School is coming to an end and summer is almost here so I wanted to share some of our favorite activities to do with young kids in the Kansas City area if you’re already thinking about ways to entertain your kids this summer.
I honestly can’t believe that it will be summer in a couple of weeks. Gathering these photos from summers’ past has me so excited for all the warm weather activities in our future. And I may have gotten a little tearful when I took this trip down memory lane. My kids have grown up so much in the last few years.
In the list below, I included a few activities to do outdoors and some for indoors when the weather is just too hot for being outside too long. There are so many more things to do in KC during the summer that I didn’t include on this list, but I just kept it to our favorites here.
Just a disclaimer that we live in the Johnson County area so I am most familiar with places on the Kansas side of the KC metro. I included a good resource at the bottom of this post if you’re looking for more ideas on the Missouri side (although I have included some here!).
Activities To Do With Young Kids This Summer In Kansas City
KidScape at Johnson County Arts and Heritage Museum
Kidscape is a play area for young kids with various pretend play experiences like a market, theater, hospital, school, and diner. We had a membership to the museum for 2 years prior to the closures with COVID, but we haven’t renewed yet. They also have an exhibit featuring the history of Johnson County which I found really fascinating. It’s a great place to take the kids when it’s hot outside. You now need to register to attend a session, either 9am to 12pm or 1pm to 4pm. Cost: $4 for kids (under 1 is free) and $6 for adults.
Wonderscope
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that we recently visited the new Wonderscope. Wonderscope is a children’s museum in Kansas City. They recently moved from an older more run down building to a new, gorgeous space off of Red Bridge Road. I was really impressed with all the activities they had available. Similar to Kidscape, but on a larger scale, there are different rooms for the kids to visit, including a water room, sports room, art room, design room, cafe, grocery store, and even an indoor playground area with a ship and school bus. They also recommend that you reserve tickets in advance. A little tip – if you have kids that are no longer napping, definitely go in the afternoon if you can. It was much less busy at that time. Cost: $12 for kids 15 and younger (under 2 free) and $9 for adults.
Kansas City Zoo
We have been to the zoo twice this year, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not getting a membership which would have been more cost effective. It’s definitely an all day activity and the most expensive one on this list, but for us, it’s worth it a few times a year. When we go, we usually plan to get there as early as we can to avoid the afternoon crowds and heat. I usually like to pack a picnic lunch as the food there is overpriced (and not that good). Our favorite exhibits include the koalas, stingrays, and penguins. Cost: $16 for kids 3-11 and seniors (2 and under free) and $18 for adults
Blueberry Picking At The Berry Patch
We go to The Berry Patch every year to pick blueberries. It’s one of our family traditions. The kids get really into holding their buckets and finding the bushes with the most blueberries. I do need to remind them to only pick the blue/purplish ones and leave the green and pink ones behind. They usually do pretty well, and we come home with about 5 pounds of blueberries. We eat about half fresh and freeze half for smoothies and pancakes. Make sure you check the picking report available on their website before heading out. The picking starts in June! Cost: Free admission plus the cost of blueberries
Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead
I was so sad when Deanna Rose remained closed last summer due to COVID so we are really excited to visit again this year. Deanna Rose is an interactive farm with several attractions including a dairy barn with a cow and usually a few calves, too, a goat pen, ponies, chickens, kid-sized tractors to ride and a playground area. My kids always have a blast when we visit. It’s also very inexpensive which makes it a very popular destination for families with young kids. Cost: $3 for kids and adults ages 3 and older (2 and under free)
Splash Pads
When the weather is super hot, we love hitting up one of the splash pads in our area to cool off. They are a ton in the Kansas City area. I’m only familiar with the ones near us, but here is a more comprehensive list of splash pads in the Kansas City metro area. Be sure to pack towels and sunscreen (and snacks, always). Cost: Usually free!
Shawnee Mission Park Beach
This was a new find for us last year. It’s obviously not a beautiful white sand beach (this is Kansas, after all), but honestly, the kids don’t seem to know the difference and the water is nice and calm for young swimmers. Last year, we needed to preregister, but it appears this year that isn’t necessary. Cost: $4 for kids under 12 and $6 for 12 and up
Strawberry Picking At Gieringer’s Family Orchard
Another berry picking activity! We actually haven’t done this with our kids yet, but it is on my Spring Bucket List so I’m planning on doing some strawberry picking in the next couple weeks (we picked blueberries here last year, this picture kills me!) As with the blueberry picking, always check their website prior to planning your visit. They are limiting the number of visitors this year so you need to sign up for a time slot beforehand. Watch their Facebook page for updates. Cost: $2 per person (under 2 free) plus the cost of strawberries
Picnic At The Park
My kids are literally obsessed with picnics, and they are always asking to have one even if it’s just outside in our yard. I do love making an outing of it by packing up our little cooler with PB&Js and heading out to a local park. We just recently went to Loose Park in Kansas City for a picnic and playtime, and the kids had so much fun. There is so much space to run around there.
If you’re looking for more activities to do with your kids check KC Parent. This site is my go-to resource for kid-friendly activities in Kansas City and the surrounding metro.
