Boston Children’s Museum is one of the oldest and most influential children’s museums in the world, with a legacy rooted in progressive ideas about how children learn through play, experimentation, and discovery.
The museum opened in 1913, founded by a group of educators from the Science Teachers’ Bureau who believed children learn best by exploring their environment, asking questions, and engaging directly with the world around them. What began as a shared resource for teaching tools and ideas gradually evolved into a dedicated public space for children and families. Over the decades, the museum has remained committed to hands-on learning, curiosity, and the idea that play is central to intellectual and social development.
Today, the museum occupies a three-storey exhibit space along Boston’s Fort Point Channel. Galleries and installations include the Art Lab, STEAM Lab, Fantastic Forts, PlaySpace, Raceways, and Bubbles, each designed to encourage open-ended exploration and creative problem-solving. Exhibits are regularly refreshed, but the emphasis on tactile, participatory experiences remains constant.
In addition to its contemporary exhibits, the museum preserves a digital archive that invites visitors to explore its collection of vintage dolls, model trains, tin toys, and other early playthings, offering insight into how children played and learned in earlier eras.
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