Cayton Children's Museum is partnering with Connections for Children to bring weekly Parent Cafés and Family Math Workshops to Santa Monica — a new Wednesday evening series designed to support parents and caregivers of children ages 2–5, launching February 18.

Located in Downtown Santa Monica just blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the Cayton Childrens' Museum offers 21,000 square feet of discovery-based exhibits and immersive play. CMS Core Values Everyone Belongs Here Every child and family is welcome here—across cultures, languages, and abilities—treated with dignity, care, and respect. Play Brings Us Together Play helps children connect, cooperate, and understand one another, building relationships grounded in care and empathy. Discovering What’s Right Play gives children the space to explore right and wrong, shaping honesty, courage, and respect in how they act and relate to others. Caring For The Community We foster fairness and shared responsibility, helping children see that their actions matter beyond themselves. Exploring What’s Possible Children are invited to ask questions, imagine possibilities, and think for themselves as they make sense of the world around them. Understanding Ourselves We support emotional understanding, balance, and moments of rest & renewal that help children build resilience over time. Respecting Nature We encourage children to care for nature, understand shared responsibility, and recognize how today’s choices shape tomorrow. Learning Together Children learn best when trusted adults explore alongside them—sharing curiosity, asking questions, and discovering together. Our Vision for 2026 Hands-On Exhibits We aim to create immersive, hands-on exhibits that invite children and families to explore ideas through play, curiosity, and open-ended discovery, supporting joyful and self-directed learning. LEARN MORE Interactive Programs We intend to design interactive programs that bring children together through guided play, creative expression, and shared experiences, helping them practice communication, collaboration, and emotional growth. LEARN MORE Community Connections We aspire to foster community connections that extend play beyond the museum, strengthening relationships among families and linking shared experiences to the broader civic and cultural life around us. LEARN MORE Our History LEARN MORE A Legacy Built Through Play The Cayton’s story spans decades of imagination, learning, and community—from its early beginnings to the Zimmer Children’s Museum, and today’s Cayton. Each chapter reflects a deep belief in the power of play to shape kinder, more connected generations.

The Cayton is the product of so much love and support. We are grateful to our many donors whose critical support has made the Cayton the special place it is today. Together, we are PLAYING OUR WAY TO A BETTER WORLD. We would like to thank the following donors for making our work possible: partners Our Amazing Partners It takes a village to help make play more accessible to all. From sponsoring exhibits, underwriting artist series, offering grants, signing up for corporate memberships, and everything in between – we always need help to activate the power of play as a force for good. Here are just a few of our steadfast partners and champions of play. Interested in exploring ways to help sustain our access initiatives and public programming? Click here or contact development@caytonmuseum.org or (424) 416-8327 today.

All sales at the Cayton's store are final. No returns are accepted at either the in-museum or online stores. Museum Store All sales at the Cayton's store are final. No returns are accepted at either the in-museum or online stores. Additionally: Children must be accompanied by an adult in the store at all times. No eating or drinking is allowed in the museum store. Please ask an Associate for help looking at an item on high shelves or CLOSED packaging. Do not climb on displays or open merchandise packaging.