Free Kwanzaa Activities for Kids and Families
Reserve free Kwanzaa museum crafts, drumming and tours, plus try no-cost family traditions at home.
Families can celebrate Kwanzaa for free through daily museum programs Dec. 26-Jan. 1 and simple at-home crafts, stories and shared food.
Kwanzaa is a seven-day African American and Pan-African holiday celebrated Dec. 26-Jan. 1, created in 1966 by Dr.
Maulana Karenga and modeled on African first-harvest traditions, according to Kwanzaa.org in its Learn About Kwanzaa guide. The holiday centers on Nguzo Saba, seven principles: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba and Imani. Each day highlights one principle.
That structure makes it easy to pick one activity per day.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 05, 2026.
What is free at the museum?
The Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum hosts free weeklong Kwanzaa programming Dec. 26-Jan. 1, daily from noon to 2 p.m., plus free hour-long guided tours daily at 2 p.m.
Tickets are free, but reservations are encouraged, according to the Smithsonian Institution in its 2026 Kwanzaa announcement. The noon sessions are built for families. Children can listen, sing, move and make things.
The 2 p.m. tour gives parents and older kids more background.
Which days fit young children best?
Dec. 26 opens with Umoja, or Unity. Storyteller Mama Ayo shares Kwanzaa history, honors ancestors, pours libations and lights the Kinara.
Baba Ras D leads unity songs and African drumming for families. Dec. 28 focuses on Ujima, or collective work.
Grammy-nominated teaching artist Culture Queen invites children and families to sing, dance, create custom crafts, play games and do the Kwanzaa Slide. Active kids who like music and movement may enjoy this day most.
What can families make together?
Dec. 29 focuses on Ujamaa, or cooperative economics. Artist Tamara Thomas leads a family workshop where families decorate memory boxes and fill them with photos and trinkets.
The session also discusses community needs and family and community business, according to the Smithsonian Institution in its Kwanzaa program announcement. Bring a few family photos, small keepsakes and drawings from home. Kids can choose what goes in the box.
Parents can use the business discussion to talk about buying from neighbors and saving together.
What can you do for free at home?
At-home options cost nothing and work for any schedule. Families can clean the house together for Ujima, make a drawing for Kuumba and read Black history together for Kujichagulia. The Jan.
1 feast can include greens, black-eyed peas and sweet potato pie, as described by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife in its article on Kwanzaa food traditions. Assign each child one job for the cleaning session. Set out paper, crayons and old magazines for the art day.
Let kids read aloud and explain what purpose means to them.
How do you plan a free visit?
All museum programs are in-person and space is limited. Registration is requested through Eventbrite, so reserve early for Dec. 26 and Dec.
28.
- Reserve tickets early for your chosen day and tour time
- Pack photos and small trinkets if you join a craft workshop
- Confirm holiday hours and travel plans before leaving home