In Berlin you will find a number of first-class children's museums, where you can play and romp as well as learn and deepen your knowledge.
We asked ourselves what special offers the Berlin's museum landscape has in store for children in summer 2024, what art museums and exhibition centres have to offer. Adults, and therefore your whole family, will also get their money's worth here. Here you will find 11 tips on where you can immerse yourself in Berlin's art and culture together with your children - creatively and with lots of fun and ease.
Also take a look at our other offers for families in summer 2024.
Tip 1: "Inside the painting" at the Deutsches Historisches Museum
A visit to the Deutsches Historisches Museum - sounds like a history lesson, dates and dry text panels? You thought wrong: In the new exhibition "Rein ins Gemälde! A journey through time for children" is all about art. Slip into paintings from the 16th century together with children and young people and find yourself in a world long gone. The people in the famous "Augsburg Monthly Paintings" suddenly become your personal guides and take you into the world of trade, games, human interaction and nature as it was around 500 years ago.
How does it work? Let yourself be surprised by original paintings, clever hands-on stations, workshop spaces and digital games.
Facts:
- "Into the Painting" is free of charge for everyone under the age of 18.
- The exhibition is suitable for children aged between 6 and 12 and their families.
- Children aged 10 and over can also come alone.
When: 2 June 2024 to 19 January 2025. January 2025, daily 10 am - 6 pm
Where: Deutsches Historisches Museum , Unter den Linden 2, Entrance: Pei-Bau, Hinter dem Gießhaus 3, Mitte
Tickets for "Inside the Painting"
Tip 2: "Kids tour through CLIMATE X" at the Museum of Communication
Why is it getting hotter and hotter on Earth and what exactly is the difference between "weather" and "climate"? How can we help our planet Earth to overcome the challenges of climate change? These questions and many more are addressed in a playful and interactive way on the Kids Tour, when the little ones travel through the exhibition with the kingfisher and octopus. Stories are told and little experiments are carried out. And at the end, a close look through the "future telescope" invites you to imagine the future. Incidentally, you can also call the future in person.
When you return to reality with your children, you will not only have new impressions and ideas in your luggage, but also a bag of seeds for edible flowers.
Facts:
- The "Kids Tour" is free of charge for everyone under the age of 18.
- The tour is suitable for children aged 4 and over and for the whole family.
- Registration is not required, start and instructions at the exhibition entrance.
When: until 1 September 2024, Tuesday to Friday from 2 pm, all day on weekends and public holidays
Where: Museum for Communication, Leipziger Straße 16, Mitte
More about the "Kids Tour through KLIMA X"
Tip 3: "BorderZone" in Babelsberg Palace Park
It gets really exciting in Babelsberg Palace Park, beautifully situated on the Havel: Immerse yourself and your children in the year of the 35th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The park is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the turbulent times of the Cold War. How? With the new innovative game app BorderZone. At the time of the division of Germany, the inner-German border ran through the Schlosspark. Augmented reality shows hidden or lost traces of the Berlin Wall. Using a smartphone or tablet, the whole family can embark on exciting interactive missions criss-crossing the site and gain deep, shared impressions of people's lives with and behind the Wall at that time.
Facts:
- The game app is used as part of the free group programme "Border Zone - Tracing the Berlin Wall in Babelsberg Park".
- The game app is available in the app stores, where it can be downloaded free of charge and started at any point in Babelsberg Park.
- It is suitable for grades 7-13.
When: Open daily from 8am until dusk
Where: Schloss Babelsberg, Park Babelsberg 10, Potsdam
Tip 4: "TRANSFORMERS" at the Humboldt Forum
Masks were and are carved all over the world, whether animal faces or human faces, whether funny, cute or scary. What is the significance of masks? And why do they still fascinate us today? Take the children on a journey into the world of transformation and understand why masks are still so important to us today. In "Transformers", the topic becomes very tangible for your children: they can carve their own personal masks out of cardboard and coloured paper - inspired by everything they have seen and learned before.
Facts:
- The workshop is free of charge.
- It is held in German and lasts around 2 hours.
- Inspiration is provided by the Ethnological Collections and the Museum of Asian Art.
