As we step into 2025, weโre filled with excitement and anticipation for all the possibilities this year holds. Our list of things to do with kids this weekend will kick off your new year with family-friendly fun. If you haven’t already, bookmark this page, as it is updated each week with events throughout the west and northwest suburbs. We’ll have your fun planned for each weekend in 2025!
Don’t forget that if you’re looking for childcare at the end of this week, there are still spots at winter break camps happening throughout the west and northwest suburbs.
Things to Do with Kids This Weekend: Western and Northwest Suburbs
Please check the details before you go to these events to ensure you know about registration requirements and additional info to maximize your familyโs fun. While we do our best to keep the most up-to-date information in our calendar, last minute location or time changes do happen. Want to find “weekend events near me”? We have you covered!
Friday
Fun is everywhere on Friday! Join Hot Wheelin’ Fun at Clarendon Hills Public Library, get creative at Drop-In Crafts at the Batavia Public Library, or enjoy the Smarty Pants: The Big Balloon Show at St. Charles Public Library. There are quite a few movie showings on Friday night, too!
Animals in Winter (Knoch Knolls Nature Center, Naperville)
January 3, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Domino Toppling (St. Charles Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
Winter Break Drop-in Crafts (Westmont Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 9:30am – 4:30pm
Crafty Bean Cafe and Studio Storytime (Bolingbrook)
January 3, 2025 | 9:30am – 10:30am
Hosted by Fountaindale Public Library.
Hot Wheelin’ Fun (Clarendon Hills Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 10:00am – 12:00pm
Life-Size Candy Land (Hoffman Estates Branch, Schaumburg Township District Library)
January 3, 2025 | 10:00am – 4:00pm
Drop-In Craft (Batavia Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Family Game Day (Prospect Heights Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 10:30am – 1:00pm
Laura Doherty Concert (95th Street Library, Naperville)
January 3, 2025 | 10:30am – 11:15am
Scales-N-Tales Storytime (Franklin Park Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 11:30am
Register in advance.
Smarty Pants: The Big Balloon Show (St. Charles Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 11:45am
Winter Dance Performance Series (Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Oak Park)
January 3, 2024 | 11:00amย –ย 2:00pm
Included in general admission.
Skating in the Park (Parkway Bank Park, Rosemont)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 9:00pm
Winter Break Family Programming (Garfield Park Conservatory, Chicago)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 2:00pm
Winter Exploration Day (Dan Ryan Woods, Chicago)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 2:00pm
Our Wild World with DuPage County Animal Services (Wheaton Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 11:00am – 11:45am
Registration required.
Preschool Hour (Elmwood Park Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 11:30am – 12:30pm
Drop-in Craft (Elmhurst Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 12:00pm – 3:00pm
Tech Open Lab (Barrington Area Library)
January 3, 2025 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Feature Films – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Poplar Creek Public Library, Streamwood)
January 3, 2025 | 2:00pm – 4:30pm
Super Awesome Movie Series (North Riverside Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 4:00pm – 6:00pm
First Friday: Weather Chasing with Storm Science (Geneva Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Build and Watch: Inside Out (Mount Prospect Public Library – South Branch)
January 3, 2025 | 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Register in advance to ensure participation.
Snow Ball (Barrington Area Library)
January 3, 2025 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Family Movie: Frozen 2 (Indian Trails Public Library – Main Branch, Wheeling)
January 3, 2025 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Movies in the Corner (Des Plaines Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Friday Night Sing-Along: The Lion King (Lisle Public Library)
January 3, 2025 | 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Flying High Pizza Fun Night (Countryside)
January 3, 2025 | 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Register in advance for discounted admission.
Saturday
Celebrate the new year with Isle a la Cache Museum’s Bonne Annรฉe: A New Year Celebration! in Romeoville, Life-Size Candy Land at the Hoffman Estates Branch of the Schaumburg Township District Library, or Animals in Winter at Knoch Knolls Nature Center in Naperville.
Home Depot Workshop (Check your local store)
January 4, 2025 | 9:00am – 12:00pm
Saturday Stay and Play (Geneva Public Library)
January 4, 2025 | 9:00am – 2:00pm
Animals in Winter (Knoch Knolls Nature Center, Naperville)
January 4, 2025 | 9:00am – 2:30pm
Cookies and Crayons (Lisle Public Library)
January 4, 2025 | 9:30am – 10:30am
Play for All (Chicago Children’s Museum, Navy Pier)
January 4, 2025 | 10:00am – 11:00am
Register in advance.
