Kid-Focused Activities at Wintrust Sports Complex

There is plenty of entertainment in the palm of our hands: games, movies, TV shows, and social media scrolling. While there is kid-friendly entertainment available, family fun centers such as Wintrust Sports Complex provide kid-focused activities that are fun for the whole family. Getting out of the house and spending quality time together is great for kids, parents, and families as a whole. 

Importance of Kid-Friendly Outings 

Searching for “fun family activities near me” is not just for the kids to get some of their energy out. There are many benefits to kid-focused activities and family activities. 

Family outings allow children to interact with others outside their family, friends, and school. This helps them develop skills for interacting with the general public. Most family activities expose children to new environments, cultures, and experiences. 

Exploring fun places to take kids with your kids is great for bonding. Spending time together as a family helps strengthen relationships and build bonds. Family activities create lasting memories that children will carry into adulthood and possibly even influence activities with their kids. Creating positive family experiences at zoos, museums, parks, and more will stick with your children as they grow. 

Engaging in activities with your kids promotes healthy family relationships and habits. Spending quality time with children is excellent for their development and mental health. While even a trip to the zoo might involve some screen time (on the zoo’s mobile app, for example), kid-friendly activities often pull the focus away from screens—or at least redirect it to different screens rather than their phones, tablets, and TVs. Even a trip to the movie theater or arcade is a break from the monotony of daily screens. Family activities also mean a break from schoolwork, the parents’ adult responsibilities, and chores, which benefit everyone.  

Fun Places to Take Kids in Chicago 

Like most major cities, Chicago has plenty of options for fun places to take kids. There are parks, zoos, museums, and even specialty places, including the America Girl Doll Place and Legoland Discovery Center. If you’re searching “fun family activities near me,” there will be many options. 

Chicago is home to many museums. While not all museums are the most kid-friendly spaces, these museums include special children’s exhibits and spaces. Art Institute of Chicago has the Thorne Miniature Rooms that bring art and architecture to kids’ levels. The Children’s Literature Gallery at the American Writers Museum influences young minds to become young readers. Children are likely to enjoy museums with interactive exhibits, and the Chicago Sports Museum has those. 

Children’s museums are always included in things to do in Chicago with kids. The Chicago Children’s Museum is designed with children in mind. Kid-friendly exhibits include WaterWays, Dinosaur Expedition, and Treehouse Trails. The Bronzeville Children’s Museum is the country’s first African American children’s museum and has exhibits aimed at elementary-aged children.

Chicago is home to two zoos (Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo), one aquarium (Shedd Aquarium), and one planetarium (Adler Planetarium), so whether your kid is into land animals, water animals, or space, there are places to explore. 

When the weather is cooperative, outdoor kid-friendly activities and places include checking out the amusement rides at Navy Pier or exploring Maggie Daley Park and Grant Park Skate Park. When the weather is less cooperative and you’re looking for indoor activities, arcades and family fun centers can help beat the rainy day blues. 

Arcade Games to Play with Kids

A search for “fun family activities near me” should include an arcade. However, not every arcade game is kid-friendly, especially some modern video arcade games based on popular movies or other media. It’s always important to consider your child’s age, maturity level, and skill compared to the complexity and visuals of any game. This is the perfect excuse for parents to play first and test the game out for their kids. Some of the best games for parents to play with their kids are the same ones they enjoyed as children for the nostalgia aspect alone. 

Pac-Man

Some of the simplest arcade games are the most child-friendly. Pac-Man’s easy-to-understand gameplay and minimalist graphics make it a perfect arcade game for kids of all ages. 

NBA Jam

If you are worried about violence in arcade games, NBA Jam is a safe bet. The game features two-on-two basketball players with the ability to super jump and on-fire slam dunks. Challenge your kid to a virtual, super-hero-esc basketball game before playing an actual game on one of the courts at Wintrust Sports Complex. 

Frogger

Frogger is an absolute classic. The setup is simple: help the frogs cross the busy road full of hazards. Frogger helps develop quick thinking and reaction times. Plus, there’s a lesson about safely crossing the street. 

Family Fun Centers

Family fun centers incorporate various activities for kids of all ages and their parents. These include bowling, mini golf, indoor or outdoor playgrounds, arcades, sports facilities, laser tag, inflatable bounce houses, and more. Most family fun centers also offer spaces for birthday parties, food, and snacks. Wintrust Sports Complex in Bedford Park is the premier family fun center in the Chicago area and one of the many things to do in Chicago with kids. Kid-friendly activities include a redemption arcade, basketball and volleyball courts, and laser tag. 

Wintrust Sports Complex

Wintrust Sports Complex is the ideal family fun center in the Chicago area. Our facility includes kid-focused activities from sports to the arcade to laser tag. Our sports programs are designed for kids. We partner with other Chicago area agencies for youth basketball and soccer classes, host summer youth sports camps for kids ages six to fourteen, and even partner with the WNBA team, Chicago Sky, for the Nike Basketball Camp. Wintrust is also the practice and game location for local youth basketball and volleyball leagues and travel teams. We understand youth team sports’ physical and mental health benefits: teamwork, perseverance, and physical fitness. One of our goals is to make youth sports more accessible. 

Sports aren’t for everyone. We have our redemption arcade and laser tag arena for kids less interested in sports, or maybe they’re already on a school team. Our family fun center’s arcade is the perfect place to embrace your nostalgia and share it with your kids. A family challenge of laser tag, possibly even kids versus parents, combines physical activity, problem-solving, and stress relief. Wintrust Sports Complex offers plenty of things to do in Chicago with kids.