We asked our parent partners at The Gardner School of Eagan to share some of their favorite kid-friendly indoor activities in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area for families. They responded with a list of seven great ideas for keeping children entertained while inside.
Minnesota Children’s Museum
Freshly updated after a $30 million renovation, the Minnesota Children’s Museum has incorporated a ton of new structures and activities to keep kids engaged. Children can climb up and slide down the four-story play structure or dance underneath a mirrored arch outside when there’s a break in the rain. With the new design, learning is more intuitive, and the museum contains tons of manipulatable materials that little ones can use for building structures or enacting imaginative play. Spend a rainy day exploring all of the spaces in this gorgeous redesign.
Millz House
In case you don’t have an entire sports complex inside your house for rainy days, you can pretend you do with a visit to Millz House. This outdoor and indoor recreational equipment purveyor had the genius idea of opening up the showroom for children to try out the goods. Now, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on most days (9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays), children can fly high on swing sets and trampolines or toss a ball around the basketball courts. Rainy days can leave children feeling antsy, so this is the perfect antidote to rainy day blues.
Good Times Park
When the great outdoors isn’t looking so great, you can still have a great time at Good Times Park. We love this indoor playground because it provides a huge, soft, safe play space for children to run, jump, and play all day. The indoor space with soft padding can be great for children with sensory processing issues or for accident-prone grade-schoolers. There are vending machines, but most parents like to pack a lunch or snack to eat in the picnic area. You can take siblings of multiple ages, and there’s an “Itty Bitty Play Space” for toddlers under three.
Rockin’ Jump
On a rainy day, little ones are eager to burn off the extra energy they’ve stored up from being inside for most of the day. Normally you’d take them to a park or playground, but that’s not an option when storm clouds threaten. Eagan’s parents know the next best thing: Rockin’ Jump. This huge playhouse lets parents kick back and relax while children do what they do best: jump around on giant inflatable things until they’re completely tuckered out. It’s a win-win.
Mall of America
We love the Mall of America, not only for the shopping we can get done but also for all the activities we can find inside. Breeze past the tourists and visit some of our favorite child-friendly spaces for ultimate fun. We suggest trying the rides at Nickelodeon Universe or SkyDeck. Your young marine biologist will love spending time with the undersea animals at the Minnesota Sea Life Aquarium. There’s even more to explore, as well as many events to attend. Best of all: since the mall is kept at a cool 70 degrees, it’s the perfect climate every month of the year.
Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota is the perfect place for your budding biologist or preschool physicist. Rotating exhibits and a fantastic core collection keep children informed about climate and ecosystems, as well as scientific advances and inventions. If you’re looking for a way to encourage science learning, this is the place to do it. The huge Omnimax theater features movies of natural phenomena and exotic locales that will intrigue even the tiniest nature lover. We’re suckers for the classics, though. Your child will love walking around the huge dinosaur fossils. With tons of events, camps, and classes, there’s something to do nearly every day of the week.
LEGO Imagination Center
For our final parent pick, Eagan’s parents returned to the Mall of America to highlight the huge, unbelievable LEGO Imagination Center. If you have a LEGO fan at home, this is a can’t-miss destination. You can purchase individual shapes or entire building sets. Plus, children can start building their creations right in the middle of the center. You’ll go home knowing that the tubs of plastic blocks at home are helping your child understand spatial reasoning, building and engineering skills, and creativity.
We Know Eagan Kids
The Gardner School of Eagan loves being a place to play for children on rainy days. Our interactive curriculum, academic focus, and highly-trained teachers can keep children engaged even in the stormiest weather. To learn more about how we fulfill our mission to Eagan parents, set up a time to explore our location. We know you’re considering so many factors when you’re deciding on a preschool. We’d love to meet you and your little one any day.
