Children’s Day Weekend Fun: Cooking Classes, Outdoor Play, and Art Events Fit for the Whole Fam

Children's Day is here, which means there is an abundance of children-friendly events to keep the young ones occupied. In addition to some great family events and creative things to do this weekend, below we've compiled several other events worth trying to fit in before you're too tuckered out.

Food Events

Jun 1: Ice Cream Festival
Celebrate Children’s Day the best way possible: with yummy ice cream, cakes, and a number of family-friendly activities at this Ice Cream Festival on Saturday. All ages. RMB 268 per family (additional children RMB 60), free (children under 4). 2-10pm. Shangri-La Hotel (6841 2211)

Jun 2: Dragon Boat Festival Zongzi Making Workshop
Learn how to make your own traditional Chinese-style sticky rice zòngzi (粽子) this Children’s Day. Celebrate culture and traditions with fun! All ages. Free. 9.30-11.30am. 2/F, Library of United Family New Hope Oncology Center. 9-11 Jiangtai Xi Lu, Chaoyang District

Jun 1: Sarika Cooking Classes
To understand a culture you must often look to the food; to better experience and understand the various cultures of the world without having to travel far, why not learn its cuisine. Here they offer authentic Indian cooking classes with a wide range of recipes, vegetarian, non-vegetarians, sweets, and Indo-Chinese. RMB 350, RMB 300 (advance). 10am-midday. Shuangjing (for more info please contact WeChat ID: Sarikadhami)
 

Outdoor Play and Fun

Jun 1: Beijing Sino 10s Rugby Tournament
Rugby teams from all over China are attending this event and will be competing for different prizes. The event is a family-oriented day, with plenty of rugby to watch and a DJ sponsored by Aurora playing throughout to get people psyched about the festivities. Expect plenty of food and beverage vendors, including Bistro 108, Ping Dynasty, Aurora, and beer sponsored by Paddy O’Sheas. For easy transport, there will be a spectator’s bus leaving Paddy O’Sheas at 10am to bring people to the pitch. All ages. 9am-5pm. Dulwich College Beijing, Main Campus, Legend Garden. Men‘s club contact Wolff 186 1202 0481, women’s clubs contact Alicia on 135 8183 0512)

Jun 1: Children’s Day Scrimmage at Lacrosse Academy
If you get tired of indoor activities to celebrate Children’s Day, you might want to check out the scrimmage at Lacrosse Academy this Saturday to enjoy the family fun. Experienced kids preferred. Inexperienced kids can still come and watch, as there will be the Capital Cup which is a 14 team tournament with 4 youth teams. Free. 5-7pm. Field 2, Chaoyang Park

Jun 1: Back to Childhood Play
All ages. At this event, the host will prepare food and drinks that people used to eat when they were kids, while sharing childhood stories. There will also be the “the blind man” game, which you will find out about on site that day. RMB 20. 3-5pm.Chaoyang Park (WeChat: 187 0120 0107)
 

Charity and Literature Events

Jun 1: Bring More Love to the People at Cravings Restaurant
This Saturday, Cravings Restaurant and Kids Planet Hutong (KPH) will host a special event to celebrate Children’s Day. They will be raising money for the father of a KPH teacher, He Pingsun (何平孙), who is currently hospitalized and will be undergoing surgery.  All profits from the sales, as well as that made by Cravings on June 1, will be going to the family to help cover their costs. For more details click here. All ages. 11am-2pm. Cravings Restaurant, Chaoyang District (186 1406 0601)

May 31-Jun 1: Safari Time Songs at The Bookworm
Young ones love singing and rhymes! It stimulates their brains and development, and it’s also great fun for mamas, papas and other caregivers to see them so happy. If you’ve got a 3-18 month-old child, bring them to The Bookworm every Saturday to take them on a fun safari as he/she learns songs and rhymes from around the world, which you can also practice at home. They have “Children’s Day” specials this coming Friday and Saturday. Age 3-18 months. RMB 80. 10.30-11.30am. The Bookworm (6503 2050, order@beijingbookworm.com)

Jun 1-2: Roundabout Book Fair at BSB Sanlitun
All ages. Summer is coming! It’s time to get your summer holiday reading ready, so come and buy some books from the Roundabout Book Fair. Also, three adult fiction books, of which there are many, will only set you back RMB 25! 10am-3pm. The British School of Beijing, Sanlitun. 5 Xiliujie, Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District
 

Exhibitions at Tsinghua University Art Museum

As part of Children's Day, Tsinghua also provides free admission for children 14 years of age and under. The first 200 children visiting the museum will have one collection postcard for each person that day. Check some of our favorites below.

Until Aug 20: The Supports/Surfaces Movement: Within and Around
There will be 75 artworks by 15 artists representing the Supports/Surfaces Movement on display in this exhibition. This group exhibition aims to present the artistic movement and great artistic effervescence in France, which emerged in the mid and late 1960s. All ages. RMB 20 (adults), free (kids under 14 years old). 1/F, Exhibition Hall 1,2,3, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Until Jun 23: National Treasures from Afghanistan at the Cultural Crossroads of East and West
The over 230 Afghan treasures displayed in this exhibition were all unearthed prior to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. They are divided into four units, which are respectively archaeological excavation sites of Tepe Fullol, the ancient city ruins of Ai Khanoum, Tillya Tepe, and the ancient city ruins of Begram. All ages. RMB 20 (adults), free (kids under 14 years old). 3/F, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Painting and Calligraphy
There are more than 90 Chinese painting and calligraphy artworks dated from the Ming Dynasty onward in this permanent collection. Through this exhibition, you will get a chance to know more about the history and development of Chinese painting and calligraphy. All ages. RMB 20 (adults), free (kids under 14 years old). 4/F, Exhibition Hall 10, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Want something more adult? Catch the best music happening this weekend via Noise Pollution.

This article originally featured on our sister site beijingkids.

Photos: Unsplash, courtesy of Chapter (featured image) and event organizers