The Magic House Expands Hero Quest Beyond the Museum with St. Louis Summer Hero Quest
ST LOUIS (June 17, 2026) – The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum, proudly announces the Board of Directors’ approval of its 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, marking the launch of a bold, multi-year vision centered on a unifying theme: Play Together. The plan was officially approved at the Tuesday, June 16 board meeting and celebrated with a special event honoring this milestone and the future it represents.
Created with community input and built from research on child development, the Play Together initiative positions The Magic House as a leading advocate for the essential role of play in children’s lives. The plan outlines a comprehensive strategy to champion the importance of play, empower families to make play part of everyday life, and expand partnerships with schools and communities to ensure all children have opportunities to learn, connect, and grow through play.
“Children today have fewer opportunities for unstructured, shared play, and we’re seeing the impact of that in how they learn and connect,” said Beth Fitzgerald, President of The Magic House. “Through Play Together, we’re working to reintroduce play as a daily priority at home, in schools, and across our community.”
At the heart of the plan is a commitment to fostering meaningful, shared experiences between children, families and schools. The Magic House will expand programming and community partnerships, and advocate for increased playtime in schools.
The Play Together framework also reinforces the organization’s long-standing commitment to accessibility through its Access for All initiative, broadening opportunities for children and families throughout the region especially those facing the greatest barriers to participation.
“When children engage in play, they are making decisions, solving problems, and exploring different ways to approach a challenge,” said Steve Coxon, Education Advisory Committee Member. “That active participation helps learning stick in a way that worksheets, lectures, and memorization often cannot.”
Over the next three years, The Magic House will bring Play Together to life through a series of initiatives, including:
- Expand access so more children and families can experience the power of play
- Create hands-on exhibits, programs, and experiences at The Magic House and in the community that promote children of all backgrounds and abilities playing together
- Increase awareness of the importance of play through education, storytelling, and outreach
- Bring free play opportunities to support families with the greatest needs
- Advocate for play in schools and support educators with play-based tools and resources
- Build partnerships across our region to expand Play Together opportunities
Together, these efforts aim to counter the growing challenges children face in a screen-filled, fast-paced world and to reinforce the value of real-world, human connection.
“This is more than a strategic plan, it’s a call to action,” said Fitzgerald. “We are inviting families, educators, and our entire community to join us in creating a culture where play is prioritized, protected, and celebrated.”
About The Magic House, St. Louis Children’s Museum
The Magic House is a not-for-profit participatory museum that provides hands-on learning experiences that spark imagination, pique curiosity, enhance creativity and develop problem-solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy, and magic. Serving more than 550,000 visitors annually, The Magic House opened in 1979 and has 55,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits. In 2019, the Museum opened an all-new satellite makerspace in the City of St. Louis on Delmar Boulevard, located between the Central West End and the Delmar Loop.
To stay up-to-date with The Magic House, visit www.magichouse.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.