family needs. It shows them how to work with a budget and what things actually cost in the real world because we know that money doesn’t grow on trees. This is the best way to teach them that lesson firsthand. Ok, ok, this activity is technically not free, but you have to get the groceries done anyway, right? Might as well make the trip to the grocery store educational and fun.
- The farmer’s market
- A visit to the farmer’s market exposes children to vegetables and products they may not normally see in the grocery store. You can ask vendors how they make their products or where the products come from so your kids learn about it.
- Google “farmers markets in [your zip code].” Most farmer’s markets are seasonal, so make sure you research when and where to go.
- The post office
- Show your kids how to send a letter or package; how to buy stamps; or explain how mail is sorted and then sent out for delivery. Anything can be a teaching opportunity.
- The pet store
- This one was hard to place because I take my daughter to Petco all the time, even if I don’t have to buy bird seed or dog food. She loves looking at all of the little animals and asking questions about them. I’ll sometimes look up facts about the animals on my phone and read them to her.
- This is a free zoo, moms! Your kids get to look at animals, and if you find a nice employee, they might even let you pet some of the animals. It’s some of the fun of going to the zoo without having to pay a cent.
4. The bookstore and library
- The bookstore is my favorite free activity to do with my kids!
- I set my four-year-old loose, and she usually goes to play with the toys that are brand new to her, but they stay at the bookstore when she’s done playing with them – that means no buying new toys and no clutter at home (hallelujah!). Then, to wind down, we make our way to the books, and she picks out a book or two for me to read to her. We just let baby brother relax in the stroller or give him a random toy to play with while we explore the store. It’s an indoor activity, so there’s air conditioning, and you’re surrounded by books – there are few things in the world that make this bookish momma happier than a trip to the bookstore.
- Weekly library storytime
- This is a little known fact, but some Miami-Dade County Public Library Branches have weekly storytime for kids of varying age ranges. Google your local branch and see if they offer this service; it won’t always be posted on their website, so I would call them and ask just to make sure.
- Free Events for kids at the library
- Miami-Dade Public Libraries offer free classes, workshops, and other educational events or activities throughout the year. You can find out more information on their website.
5. The park
- Identify plants and animals in the outdoors
- Take a set of binoculars and do some bird watching.
- Take your mini-zoologists to the park and film a nature documentary on your phone. Or take a book of trees and plants, and try to find them.
- Blow bubbles
- Talk about the physics behind them, then observe how the wind takes them away. Discuss what happens when the wind picks up.
- Sidewalk chalk
- Make some sidewalk art.
- Discuss the color choices and what they drew and why.
- Draw a hopscotch course.
- Have them count as they jump. Have them jump only on the even numbered boxes, then the odd numbers, only prime numbers, the possibilities are endless.
- Make some sidewalk art.
- Outdoor scavenger hunt
- Download a free outdoors scavenger hunt list and see how many things you can find.
6. Miami Moms Blog Events Calendar
Make sure to check out our events calendar, where we post all of our events. Some of them are free.
Leave the house, go do something fun and educational, and let us know how it goes! We’d love to hear from you!
Comment below with other ideas for free educational activities in Miami that we may have missed.
These are all wonderful ideas! We have a meetup group for browsed county moms and we love to go to the library story time and Now for the summer We love going to local water splash pads!
Thanks for sharing Alexandra! Sounds fun! You can check out our Splash Pad Guide for great ideas to keep cool this summer!
Splash pads are such a fun way to beat the heat! Thanks, Alexandra!
Great tips E! I am already hearing the “I’m bored” from my crew.
haha… yes, Sharonda! That is exactly why I wrote this – to keep moms sane and kids busy. Have a great summer!
Also check out the South Florida Percussion Center. They offer a free drumming class for all ages on Friday from 7-9pm
https://www.thesfcpa.com/
Awesome addition to the list Adita! Thanks for sharing!
Drumming class sounds fun!
This guide is life for this summer! Thanks E.L.!
Yes, girl. I know how summer can be. We need all the ideas.
Make sure to check out the comments on this post too. Adita and Alexandra have given us some good ideas to add to the list!
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