What are the Best Things to do at Animal Kingdom with Toddlers? Well, this guide will help you plan a great day for your little ones.
Part of the Disney Magic is enjoying Disney through the eyes of your kids. Most people that come to Disney with children plan their trips around maximizing the number of experiences, rides, and attractions their kids are going to love the most. Toddlers are the more complicated age to plan things around due to height restrictions and other things. This is the Best Guide for Things to do at Animal Kingdom with Toddlers.
How young is too young for Disney?
One of the biggest questions asked in Disney groups and forums is what age is appropriate for a child at Disney? What age is a good age for kids to go to Disney? Well, that answer is best answered this way. Disney creates rides and experiences that all ages can enjoy. Our youngest went to Disney at 6 months old and he rode rides and met characters. Whatever you feel is best for your family is what you should do.
Rides Without Height Restrictions:
Kilimanjaro Safaris: This ride has always been a favorite with my little kids.
It’s a drive through savanna ride with lots of animals to see! No standing on this ride but your toddler can sit in your laps so they can see better.
Pro Tip: This ride is pretty bumpy, and my kids would always fall asleep while riding! If you have little ones who need a nap give this ride a try! It worked for us every single time.
It’s Tough to be a Bug! This attraction is an indoor 3D movie about bugs hosted by your favorite characters from A Bugs Life.
While this attraction has no height restrictions, we personally thought it was a little too scary for our kids.
Every toddler is going to be different so I like to suggest to parents to watch the show online (you can find it on YouTube) before deciding if this is right for your family.
Na’vi River Journey: Is a dark ride attraction that takes you on a boat ride through the beautiful Kasvapan River of Pandora. This is based off of the movie Avatar.
This is a slow ride that is dark but not scary. It has beautiful colorful lights through the entire ride and relaxing sounds. It is one of the most beautiful rides in all of Disney.
TriceraTop Spin: Is a carousel-style ride with Triceratops cars to ride in.
This ride is basically Dumbo but Dinosaur themed. And it usually does not have a long line, so we love riding this one with our little ones.
Play Areas:
Toddlers are always on the run and being confined to a stroller all day/standing in long lines can put them in a bad mood.
I loved having places to let my kids run around and play.
The Boneyard: This open-air play area is themed after a Dino dig spot.
This area is fun for kids of all ages but it does have a small toddler spot just to the right of the entrance.
You can also find a dig spot. My kids could play here for hours.
Affection Section: This is a petting zoo area found at Rafiki’s Planet Watch.
To get to this location you get to ride a train with is another plus for a toddler. Then you can explore the area and enjoy petting some adorable animals.
This is actually the ONLY petting zoo in all of Walt Disney World.
Shows:
Festival of the Lion King: Is an incredible show with amazing music and costumes all based on the Lion King movie.
This show is engaging and colorful production that kept my kids attention the entire time. Plus this show is indoor and in the air conditioning, the perfect break from the heat!
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond: is a live action show with large scale puppets based on the movie Finding Nemo.
This show is also inside and in the air conditioning. This show has lots of music and colorful large puppets that captured the attention of my entire family.
Feathered Friends in Flight: This show is hosted by animal behavior specialists who teach and show you about incredible birds.
This show last 35 minutes and is outdoor. My kids loved seeing the birds fly overhead.
Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe: This show is a fun show with African drummers the are vibrant and lively.
This is a short show outdoors in Africa. No seating only a dance floor! It’s the perfect place to get your toddler moving and grooving.
Other things for children to enjoy at Animal Kingdom:
Characters: Meeting characters at Disney World is hands down one of the BEST things to experience.
Animal Kingdom is the only park where you can Meet Mickey and Minnie at the same time!
Moana is the newest character meet and greet there.
DiVine is one of the rarer characters you can meet at the park!
Don’t forget Kevin from UP wanders around Discovery Island as well!
Wilderness Explorers: This interactive activity is found in different booths all over the park.
In each booth you can learn about animals and collect “badges” (stickers at each one. You can collect more than 25 badges to add to your book).
While this is a really fun activity it can be long for some toddlers. We never finished all 25 when we had little ones. But we always got the book and enjoyed stopped at a few.
Tails and Treks: Thought the park you can find trails to walk to see animals.
Starting in Africa right at the exit of Kilimanjaro Safaris you will find Gorilla Falls Exploration Trails. Here you will walk a path through the lush forest to see animals like gorillas, hippos, and birds.
In Asia you will find Maharajah Jungle Trek. This trek is home to tigers, birds, a flying fox, and Komodo dragon.
The Discovery Island Trails is a trail around the Tree of Life. You will find wildlife here but also get to see a more up-close view of the tree.
What if your toddler needs a break at Animal Kingdom?
Don’t forget all Disney Parks have a Baby Care Center in it. It is perfect to get some air conditioning and take a short rest for your little ones.
Here is our post on Animal Kingdom’s Baby Care Center.
Rides with Height Restrictions:
It’s good to know what rides that have height restrictions before traveling with your toddler.
Knowing before you go will help with any meltdown that can happen when finding out in line.
Avatar Flight of Passage – 44in
DINOSAUR – 40in
Expedition Everest – 44in
Kali River Rapids: –38in
Rider Switch Service:
The good news is you don’t have to skip these rides! You can use Disney’s Rider Switch Service.
If your child does not meet the height requirements first go talk to the cast member at the entrance.
Make sure your entire party is with you, this way they can confirm that you do have someone in your party who is not able to ride.
The guest who is not riding and waiting with the toddler with be receive a Rider Switch entitlement. And the guest who is riding will enter the line and ride the attraction.
Once the riding guest is done, they can exit and take over watching the toddler while you enter the ride though the Lighting Lane.
This is a wonderful option that Disney offers and perfect for parents who want to ride these attractions with height restrictions.
Check Out Some of Our Other Posts on Disney’s Animal Kingdom:
Rides and Attractions at Animal Kingdom – When planning a trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom knowing the Rides at Animal Kingdom is helpful in making plans for your trip! In this post we will list and describe all the rides at Animal Kingdom!
Restaurants at Animal Kingdom – The complete guide to all the Restaurants at Animal Kingdom. This will feature everything from the food carts to the character dining in this Animal Kingdom Restaurant Roundup!
Animal Kingdom Itinerary – This is our ideal Animal Kingdom Itinerary. We have always found it hard to spend a full day at Animal Kingdom until recently. I honestly has become one of our favorite parks to visit and spend time at. Use this itinerary to help plan your day at Animal Kingdom.
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