A teenage girl and a woman create a name impression at the Memorial by rubbing charcoal over a sheet of paper placed on an inscription. Other families beside them do the same along a bronze parapet inscribed with victims’ names.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Youth and Families

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum typically offers a variety of programs for visitors with children. All activities use age-appropriate language to help children learn more about 9/11 and how people responded to the attacks. Because of COVID-19, all onsite programs have been temporarily cancelled. Visit the events calendar for up-to-date program offerings.

9/11 Memorial Art Cart

Thursdays and Fridays, July 8 to August 10, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

A man, woman, boy, and girl watch as two Museum employees display artwork at the Art Cart on the Memorial. It’s a warm day and sunshine falls on the trees and buildings in the background.
Photo by Jin. S. Lee

The 9/11 Memorial Art Cart offers free, self-guided activities on the Memorial to help children discover the stories and symbolism behind the 9/11 Memorial and the rebuilt World Trade Center site. Activities have been updated to be contactless and comply with enhanced health and safety protocols. 
 

The 9/11 Memorial Art Cart is made possible in partnership with the New York Life Foundation.

Activities at Home

Two girls are engaged in an art activity in a classroom setting while a woman sharing their table looks on attentively.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

We know parents and caregivers are home with children during the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking for meaningful learning activities to do together. The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is pleased to offer a number of activities that can teach your children about courage, compassion, resilience, and hope.

Learn more

Activity Stations: Temporarily Cancelled

Two young girls sit on the floor as they paint a mural about the events of 9/11. They share a paint palette as they brush a colorful picture that features the Pentagon, Twin Towers, trees and hearts.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Drop-in programs connected to specific artifacts and themes in the Museum. Designed to spark conversations between children and their caregivers, our current activities offer age-appropriate entry-points into the history of the World Trade Center and 9/11 and its aftermath.

Activity stations are available on Saturdays during the school year and during extended school holidays in the Museum’s Education Center.

Talking to Children about 9/11

A woman with a backpack holds a young girl with a ponytail as they both look at one of the Memorial’s reflecting pools on a sunny day. Green oak trees and buildings are seen farther afield.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Terrorist attacks and acts of violence in the United States and around the world evoke strong emotions and prompt understandable questions. Children might be feeling these emotions and considering these questions for the first time. The following tips have been prepared as broad guidelines to help parents and adult caregivers navigate these difficult conversations.

Learn more

Teen Ambassador Program

A young woman holds a gold-colored squeegee as she speaks to several women at the Museum. She stands beside a destroyed elevator motor from the Twin Towers.

A unique, yearlong learning opportunity that builds leadership skills and offers a behind-the-scenes look into the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

Learn more

Virtual Field Trips

A woman wearing a face mask stands in front of the Ladder 3 firetruck in the Memorial Museum. Another woman films the scene with her smartphone.

Take your class on live, interactive tours of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum led by Education staff via Zoom with time for questions throughout.

Learn more