Top 10 Things For Young Children To Do At EPCOT At Walt Disney World

One of the biggest misconceptions about EPCOT (and one of my pet peeves) is that there is nothing for younger children to do there.  I hear this all the time from people planning a trip to Walt Disney World.  I know I am a little biased since EPCOT is my family’s favorite park, but it has been that way since our first family trip when my kids were 10 months and 5 years old.  Now I have 3 boys (ages 15, 10 and 2) and we still love EPCOT.  For the purpose of this article, I consider a young child age 6 or younger who isn’t able to do most thrill rides (for the record, the height requirement on Soarin’ is 40” so some children are able to ride fairly young).

10.  Fountain Fun

Head towards the Imagination Pavilion to find a fountain the kiddos are sure to have fun watching.  You’ll find the upside down waterfall and the jumping fountains.  It is usually fairly uncrowded in this area and young kids have fun running around and trying to catch the jumping water.

9.  Living with the Land

This boat ride starts out traveling through imagineered environments including the rainforest, plains, and my favorite farm homestead.  Then you head out into the greenhouse where you see live plants, fish, etc.  Young kids have plenty to look at on this ride and it keeps their attention with the changing scenes.

8.  Frozen Ever After

Does your little one ever sing, “Let It Go”? Well, they will love to go on Frozen Ever After located in the Norway Pavilion and boasts extremely long wait times in the stand-by line. Save the time… FastPass this one! Frozen Ever After is a family-friendly boat ride that winds guests through multiple experiences up and down the river. It’s a fun attraction with beautiful surroundings, top notch animatronics, and of course… the forever popular Frozen characters and songs to sing along with!

7.  Play Areas    

When it is warm (and you have a change of clothes) the Splash Play areas in EPCOT are perfect for younger children. If waiting for older family members are at Mission: Space, check out the great play area in the gift shop or exit area of Mission: Space.  Just enter on the far left as you face the attraction and walk through the gift shop.  You will find some interactive video games as well as a climbing play area (similar to what you find at a fast food restaurant).  Although I don’t necessarily recommend Journey into Imagination with Figment for small children due to darkness, loud noises and really bad smells, the play area at the end can be fun, just enter the gift shop exit like with Mission: Space.

6.  Kidcot

I absolutely love the Kidcot stations in each country! Guests receive a Ziploc bag (aka “Suitcase”) that they can place stickers on which they receive from a Cast Member in each country. They also receive a country information card to put inside their “suitcase”. You can use this stop in each location as incentive for your child to keep going through the countries so you can see all of them.

5.  Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros

The boat ride in the Mexico Pavilion is great for young children.  It has the feeling of it’s a small world in some parts, it is very colorful, and it stars Donald Duck.

4.  Live Entertainment

Found throughout the World Showcase, live entertainment is a fun way for anyone to spend some time.  Young children are particularly interested in the musical performances where they can dance to the beat, the Chinese acrobats, and the mime-like performances in France and Italy.

3.  Character Meals

EPCOT is a great place to eat with the characters.  In the Land Pavilion you can dine at Chip and Dale’s Harvest Feast.  Two things about this restaurant appeal to young children, the menu and the fact that it rotates overlooking the Living with the Land attraction. Not to mention the characters–you will usually meet Chip & Dale, Mickey, and Pluto.  The more popular character meal in EPCOT is the Princess Storybook Meal at the Akershus restaurant in Norway.  You will meet several princesses during breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and if you are on the Disney Dining Plan this is one of the best values for your dining credits.  If you can’t get into Cinderella’s Royal Table this is a fantastic alternative.

2.  The Seas with Nemo and Friends

There are so many things at this entire pavilion to keep your little one happy and entertained.  The ride itself is good for young children (with the possible exception of the scene with the angler fish—I use a distraction technique when we enter that space). Children love to watch the fish in the aquariums too, you can search for dolphins, sea turtles, manatees and even find Nemo!  Turtle Talk with Crush is another great choice for young children.

1.  Characters!

“What?” you ask, “Characters at EPCOT?”  Many people don’t realize what a great place EPCOT is to meet characters.  Mickey and his friends are ready to meet guests are various areas in the park. Be sure to check your MyDisneyExperience App for times and location as EPCOT renovations are currently underway.  In World Showcase, each country highlights characters that call it home, Anna and Elsa in Norway, Mulan in China, Snow White in Germany, Mary Poppins and Alice in the UK, Jasmine in Morocco, and Belle in France.  Each one has a somewhat designated meeting area, so it is a really great way to spend an afternoon traveling the world and meeting characters. Grab a Times Guide or MyDisneyExperience App and start your character safari.

So, in case you couldn’t tell, I really think EPCOT is an outstanding park for children and adults of all ages.  Part of its appeal is that it offers so many different types of things to keep everyone entertained.  What are some of your favorite things for young children at EPCOT?