Free Things to Do with Kids in DC in January

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Free Events and Activities in DC in January 

First Day Hike: Black Hill Regional Park
Boyds, MD - Monday, January 1, 2025
First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors. This hike starting at the Black Hill Discovery Center is 2-3 miles on natural surface terrain that includes a steep hill. Visit the website here.

First Day Hike: Meadowside Nature Center
Rockville, MD - Monday, January 1, 2025
First Day Hikes are part of a nationwide initiative led by America’s State Parks to encourage people to get outdoors. This hike will be 2-3 miles depending on trail conditions and will either be around Lake Frank or on a local trail near Meadowside. An email will be sent with details to all registered participants. Visit the website here.

First Day Hike: Seneca Creek State Park
Gaithersburg, MD - Monday, January 1, 2025
Hikers are invited to take a self-guided hike around the Lakeshore Trail at Seneca Creek State Park. This 3.7-mile loop along natural surface trails offers scenic views of nature and the opportunity to observe winter wildlife. Maps, field guides, scavenger hunt activities, and trivia games are available. Friends of Seneca Creek State Park is providing coffee and hot chocolate as supplies last. Visit the website here.

First Day Hike: Leesylvania State Park
Woodbridge, VA - Monday, January 1, 2025
Park rangers lead guided hiking tours throughout the park from 11am-1pm. Some trails are not stroller-friendly. Kids can use the provided binoculars, magnifying glasses, bug-catching tools, and more during the hike. Visit the website here.

First Day Hike: Mason Neck State Park
Lorton, VA - Monday, January 1, 2025
Celebrate the start of 2024 with a ranger-led First Day Hike in Mason Neck State Park, which is offering hikes for all ages and skill levels. Visit the website here.

MCC - Old Firehouse Winter Block Party
McLean, VA - Saturday, January 4, 2025
The McLean Community Center is hosting a wintry block party to celebrate the new year with amusements, games, craft projects, food, and more for all ages. Visit the website here.

Baseball: America's Home Run at the National Postal Museum
Washington, DC - Daily, through January 5, 2024
This special exhibit explores the surprising ways that baseball and postal history are deeply intertwined. It features historic objects that have never before been on public display, including game-used uniforms and bats, jackets, hats, and memorabilia. It's a must-visit for anyone who loves the game. Visit the website here.

Three Kings Day (Fiesta de los Reyes Magos) at GALA Theatre
Washington, DC - Sunday, January 5, 2025
GALA Hispanic Theatre is holding a Three Kings Day celebration. This festive end to the holiday season features the timeless story of the Magi, performances by local musicians and dance troupes, a street parade, and free gifts for children. Visit the website here.

Community Day at National Museum of Women in the Arts
Washington, DC - Sunday, January 5 & Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Visitors are invited to explore the National Museum of Women in the Arts for free on the first Sunday and the second Wednesday of each month. Visit the website here.

Saturday Morning Live! at the National Theatre
Washington, DC - Saturday, January 11, 2025
Saturday Morning Live! returns to the National Theatre. Enjoy wow-inspiring children’s entertainment of all sorts, including interactive performances, puppets, dance, and music, all designed to light up imaginations and celebrate a world of wonder. Visit the website here.

STEAM Saturday at the National Building Museum
Washington, DC - Saturday, January 11, 2025
Through hands-on building challenges, young architects explore engineering and technology, thinking creatively and experimentally as they build with LEGO®, work with AI to plan a city, and use other methods to problem-solve, design, and create. Visit the website here.

Wheaton Family Theatre Series: Books Alive
Wheaton, MD - Saturday & Sunday, January 11 & 12, 2025
The new year at InterAct Story Theatre kicks off this weekend with Artistic Director Ali Oliver-Krueger leading kids and adults in exploring a folktale together through movement, drama, and song. Visit the website here.

