Join us on the first Sunday of the month for a day of free family fun! Enjoy art-making, gallery activities, performances, and workshops designed to deepen kids and families’ connections with contemporary art. All activities are drop-in, first come first served. Space is limited. Explore our Kids + Families page to help plan your visit!
Reserve free admission tickets online in advance. When accompanied by kids 12 and under, up to 2 adults per family receive free museum admission. Use the code PLAYDATE when reserving your ticket(s). Tickets will become available mid-month the month before each Play Date. Advance tickets are strongly recommended; day-of tickets are not guaranteed.
August Play Date | August 2
Bring magic and whimsy into your everyday life with art and creativity!
Artmaking: Magical Mosaics | 10 AM – 3 PM
State Street Corporation Lobby, 1st Floor
Create a beautiful paper mosaic! Use a variety of colors and patterns to put together a magical mosaic scene.
Art Lab: Mini Mythical Creatures | 10 AM – 3 PM
Bank of America Art Lab, 1st Floor
Create a mini figurine of a mythical creature! Use your imagination to create your mythical creature, then build it with air-dry clay, bendable wire, and other sculptural tools.
“In Search Of The Unicorn” with Rosalita’s Puppets | 11 AM and 1 PM
Barbara Lee Family Theater, 2nd Floor
In this magical marionette show, Rosalita, a princess, dreams of unicorns instead of doing chores. While cleaning, a magical bird takes her to Dreamland, where she finds a unicorn and faces a dragon, meeting a cast of fantastical creatures along the way!
After the show, you can meet the puppets and chat with the puppeteer, This interactive show is for all ages; each show is approximately 40 minutes long.
Books and Looks | 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Galleries, 4th Floor
Connect with art through the creative worlds of picture books! Join our staff for a guided reading of family-friendly storybooks in the galleries.
About Rosalita’s Puppets
Charlotte Dore has been running Rosalita’s Puppets for 33 years, designing, building, writing and performing throughout New England at libraries, festivals, daycare centers and more. She has worked with Underground Railway Theatre both as performer and puppet builder and with Oscar-winner Tom Woodruff on the animatronic Gorilla on the Kevin James movie Zookeeper.
September Play Date | September 6
Join us for ICA Play Date with International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration, inspired by the book The Dot by Peter Reynolds! Create art, watch films, read books, and meet the artist and author Peter Reynolds!
Art-making: Community Dot-work! | 10 AM – 3 PM
State Street Corporation Lobby, First Floor
Decorate your own dots to add to a community piece or bring home as a memento of the day!
Art Lab: Dot Drawing | 10AM – 3PM
Bank of America Art Lab, First Floor
Amazing artwork can start with a single dot! Start with colorful paper dots, then use them as the base for an imaginative drawing!
Short Films: The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color | 11 AM – 3 PM
Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater, Third Floor
Watch animations of author and illustrator Peter Reynolds’ storybooks The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color! Films will be shown on a 20-minute loop.
Meet the Artist + Book Signing | 10AM – 1 PM
State Street Corporation Lobby, First Floor
Meet Peter Reynolds, author, illustrator, and founder of International Dot Day! Bring your books from home or purchase them from the ICA store to be signed. Book signing is first-come, first-served, as space allows.
Books and Looks: The Museum 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
ICA Galleries, Fourth Floor
Connect with art through picture book readings in the galleries! Enjoy a staff-led reading of The Museum, written by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter Reynolds, perfect for inspiring gallery exploration! Each Books and Looks reading lasts approximately 30 minutes.
October Play Date | October 4
Celebrate the beginning of fall with artwork, artmaking, and activities for the whole family!
Art-making: Autumnal Garlands | 10 AM – 3PM
State Street Corporation Lobby, First Floor
Create an artwork inspired by autumn’s bounty! Design leaves and objects that remind you of fall, then string your family’s creations together into a beautiful hanging garland.
Art Lab: Paper Tapestries | 10 AM – 3 PM
Bank of America Art Lab, First Floor
Weave your own paper tapestry! Decorate paper strips and then join them together to create a one-of-a-kind design. Try a new artmaking technique or perfect a new pattern!
The Big Draw! with The Gottabees and Meg Rotzel | 11AM and 1PM
Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater
The Big Draw is an intergenerational experience where participants are verbally guided with care (and flair!) through a movement warm-up and a collective drawing experience that ends with a shadow puppetry performance of the community-created drawing. Each moment is carefully crafted so that participants can enjoy and savor creating and celebrating what is special in their community alongside neighbors, friends, and families.
Participation is on a first-come, first-serve basis; space is limited.
Books and Looks | 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Galleries, 4th Floor
Connect with art through the creative worlds of picture books! Join our staff for a guided reading of family-friendly storybooks in the galleries.
Free Admission for Youth
Youth 18 and under always receive FREE museum admission. The ICA is committed to providing access to the art and artists of our time—and we do this with the incredible support of our community. Explore the +1 Membership: a free ICA membership program for youth 0-18.
Questions? Reach out to us at familyprograms@icaboston.org.