Walt Disney World is known for its iconic attractions and entertainment. And while my family enjoys all of that, we sometimes like to venture beyond the rides and experience magic in other ways around the parks. I will be sharing with you our 4 favorite kid-friendly activities inside the Disney parks…and the best part? They’re all included with your admission ticket! Hang tight as we share our favorite free activities for kids at Walt Disney World!
1. Wilderness Explorers
Location: Animal Kingdom
When: 10 am – 5 pm
Animal Kingdom is my son’s favorite park and he enjoys becoming a Wilderness Explorer just like Russel from the Disney Pixar movie Up with this challenge. It is a self-guided hunt throughout all of Animal Kingdom where explorers can visit 30 different kiosks to collect badges and learn about the wilderness.
To begin your free activities at Disney adventure, visit the Wilderness Explorer headquarters located on the bridge towards Discovery Island. There a troop leader will teach you the Wilderness Explorer motto and present you with a handbook. Inside the book, there is a map with all the different badge locations and the informational pages that goes with each location. Simply pick one location to start and go from there!
You do not have to complete the entire book in one day. We usually bring our book with on every visit and collect a few badges along the way. This challenge will take you on many different unfamiliar paths in the Animal Kingdom and truly provide a fun and educational experience. The Wilderness must be Explored!
2. Kidcot Fun Stop
Location: Epcot’s World Showcase
When: 11 am – 9 pm
Kidcot is a fun and educational activity for children of all ages to learn about the countries in the World Showcase. Stop by a Kidcot table at any country to get started with your free activities at Disney adventure! The cast member will give you your first sticker, information card about that country as well as a Ziploc suitcase bag to collect them all.
Each Kidcot station is equipped with makers because there is a fun coloring page on the back of every card. My boys love to color while we adults enjoy a bite to eat from the booths nearby.
Make your way to all the other Kidcot stations to complete your tour around the World Showcase. Once you’ve visited all 11 countries, you will receive a completion postcard!
3. A Pirate’s Adventure – Treasures of the Seven Seas
Location: Adventureland at Magic Kingdom
When: 12 pm – 6 pm
Our next free activities at Disney will have you enlist Captain Jack Sparrow’s crew and help retrieve hidden treasures with this interactive game located in Adventureland. The Pirate’s Adventure output is located next to the Golden Oak post quick service.
Begin your adventure there where you will activate your MagicBand or RFID card and be assigned a secret mission along with a corresponding treasure map. Each mission takes about 20 minutes and there is a total of 5 different missions. After completing each mission, you’ll receive a special treasure finder card. You can also get a free Pirates of the Caribbean FastPass after completing 3 missions.
My boys love all things pirates and always have a blast on this treasure hunt! I hope this will help you find free activities at Disney!
4. DuckTales – World Showcase Adventure
Location: World Showcase, EPCOT
When: Park Hours
According to the Disney World Website “Join Scrooge McDuck, his nephews and friends as they travel around EPCOT World Showcase on a quacky quest to find the priceless 7 Lost Magic Treasures—and return them to their rightful owners.”
The game is played on the Play Disney App and has games in Mexico, the UK, France, Morocco, Norway, China and Japan.
My girls love playing this game and request to go to EPCOT just to play DuckTales!
Guest post by: Tina | Disney Mom, aka a.magical.life.for.me
Edited 2/4/2020 by Kristi Corley
Edited 3/13/2023 by Allison Thommen
