Des Moines Children's Museum

Des Moines Children's Museum We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization recognizing our goal of opening the first children's museum in the Des Moines metro. Come out and play!!
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We started as a "museum without walls" bringing fun to the community with temporary and traveling exhibits. We now have a museum WITH walls featuring many fun permanent exhibits! We are located on the lower level of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa! Our mission is to build the foundation of lifelong learning by promoting the power of play.

Who's ready to play this week? We will be open regular hours tomorrow for Labor Day. Wednesday is our monthly Generation...
09/07/2026

Who's ready to play this week? We will be open regular hours tomorrow for Labor Day. Wednesday is our monthly Generations of Love program. Saturday the Ringling Hype Crew will be out to perform some fun circus acts! Here's a look at our programming for the week:

Monday: Play Doh Arepas
Tuesday: Papel Picado Banners
Wednesday: Flowers Sensory Bin
Thursday: Loteria
Friday: Monarch Butterfly Art
Saturday: Hispanic Flags Coloring Sheets

Experience cinematic magic! Water Works Park will be transformed with activities for all ages to enjoy—local vendors, ki...
09/04/2026

Experience cinematic magic! Water Works Park will be transformed with activities for all ages to enjoy—local vendors, kids’ activities and food trucks. Join us for an afternoon of legendary film music the whole family will love this Sunday, September 6! This free family festival starts at 4:00 pm with the concert to follow at 5:30 pm.

Event Timeline

4:00 PM – Children's Village (featuring activities from the Children's Museum, Living History Farms, Pied Piper, the Des Moines Symphony Academy, After School Arts Program, food trucks, and so much more!)
5:30 PM – Concert: Cinematic Magic!

Yes, we are OPEN regular hours for Labor Day!
09/04/2026

Yes, we are OPEN regular hours for Labor Day!

We’re so excited to introduce you to someone who is no stranger to the Des Moines Children’s Museum. Please welcome Aman...
09/03/2026

We’re so excited to introduce you to someone who is no stranger to the Des Moines Children’s Museum. Please welcome Amanda!

Amanda has been part of our Museum family since 2017, when she joined our Board of Directors. But her connection to the Museum goes even deeper. Before we had a staff, Amanda volunteered one morning every week to help run the Museum as part of our completely volunteer led team. And she did it all with her infant and toddler in tow! Talk about dedication! 👏

Over the years, Amanda has played an important role in our Museum’s story, sharing her time, talents, and passion to help us grow. Now, we’re thrilled that she’s bringing that passion to the Museum in a whole new way.

As our new Operations Manager, Amanda will help strengthen our organization and support the day-to-day work that makes our Museum a special place for kids and families.

We couldn’t be more excited to have her stepping into this new role! 💛

It's a warm one today and unfortunately, it's warm in the Museum too 😓🌡🫠 While we wait to get the air conditioning fixed...
09/01/2026

It's a warm one today and unfortunately, it's warm in the Museum too 😓🌡🫠 While we wait to get the air conditioning fixed, visitors are welcome to bottled water (at the front desk) and keep cool in the party rooms (that air conditioner is working) with some extra activities.

Please note, if it becomes too warm today, we will close the Museum early for guest and staff safety. We will update socials and our website if we do close early.

Thank you for sticking with us this hot and humid summer! We appreciate all our visitors and community supporters so much.

Fall into fun this hot week at the Museum!Monday: OobleckTuesday: Pipe Cleaner Worry DollsWednesday: Musical Instruments...
08/31/2026

Fall into fun this hot week at the Museum!

Monday: Oobleck
Tuesday: Pipe Cleaner Worry Dolls
Wednesday: Musical Instruments
Thursday: How Does A Cactus Drink?
Friday: Cotton Ball Guanacos
Saturday: Bird Seed Sensory Bin

The fourth Friday of each month is our Sensory Friendly play time for children on the autism spectrum or with other sens...
08/27/2026

The fourth Friday of each month is our Sensory Friendly play time for children on the autism spectrum or with other sensory sensitivities and their families to connect and explore in a calm and quieter space.

All regular exhibits will be open. We will have sensory bins, communication boards, and a low light calming space.

It's crazy to think September is next week already! To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we will have a specia...
08/25/2026

It's crazy to think September is next week already! To celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we will have a special story time Wednesday afternoons in Spanish. Take a look at the other activities happening throughout September in the Museum.

Happy First Week of the new school year! While school may be in session, we still have plenty of fun learning happening ...
08/24/2026

Happy First Week of the new school year! While school may be in session, we still have plenty of fun learning happening at the Museum

Monday: Apple slime
Tuesday: Fashion Designer
Wednesday: Ants On A Log
Thursday: Pack A Lunch
Friday: Apple Print Painting
Saturday: Space Sensory Bin

Thank you to for bringing out their trailer to the Museum on Monday! Kids got to learn all about corn and biofuels whil...
08/21/2026

Thank you to for bringing out their trailer to the Museum on Monday! Kids got to learn all about corn and biofuels while having some fun. We love having visitors share in our mission of building the foundation of lifelong learning through the power of play.

Address

1551 Valley West Drive #108
West Des Moines, IA
50266

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+15152188344

Website

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