When: Sundays from 23 June to 28 July. July 2024 at 3 pm
Where: Humboldt Forum, Schloßplatz, 10178 Berlin
Tip 5: "Hannes, Fine and the railway" at the German Museum of Technology
The smell of soot and oil, the clouds of steam that emanated from the railways around 1900 and also the human destinies associated with rail transport: A world of its own that shows how much the history of railway trains is also a history of human life. The new permanent exhibition on rail transport presents unique historical railway models in the engine sheds. One highlight, for example, is the Prussian passenger locomotive, built in 1919, which was kept in operation until the 1970s despite all the progress made, as it was capable of pulling anything, even the heaviest goods train. Take a look and experience the short family tour "Hannes, Fine and the railway", in which the rag dolls Hannes the Rabbit and the speedy Fine tell your little ones a story about travelling and the fear of the unknown and show them how to overcome it.
Facts:
- The tour lasts one hour.
- You only pay the museum entrance fee.
- Pre-registration is not required.
When: Fridays from 26 July to 23 August 2024 at 11 a.m.
Where: Deutsches Technikmuseum, Trebbiner Straße 9, Kreuzberg, meeting point entrance hall, in front of the museum shop
More about Hannes, Fine and the railway
Tip 6: "Summer in the open-air museum" in the Düppel museum village
Where a medieval village stood in Berlin 800 years ago, children can now play wonderfully and learn a lot about medieval life, animals and nature at the same time: An adventure playground and hay bales invite them to let off steam, bread is sizzled over a fire and children can try their hand at archery. The Museum Village Düppel teaches children how to twist ropes from hemp and, to everyone's delight, the typical farm animals of the Middle Ages, oxen and Skudden, an endangered breed of sheep, can be seen in the meadow. The family tour then shows what can be deduced from the archaeological finds, the plants that were cultivated and the huts and granaries that once stood here.
Facts:
- The museum visit and tour are free of charge for anyone under 18 years of age.
- You are welcome to bring your dogs on a lead.
- The open-air museum shows you what everyday life was like for the rural population around 800 years ago.
When: During the 2024 summer holidays (18 July - 30 August) daily except Wednesday from 10 am to 6 pm. Outside the summer holidays on Saturdays and Sundays 10 am to 6 pmProgramme
11 am - 5 pm | Historic Ropery
12:30 pm | Guided tour
2 pm - 4 pm | Archery (5 shots 1 euro)Where: Museumsdorf Düppel, Clauertstraße 11, Zehlendorf
More about Summer at the open-air museum
Tip 7: "Caspar David Friedrich Workshop" in Haus Bastian
Until 4 August, you can visit the Museum Island. Until 4 August, you can visit the Museum Island and see "Caspar David Friedrich. Infinite Landscapes", the exhibition highlight par excellence in Berlin this year. But what do children do with the strong impressions they receive when they stand in front of the pictures? The best thing would be to process them creatively - on the spot. And that is possible! During the summer holidays (18.7.-30.8.), three great workshops on the themes of "Trees", "Sky" and "Colours" will take place just a few steps away from the exhibition in Haus Bastian: First, the little ones will explore the exhibition on their own, equipped with questions and ideas, and then spend two hours painting and drawing in Haus Bastian, creating their own works of art. Depending on the workshop, you can print your own booklet, create a mobile or a mosaic.
Facts:
- Participation including admission costs €15 per family (2 people) and €20 per family (3 or more people)
- The workshop lasts three hours
- You must book online and preferably soon, as the number of participants is limited.
When: during the 2024 summer holidays (18.7.-30.8.) on different days and at different times depending on the workshop
Where: Haus Bastian, Am Kupfergraben 10, MitteMore about the Caspar David Friedrich workshop
Tip 8: "Open museum studio in the Microscopy Centre" at the Museum für Naturkunde
Museums..... Is everything always behind glass? Can I never touch anything? The Berlin Museum of Natural History is doing away with that: In the open museum studio, visitors of all ages can explore the fascinating exhibits with all the sensitivity of their hands, exploring them under the microscope in the finest detail. These can be butterfly wings shimmering in all colours, feathers, prehistoric fossil bones or even the impressive jaw of a dinosaur. And what you literally have right in front of your nose without a glass wall in between is what you draw. You think you can't draw? Be amazed and see what wonderful detailed studies are created!
