Play at the Park with Providence Children’s Museum!

Providence, RI – For a fifth summer, Providence Children’s Museum is bringing playful hands-on activities to parks across Providence, building on its commitment to advocate for and raise awareness of the critical importance of children’s play, and its efforts to provide unstructured play opportunities throughout the community.

Families will join the Museum to try a variety of playful open-ended activities – to build forts, blow bubbles, send rockets soaring, play parachute games, and more. Activities take place evenings in July and August from 5:00 - 8:00 PM during Celebrate Providence, the city’s Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative performances, and are free to the public.

Play at the Park with Providence Children’s Museum

• Thursday, July 7 • Bucklin Park (Bucklin and Daboll Streets)
• Tuesday, July 12 • Fargnoli Park (Smith and Jastram Streets)
• Wednesday, July 13 • Harriet and Sayles Park (Harriet and Sayles Streets)
• Thursday, July 21 • Dexter Training Grounds (Dexter and Parade Streets)
• Wednesday, July 27 • Harriet and Sayles Park (Harriet and Sayles Streets)
• Thursday, August 4 • Billy Taylor Park (Camp and Cypress Streets)

Unstructured, child-directed play is vital for kids’ healthy growth and development. In a landmark clinical report, the American Academy of Pediatrics stated that “…play is essential to the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and youth.” Through spontaneous, freely chosen play, children develop confidence and learn problem solving, self-regulation, conflict resolution and other significant skills. With increased emphasis on academics at school, more time in structured after-school and summer programs, parental concerns about safety, and increasing time in front of television and computer screens, many kids today lack time and space for free play – especially outdoors.

The Museum is bringing play to public spaces to combat children’s growing play deficit and to make unstructured, high-quality play experiences available to all kids and families. A strong advocate for the critical importance of open-ended, child-directed play, the Museum is excited to continue partnering with Providence parks to bring creative play opportunities to kids and families in communities throughout the city.

For more information, visit www.ChildrenMuseum.org.

Children’s Museum activities at the parks are part of its participation in Playful Providence – a citywide celebration commemorating Providence’s fifth consecutive designation as a “Playful City USA” by KaBOOM!, which recognizes communities commended for prioritizing play.

Providence Children’s Museum – active summer fun, inside and out!
The Museum is located at 100 South Street in Providence’s Jewelry District. September through March, open Tuesday through Sunday and Monday school holidays, 9 AM to 6 PM, and selected Fridays until 8 PM. April through August, open 7 days. Activities are free with Museum admission of $9.00 per person; admission is always free for Museum members. Call (401) 273-KIDS or visit www.ChildrenMuseum.org.