Why You’ll Want to Bring the Kids to the Ottawa Art Gallery

To celebrate Canadian art, the Ottawa Art Gallery is welcoming families into their space to explore and create art. We love how they make it easy for local families to enjoy art, making it so much more accessible to kids.

With unique art and exhibits featured at the Ottawa Art Gallery, this is where you can take the kids or plan your own date night. The gallery is a modern space where you can find Canadian art, historical, contemporary and special, short-term exhibits. The Ottawa Art Gallery has free admission (yes, we said free!) and there is a restaurant on site. As a part of their recent expansion, The Jackson’s menu is focused on farm fresh food you’ll love.

Here are a few ways your kids can get hands-on and involved at the gallery.

Spend the Weekend Making Art at Creative Sundays

When you aren’t sure how to spend time on the weekend, or need a way to make a mess that isn’t in your own home, look no further than the OAG. Every Sunday morning, it’s time to get creative with their Creative Sunday Mornings program for kids. From 10 am until 2 pm, drop in (no registration is required) for free activities with a gallery educator.

Art for Little Ones: Your Kid Will Love Toddler Mornings

On the first Wednesday of the month, bring your toddler between 10 am and 11:30 am for Toddler Mornings. They’ll participate in games and activities to help them explore new skills while mom or dad meet other parents and visit. No registration is required.

Register for an Adventurous and Creative Summer Camp

Kids aged 6-14 will love spending part of their summer enhancing their creative skills with the Ottawa Art Gallery camp that also includes adventures, outings, artist workshops and more. Registration is required and there is before and after care available. Some weeks are already sold out so you’ll want to secure your space soon. Each week has a theme to be examined.

Participate in PD Day Drop-in Programs

You don’t have to worry about your plans for the next PD Day, the Ottawa Art Gallery has PD Day drop ins happening for students. As with their other programs, no registration is required but it may be best to confirm availability depending on your school’s next PD Day.

Plan an Afternoon or Night Out & Use Their Child Care

New to the Ottawa Art Gallery this year is free childcare during exhibition opening receptions and also on Wednesdays between 3 and 7 pm. That’s right, you can enjoy time at the gallery (or the restaurant) by yourself while the kids enjoy games and activities. Whether it’s time with a friend, or date night, the Ottawa Art Gallery will take care of your little one. The child care program is for kids aged 12 months to 10 years old and parents do need to stay on site (they’ll be contacted if needed). The program is a first-come, first-serve offering and more information can be found on the website.

There are more details about upcoming exhibitions and events on the Ottawa Art Gallery website, and we highly recommend you sign up for their family programming newsletter to stay up to date on what’s happening regarding Toddler Mornings, Creative Sundays and all of their family activities. With free admissions and so much to offer, your next family outing will be easy to plan and enjoy together.