Youth and Families

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum 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. Visit the events calendar for up-to-date program offerings.

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
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

Activities at Home

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.

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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

Activity Stations

Join us for 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.

Available Saturdays during the school year and during extended school holidays in the Museum’s Education Center.

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

9/11 Memorial Art Cart

Join us at the 9/11 Memorial Art Cart to participate in free, self-guided activities. These activities will help children discover the stories and symbolism behind the 9/11 Memorial and the rebuilt World Trade Center site.

The Memorial Art Cart is available weekdays during the summer at the 9/11 Memorial.

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

A young girl with blonde hair places her hand on a name etched in a bronze parapet at the Memorial.
Photo by Jin S. Lee

Youth and Family Tours

Visiting with kids? Join this age-appropriate program that explores the design of the Memorial, the events of 9/11, and how we commemorate the attacks. The tour includes the Memorial, the Museum, and an interactive activity. It is offered during spring break and in the summer months. All tour participants must have a ticket. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Reserve today
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

Talking to Children about 9/11

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.

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Teen Ambassador Program

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

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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.

School Programs

Explore a diverse set of inquiry-based programs designed to challenge students to think critically about a range of topics related to 9/11.

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A woman holds up her hands as she speaks to a group of students at the Museum. To her right is one student who is holding a pencil and clipboard in her hands while looking down at something out of view.