Canada’s International Children’s Festival and child-friendly activities

In the first week of June, Saskatchewan International Children’s Festival welcomes families to join in the fun with a series of live theatre, dance and story-telling performances to inspire and entertain your little ones on holiday in Canada.

From the 4^th until the 7^th, performance artists descend on Kiwanis Memorial Park in downtown Saskatoon, bringing puppetry, circus and comedy shows to some 20,000 visitors. Children can pick up similar skills in special workshops and have a go at a number of creative activities, such as creating their own music. This annual event aims to encourage little ones to be curious and confident in developing new talents.

If you can’t make it to Saskatchewan in June, never fear, there’s plenty to keep the little ones occupied in Canada. Discover a few of our favourite child-friendly activities.

Canadian National Exhibition – Toronto, Ontario

Every summer, Exhibition Place in Toronto becomes a temporary home to the Canadian National Exhibition, celebrating Canada’s innovation and in particular its agricultural industry. The event, taking place between August 19^th and September 5^th in 2016, has remained the country’s largest annual fair since its launch in 1879.

Today, the Canadian National Exhibition has developed to include a number of games and activities to entertain all the family.  Among these are its safe kiddie rides with different height restrictions and several designated play areas for kids, including the Toddler Town centre where youngsters can play at their own pace away from the crowds. Older kids can also enjoy hands-on child-friendly activities at the Art Studio or learn to flip their own pizza dough from the experts at Pizza Nova. The Canadian National Exhibition offers a fantastic day out for families hoping to experience the best of Canada.

Canadian Children’s Museum – Gatineau, Quebec

Let their imaginations loose at the Canadian Children’s Museum in Quebec. Designed to help growing minds discover new experiences, build their skill base and learn in a fun environment, the museum broadens young people’s horizons with displays inspired by exotic places around the world.

The museum’s theme of ‘The Great Adventure’ sees kids travel the globe and embrace diversity through a number of exhibits such as the traditional Bedouin tent, a shipping scene on the high seas and the brightly decorated Pakistani bus. There’s plenty to do as well as see, with interactive displays and child-friendly activities encouraging children to delve into the costume box or get hands-on with artefacts to learn about different cultures and moments in history.

Kids Market on Granville Island – Vancouver, British Columbia

Travel memento shopping may be a must for mums and dads but probably won’t be the most child-friendly activity for youngsters. Not to worry, everyone is catered for at Granville Island’s market in Vancouver, where the little ones can explore an assortment of fascinating items at Kids Market while you browse the gift stalls.

Granville Island Public Market, under Vancouver’s Granville Bridge, showcases some of the area’s best homemade produce. For children, Kids Market provides a fun shopping experience whether they’re looking for a new toy or avoiding grown-up shops in the market’s four-level ‘Adventure Zone’ play area or ‘Circuit Circus’ arcade.

Image Credit: JenniferHeartsU (wikipedia.org), Walter Lim, Anson Chappell (flickr.com)