The Annual MLK Holiday DC Peace Walk & Parade
Washington, DC - Saturday, January 18, 2025
Coordinated by the Coalition for Peace, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Peace Walk is held annually on the MLK holiday. Over a thousand Peace Walkers join in the two-mile walk along MLK Ave in Southeast DC. Visit the website here.

MLK Service Cleanups with Montgomery Parks
Montgomery County, MD - Saturday - Monday, January 18-20, 2025
Recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day through a volunteer park cleanup at parks across Montgomery County. Participants can help clear litter from streams, beautify green spaces, and do other things to protect natural spaces and wildlife. Visit the website here.

MLK Birthday Celebration Especially for Youth (at Reston Community Center)
Reston, VA - Sunday, January 19, 2025
Children can rotate through a series of activities including a performance, an age-appropriate video, and arts and crafts. All activities are based on the history of Dr. King and the civil rights movement. Visit the website here.

Mosaic Polar Plunge
Fairfax, VA - Saturday, January 25, 2025
Supporters of the Special Olympics take a chilly polar plunge at Mosaic District to raise money for Special Olympics athletes. Watch the costume contest and pool plungers, or register online to participate. Visit the website here.

A Day of Action at the National Portrait Gallery
Washington, DC - Sunday, January 26, 2025
Activate and uplift! Teens and young adults are encouraged to find their voices. Art is activism and portraiture is powerful. Honor the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to community action by joining the Portrait Gallery and its partners for A Day of Action. Visit the website here.

Ongoing Fun Free Activities To Do in DC

Portrait Gallery Kids
Washington, DC - Mondays (except January 20)
Children can learn, play, and create at the Portrait Gallery. Each Monday, participants explore a topic such as colors, emotions, STEM, and history. Through close looking at art, hands-on activities, music, and movement, Portrait Gallery Kids offers a fun way to engage with art and each other. Visit the website here.

Play Date at NMNH
Washington, DC - Tuesdays (except January 21)
On most Tuesdays, early learners and their caregivers can explore a specific topic alongside museum educators. This drop-in play date has activities designed for younger children, but all ages are welcome. Visit the website here.

Storytime at Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum
Washington, DC - Tuesdays
Enjoy a free drop-in storytime every Thursday morning at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Visit the website here.

Storytime at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
Chantilly, VA - Tuesdays & Thursdays
Enjoy a free drop-in storytime with crafts at the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Visit the website here.

imagiNATIONS Activity Center at National Museum of the American Indian
Washington, DC - Tuesdays - Sundays
The imagiNATIONS Activity Center provides young visitors a space to explore Indigenous peoples and culture. Today, many Indigenous innovations and inventions are part of daily life for millions worldwide. Visitors can explore some of these ingenious adaptations through hands-on activities such as basket-weaving, building a giant igloo, arts and crafts, "walking" in snowshoes, and so much more. Kids can also explore a tipi, walk through a replica of an Amazonian stilt house, solve puzzles, and relax in the cozy reading area. Visit the website here.

STORYTIME at the Hirshhorn
Washington, DC - Wednesdays
STORYTIME explores contemporary art through stories and movement. Each week features a fresh and fun theme. Young artists and their adults can explore a new artwork each week, enjoy an interactive read-aloud, and participate in a hands-on activity. Visit the website here.

Spark!Lab at the National Museum of American History
Washington, DC - Wednesdays - Sundays
Create, collaborate, explore, test, experiment, invent. This is what children ages 6-12 can do at Spark!Lab at the National Museum of American History. Activities pair science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with art, history, and creativity. Visit the website here.

Wonderplace at the National Museum of American History
Washington, DC - Wednesdays - Sundays
This 1,700-square-foot exhibit gives kids ages 0-6 a hands-on experience with elements taken from the adult exhibits, providing a gateway to history and a place to exercise curiosity. It features plenty of interactive elements, including a construction area, a climbing structure, a soft-play area for crawlers, a pretend farm and kitchen with play food and accessories, a mini portrait gallery, and more. Visit the website here.