Houston is home to many destinations for family fun. If you’re a parent of toddlers in the Houston area, check out these four amazing locations for toddler fun and learning! From hikes to zoos to nature centers, these things to do in Houston with toddlers allow them to discover, imagine, and play.
4501 Woodway Drive
Houston, TX 77024
Tyke Hikes at the Houston Arboretum is a fun way to explore your little one’s curiosity about nature, spending time with them exploring outdoors! These hikes are suitable for kids ages 18 months through 4 years old. Young kids and their caregivers can enjoy exploring nature, guided by a naturalist for story reading, simple nature activities and crafts, and a stroller-friendly hike on the Arboretum’s beautiful trails. Additionally, this is an interesting experience that changes themes every week, with topics that include rabbits, snakes, senses, and wind.
6200 Hermann Park Drive
Houston, TX 77030
The Houston Zoo is a fun place in the community with various animals and wildlife that are a joy for children and their families to interact with. This zoo is home to over 6,000 animals and welcomes over 2 million guests every year. The zoo includes incredible animals and ecosystems, and admission funds help aid the protection efforts of animals in the wild. Moreover, exhibits include the African Forest, Bird Habitats, the Bug House, Galapagos Islands, Giraffe Feeding, Elephant Habitats, Sea Lions, Primates, and much more. The zoo also has a carousel that will delight toddlers and their families.
The Explore the Wild play area is where tiny explorers can run free, exploring sticks, leaves, and sand and using their imagination to create amazing stories. This play area is designed to inspire kids of all ages to discover the natural world around them, whether climbing a rock wall, building with tree branches, creating sculptures with sand, or digging in mud pits.
1500 Binz Street
Houston, TX 77004
The Children’s Museum in Houston seeks to transform communities through innovative, child-centered learning that improves the lives of all children. Since Houston is densely populated with children, this museum serves more than one million visitors every year.
Exhibits include EcoStation, Inventor’s Workshop, Genius Station, Flow Works, Invention Convention, Kidtropolis, Matter Factory, Power Play, and Kid’s Hall. The museum even includes Tot Spot, the perfect place for the youngest visitors to play and grow their minds. Tot Spot is designed to engage kids from birth through age 2 in meaningful activities that encourage active play. Furthermore, the toddler-friendly space fosters a child’s brain development through discovery, sensory play, experimentation, social skills, problem-solving, and imaginative play.
7112 Newcastle
Bellaire, TX 77401
Nature Discovery Center strives to spark interest in nature and science, nourish kids’ minds, stimulate their desire to explore and discover and keep a sense of wonder alive. This center also helps develop children’s critical thinking skills, problem-solving, and reasoning, giving them all the tools they need to explore, discover, and learn.
Nature Discovery Center hosts a “meet the animals” event that is fun for toddlers. This center is home to various critters that kids can interact with in the Discovery Rooms and enclosures in the outdoor Critter Classroom. The center also offers occasional Meet the Animal programs with Naturalists on the weekends.
Houston has many unique spots for toddler fun, from museums to zoos to nature centers. These things to do in Houston with toddlers allow them to learn, play, and explore by interacting with animals, tinkering with building blocks, learning about wildlife, and hiking in nature.
As a children photographer, I love having fun and capturing those contagious smiles. That is why I focus on working with children. So check out more of my work in my portfolio then let’s chat about creating special moments with your little one!