Facts:
- The Open Museum Studio is a free offer, you only pay the regular admission fee.
- Two members of staff will accompany you and show you how to proceed.
- During opening hours, you can stay as long as you like.
When: during the 2024 summer holidays (18 July - 30 August) on various days from 12.30 to 15.30.
Where: Museum für Naturkunde, Invalidenstraße 43, MitteMore about the Open Museum Studio
Tip 9: "Immersive journey through time" at the Deutschlandmuseum
History lessons - we have them at school. Experiencing history - that's something else! The opportunity to easily and playfully surf through 2,000 years of German history - only available at the Deutschlandmuseum at Leipziger Platz. It's a sensory experience to fall off the board every now and then and immerse yourself in the reasons behind the historical highlights, whether in knights' castles, the dance palaces of the 1920s or the Cold War era and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The true-to-the-original backdrops are there for you to touch, while sounds and smells bring the narrowness of the trenches to the shining shop windows of the Roaring Twenties to life in a sensual, immersive and interactive way. Stroll with your children through 12 epochs of German history and take home a good packet of knowledge after an adventurous journey through time.
Facts:
- Tickets cost €11 - €23 or reduced €8 - €16
- Admission is only possible with a time slot ticket
- There are games for all ages from 6 years
When: every day of the week from 10 am to 8 pm
When: Deutschlandmuseum, Leipziger Platz 7, MitteTickets for the Deutschlandmuseum
Tip 10: "50 grams of art" in the KINDL
It must weigh 50 grams - no more and no less! This is the only requirement for your self-created artwork to become part of a large installation that will be exhibited at the KINDL Centre for Contemporary Art in July 2024. What does that mean? An exciting role reversal: for once, you are not the visitors of a museum, but become artists whose works are presented in the museum as part of a Gesamtkunstwerk. Let's go: Whether you get to work with your children at home or take part in one of the workshops at the KINDL, whether your children work all by themselves or the whole family together: Hand in your 50 gram work of art by Wednesday 10 July at 8pm. It will then be on display at the KINDL all summer and will float on a gigantic mobile construction made of bamboo.
Facts:
- Drop off your 50-gram artwork at the KINDL by Wednesday, 10 July at 8 pm.
- After the end of the exhibition, you can pick it up again by appointment until 8 September.
- The free workshops for ages 6 and up will take place in the Kesselhaus of the KINDL on 22 June and 7 July, 3 to 5 pm each day. Please register.
When: The exhibition "50 grams of art. A Collective Work" runs from 14 July to 21 July. July 2024
Where: KINDL Centre for Contemporary Art, Am Sudhaus 3, NeuköllnTip 11: "Installation for Free Play" at the Gropius Bau
It's September and you're mourning the summer holidays....but autumn begins with an unusual offer at the Gropius Bau. A "playground" in the middle of the exhibition centre - this is the exciting contribution of Berlin Art Week 2024 especially for your children. Artist Kerstin Brätsch is launching a pilot project on the ground floor of the West Wing in September: she is creating a place for free, unguided play, a permanent spatial installation for children that will develop over the next few years and also extend into the outdoor area. Accompanied by two educators, children are free to decide how they want to spend their time here - they can construct and dismantle, they can romp and dream, play together or keep to themselves.
Facts:
- The installation for free play is accessible free of charge.
- The well-known artist Kerstin Brätsch lives in New York and Berlin. In her paintings and installations, she subverts classic clichés with irony and humour.
- By the way, you can still visit the installation until 14 July. Until 14 July, you can visit Radical Playgrounds on the outdoor areas in the Gropius Hain, an art trail for everyone.
When: The installation for free play opens on 4 September 2024 and runs until 12 January 2025
Where: Gropius Bau, Niederkirchnerstraße 7, KreuzbergMore about the installation Freies Spiel
Our special tip:
Listen to the exciting episodes of our Podcast Berlin Unboxed, including the Radical Playground at the Gropius Bau and the Exhibition Caspar David Friedrich.
to the podcast Berlin Unboxed
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