‍ALL-NEW “MIXED EMOTIONS” EXHIBIT!

Children’s Museum Houston invites you to laugh, learn,reflect, and feel your way through a playful exploration of emotions

Exhibit debuts Saturday, May 23 – just in time for Summer!

Sponsored by OXY and The William Stamps Farish Fund

Children's Museum Houston has all the feels!  Feelings are taking center stage in a brand-new exhibit that’s anything but emotional baggage. Debuting May 23, 2026, Mixed Emotions invites children and grown-ups alike to press pause on the daily whirlwind and step into a world where joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust (and every feeling in between) are welcome at the table.

Raising emotionally healthy kids isn’t always a walk in the park. Sometimes it’s more like a rollercoaster of feelings. Mixed Emotions transforms social-emotional learning into a playful, hands-on adventure designed to help families better understand what’s going on inside their heads… and hearts. Families will navigate ups, downs, twists, turns, and occasional meltdowns with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of fun.

“Emotions are part of every child’s story.  Learning to deal with emotions, both big and small, is a major part of childhood. Expressing, understanding, and dealing with our emotions can be just as important as skills in math, science, or reading,” said Children’s Museum Houston Director of Exhibit Development Jacob Breier. “This exhibit creates space for children and caregivers to explore feelings together in ways which are playful, meaningful, and deeply human.”

Designed for children ages 2 and up, Mixed Emotions encourages you to explore the science, language, and social impact of emotions through immersive experiences which turn abstract feelings into something tangible, interactive, and surprisingly fun.

• Strike a pose in Emotion Detective, a lively game of emotional charades where players decode facial expressions and body language faster than you can say “mood swing.”
• Expand youremotional vocabulary in Emotipedia, discovering fascinating feelingwords from cultures around the globe.
• Create custom emojis inspired by nuanced emotions which go far beyond simply “happy” or“sad.” e.g., Did you know “Gigil” is the Tagalog word for the urge to pinch something cute?
• At the heart ofthe exhibit is the towering 12-foot Brain & Body Connection experience, where you can explore how emotions affect the brain and body inreal time (butterflies in your stomach and tears of joy aren’t just figures ofspeech after all!)

The exhibit also offer sage-appropriate activities tailored to different developmental stages. Toddlers can explore sensory objects and make silly faces in mirrors, preschoolers can practice tactile breathing and draw expressive emojis, while older children can dive into mindfulness challenges, kindness games, and emotional problem-solving activities.

But Mixed Emotions isn’t just for kids. The exhibit encourages caregivers to share their own feelings too because children often learn emotional regulation from watching trusted adults weather life’s emotional storms with honesty and compassion.

Built around coresocial-emotional learning competencies, Mixed Emotions supports skillslinked to stronger relationships, improved academic outcomes, and lifelongwell-being. Through playful interaction and guided reflection, children practicerecognizing emotions, regulating big feelings, understanding others, makingthoughtful decisions, and building healthy connections with the people aroundthem.

Whether you arrive giggling with joy, feeling shy, carrying frustration, or simply having “one of those days,” Mixed Emotions promises to meet you exactly where you are (no emotional baggage claim required).