Lowe’s Kidsโ Workshops (Check your local store)
January 4, 2025 | 10:00am – 1:00pm
Life-Size Candy Land (Hoffman Estates Branch, Schaumburg Township District Library)
January 4, 2025 | 10:00am – 4:00pm
Brookfield Zoo Free Admission Day (Brookfield)
January 4, 2025 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Lunar New Year Party (Mount Prospect Public Library)
January 4, 2025 | 10:00am – 11:30am
Skating in the Park (Parkway Bank Park, Rosemont)
January 4, 2025 | 11:00am – 10:00pm
Winter Dance Performance Series (Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Oak Park)
January 4, 2024 | 11:00amย –ย 2:00pm
Included in general admission.
Dual Language Storytime (95th Street Library, Naperville)
January 4, 2025 | 11:30am – 12:00pm
Sensory Saturday (Wood Dale Public Library)
January 4, 2025 | 11:30am – 12:30pm
Registration is required.
Bonne Annรฉe: A New Year Celebration! (Isle a la Cache Museum, Romeoville)
January 4, 2025 | 2:00pm – 3:30pm
Register in advance.
Puzzle Races (Poplar Creek Public Library, Streamwood)
January 4, 2025 | 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Registration is required.
After Hours Nerf Night (Downers Grove Public Library)
January 4, 2025 | 4:45pm – 6:30pm
Register in advance.
Sunday
Bundle up for a Brookfield Zoo Free Admission Day or Family Winter Scavenger Hunt and Campfire at Trailside Museum of Natural History. Prefer to stay indoors? Join the ยกCelebraciรณn del Dรญa de los Reyes Magos! at Santori Library in Aurora.
Brookfield Zoo Free Admission Day (Brookfield)
January 5, 2025 | 10:00am – 5:00pm
Sensory-Friendly Hour (Park Ridge Public Library)
January 5, 2025 | 11:00am – 12:00pm
Skating in the Park (Parkway Bank Park, Rosemont)
January 5, 2025 | 11:00am – 9:00pm
Winter Dance Performance Series (Wonder Works Children’s Museum, Oak Park)
January 5, 2024 | 11:00amย –ย 2:00pm
Included in general admission.
Family Winter Scavenger Hunt and Campfire (Trailside Museum of Natural History, River Forest)
January 5, 2025 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Winter Walk (River Trail Nature Center, Northbrook)
January 5, 2025 | 1:30pm – 2:30pm
Register is required for snowshoes.
LEGOยฎ Club (Helen Plum Library, Lombard)
January 5, 2025 | 2:00pm – 3:00pm
ยกCelebraciรณn del Dรญa de los Reyes Magos! (Santori Library, Aurora)
January 5, 2025 | 2:00pm – 4:00pm
More ideas for indoor fun
If you’re looking for even more ideas for indoor fun, we wanted to highlight a few of our recent articles:
- Book a staycation at 25 Hotels with Indoor Pools: Chicago and the Suburbs or Best Chicago Hotels for Families: Kid-Friendly Hotels with Awesome Amenities and Special Packages!
- New play places are popping up everywhere. Funlandia Kid Cafe in Palatine and The Fun Playce in Naperville just opened their doors and are ready to be explored.
- Soak in the production of The Little Mermaid at Drury Lane Theatre before it ends on January 12, 2025.
Want to look ahead to next week?
Check out all the family-friendly events happening in your neighborhood and beyond on our events calendar. You can filter the calendar by day by clicking the date on top, so if you are looking for things to do on a specific day, it’s easy to find!
You might also be interested in…
- Kidlistโs 2024 Holiday Family Fun Guide
- Your Guide to Amazing Winter Activities for Kids in the West and Northwest Suburbs
- Where to Have the Best Kids Birthday Party + Entertainers, Rentals, Decor, Food and More
- Find the Right Preschool and Daycare for Your Family
- Your Local Guide to Kids Eat Free
We hope you found some family-friendly fun in our list of things to do with kids this weekend in the west and northwest suburbs of Chicago! This list is updated every week and sent out in the Kidlist emails. (Click here to sign up if you havenโt already.)
We love local businesses, libraries, park districts, villages, and organizations โ they plan great events for all of us to enjoy. If you are hosting an event or know of an event that should be on our list, click here to submit it to the Kidlist calendar!
We strive to be the most comprehensive source for family fun, which is why youโll always see so many weekend events listed. It would definitely be easier to just list the details for a few events and call them โthe best weekend events for familiesโ, but we recognize that everyone has different interests. Not to mention, sometimes Iโm in the mood to go to a huge festival, and sometimes Iโd rather go to a low-key storytime at the library. Iโm sure Iโm not the only one who feels that way. Thatโs why we work hard and spend a lot of time to find everything going on in our area so you donโt have to!
We hope you find it helpful and we are open to suggestions. The Kidlist Team always talks about how we can improve and evolve to meet your needs, so let us know!
