Disney Parks sponsors 6-city KaBOOM! Play Together Tour with free family fun

Beginning this month, families in six cities in the United States will get to experience play areas designed by the world-renowned Disney Imagineers. Disney Parks is sponsoring the KaBOOM! Play Together Tour, which is planned to give families the opportunity to connect at free events.

KaBOOM! is a national non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all kids get a childhood filled with the balanced and active play needed to thrive. Disney Parks partnered with KaBOOM! this spring for a contest to find America’s Most Playful Family. Families were invited to tell judges how they stay active together. The winner — Trish’s family from Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico — received her choice of a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland and the opportunity to grant play equipment to a community group in her state.

Now, Disney and KaBOOM! want to help strengthen family bonds with fun and free play. The tour features a state-of-the-art, pop-up play attraction with team-building stations, games that build mental and physical play prowess, and an incredible family-friendly obstacle course.

Registration is open for the first city, Anaheim, at kaboom.org/playtogether. Spaces are limited, so it’s recommended you reserve your time as soon as it becomes available. You’ll enter the obstacle course, which takes about 10 minutes to complete, within the one-hour time block you select on your registration. After you reach the finish line and raise your family flag, you’re invited to stay for the other activities.

The tour schedule includes:

** Aug. 16-17: Anaheim — Center Street Promenade, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
** Aug. 20: Sacramento — Location to be announced, 3 to 8 p.m.
** Aug. 23-24: San Francisco — Marina Middle School, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
** Aug. 30-31: Chicago — Lincoln Park, Grove 2, near Lincoln Park Zoo, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
** Sept. 6-7: Atlanta — Old 4th Ward Skate Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
** Sept. 13-14: Kissimmee (near Orlando) — Mill Run Park, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Disney VoluntEARS will be on hand to support each tour stop. As one Disney spokeswoman said, “Bringing families together is at the heart of everything we do.”

On its website, KaBOOM! cites research that shows that active play matters in many areas of a child’s development. For example, the group says 80 percent of school principals report that recess has a positive effect on academic achievement, and increased access to play opportunities through playgrounds and parks provide significant immediate and long-term health benefits, such as chronic disease prevention. In addition, 96 percent of pediatricians say that play helps build kids’ social skills and confidence.

The partnership for this promotion couldn’t be more ideal. After all, Disney Parks and its Imagineers are known for playful attractions, and KaBOOM! shares its vision of nurturing, inspiring and empowering kids and families. Now, with the Play Together Tour making its way across the country, families will have another creative way to experience fun together through active play.

Follow @Kristin_B_Ford