What's Hot - This month's best Chicago family fun events and activities

We've picked out some of the best family fun taking place this month around Chicago. Bookmark this page to keep up with the hottest Chicago family happenings! Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get information as soon as it's available.

Find things to do with kids in Chicago. Following are highlights of activities going on in the coming days and weeks. Visit our Calendar of Events to see full listings of daily events.

Nature Tapestries! A Family Weaving Workshop
1/2/2026 to 1/2/2026
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Natalie Clark of Black Candy Design created the tapestries at the entrance to our exhibit By A Thread: Nature's Resilience-- now she's going to teach you to make your own! Learn how to weave a nature-based design on a small frame loom. We’ll experiment with a variety of natural fibers like...


Family Day: In with the Old
1/10/2026 to 1/10/2026
Smart Museum of Art

Theaster Gates investigates the value of things and their potential to hold layered meanings. Inspired by Gates’s practice & in collaboration with the UChicago student-run nonprofit reSOURCE, families will be invited to reclaim, repurpose, and reimagine seemingly unusable objects from home...


International Rubber Ducky Day
1/13/2026 to 1/13/2026
DuPage Children's Museum

Quack, splash, and play! International Rubber Ducky Day at DCM is all about water, creativity, and a little bit of silliness. Bring your curiosity and join us for ducky-themed fun that’s sure to make a splash!

What it’s all about: Even the simplest toys can spark big ideas! How can you...


Winter Wonderland
1/17/2026 to 1/17/2026
Lake View Nature Center

Celebrate the magic of winter with fun activities that embrace the chill and charm of the great outdoors! At this free, family-friendly event, we'll have sled dog meet and greets, ice experiments, a cozy campfire for roasting marshmallows, a scavenger hunt, and winter-themed games and crafts...


Robert's Yukon Adventure Day
1/17/2026 to 1/17/2026
The Grove

Are you ready for an adventure? Illinois’ first naturalist, Robert Kennicott, grew up at The Grove and made two expeditions to the Yukon, in 1859 and 1865. Bring your family to experience Robert’s journey north and discover what his life was like in this frigid territory.

Watch dog...


Commemorative Day | Martin Luther King Jr. Day
1/19/2026 to 1/19/2026
Chicago History Museum

At this family-focused celebration of Dr. King’s ongoing influence on the fight for civil rights, enjoy hands-on activities and learn how to become more civically engaged in your community. Free admission day for Illinois residents. Activities include a Freedom Song Sing-Along with Lenny Marsh...


Alva Puppet Theatre: The Harlem Doll Palace
1/22/2026 to 1/24/2026
Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts

Welcome to The Harlem Doll Palace, based on the true story of Lenon Holder Hoyt, better known as Aunt Len, a public school art teacher for 40 years who created a doll museum in her Harlem brownstone. Join the dolls from the “dollection” inside Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum as they recreate...


Roald Dahl’s The Enormous Crocodile: The Musical
1/29/2026 to 2/21/2026
The Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building

“For my lunch today I would like… a nice juicy little child!”
The Enormous?Crocodile?is weaving his way through the jungle with his tummy rumbling … Only the other jungle creatures can foil his secret plans and clever tricks, but they’re going to have to find a large amount of...