We visited the Salon de l’Apprentissage Montréal 2026. Here is what children, parents, educators and anyone interested in education can discover there, and what to know before the Québec 2026 edition.
A place to discover how children learn
What if learning could happen through a science experiment, a board game, a book, movement, art, nature, animals or even magic? We found all of this at the Salon de l’Apprentissage Montréal 2026, an education event that brings children, families, teachers, educators, specialists, associations and educational organizations together in one place. We visited the Montréal edition with Amaly KidsClub on April 18 and 19, 2026, at the Palais des congrès. With more than 175 exhibitor booths, activity areas, specialists and expert conferences, the Salon offered a broad view of learning and child development.
What makes the Salon useful is the variety of needs it brings together. Children can experiment, move, create and play while adults discover educational resources and speak directly with people working in education, child development and family support. Teachers and educators can explore classroom materials and new approaches. Homeschooling families can meet organizations connected to education at home. The official visitor guide describes the Salon as a place to discover teaching tools, books, educational games, specialized resources and learning materials, while also meeting experts and finding ideas that can be used at home or in educational settings.
What children can experience
The Salon is not designed as a hall where children simply follow adults from booth to booth. Much of the experience is hands-on. In Montréal, children could explore electricity with Les Neurones Atomiques, discover experiments linked to the Perseverance Mars mission with the Cosmodôme, play educational games, build, draw and take part in creative workshops. The reading corner offered books and story times, while the play spaces gave children room for free and guided activities. There were also circus workshops and performances by Fredo le Magicien. The result was an environment where learning appeared in many forms, from science and literacy to creativity and play.
Movement and well-being were also part of the programme. Les Bougeottes created a motor-skills circuit where children could balance, jump and crawl while developing psychomotor skills. The Espace Zen offered yoga and meditation for children, including parent-child sessions. These experiences are a useful reminder that development is not only academic. Children also learn through their bodies, relationships, emotions and senses, and an educational environment can make room for all of these dimensions without turning every activity into a formal lesson.
Nature and the living world have a place too
One part of the Salon that particularly interested us was the presence of organizations connecting children with nature and the living world. The exhibitor list included Child in the Wild, École-O-Champ Québec, GUEPE, Fondation Parc Omega and Éducazoo. Their work opens different paths into outdoor learning, agriculture, biodiversity, animals and environmental awareness. At the Salon, Éducazoo’s biologists introduced children to animals while explaining their behaviour, habitats and needs. The activity was designed not only to create excitement, but also to encourage curiosity and respect for biodiversity.
For families and educators, this broadens the idea of where learning can happen. A forest can invite observation and inquiry. A farm can help children understand where food comes from. An animal encounter can lead to questions about habitats and biodiversity. Nature does not need to become another school subject every time a child goes outside. Sometimes the first step is simply giving children enough time to notice, wonder and ask questions.
Parents can meet specialists, not only exhibitors
The Salon also has an important child-development and family-support dimension. The Montréal visitor guide lists psychologists, speech therapists, audiologists, remedial educators, specialized educators, nutrition professionals and other specialists among the professionals available to meet visitors. The Alloprof Advice Area offered parents, teachers and education professionals a place to discuss practical questions such as homework conflicts, school stress, motivation, learning tools and communication between families and schools.
The expert conference programme went further. Topics included how the brain learns and self-regulates, emotional regulation in children and adults, ADHD and school engagement, autism, behavioural difficulties, screen use, reading, mathematics and educational practices. Family coach and specialized educator Nancy Doyon, for example, addressed emotional regulation and the role adults play in helping children manage emotions. Jade Paré brought expertise in child psychology and neurodevelopment to a session on supporting autistic students. This part of the Salon can be especially valuable for adults looking for a better understanding of the child behind the behaviour or learning difficulty, rather than only another academic tool.
A useful stop for teachers, educators and homeschooling families
Teachers and early-childhood educators have plenty to explore as well. Publishers, educational game companies, teacher-created materials, digital resources and specialized learning tools are gathered in the same hall. The conference programme also included subjects directly connected to professional practice, including student engagement, behavioural support, literacy, mathematics and assessment. This makes the Salon a place not only to collect resources, but also to compare approaches and speak with other people working in education.
Homeschooling was also represented. The Association québécoise pour l’éducation à domicile, AQED, was among the Montréal 2026 exhibitors. Its presence alongside schools, specialists, publishers and other educational organizations reflects one of the ideas we found most interesting during our visit: learning can take place in different environments and through different approaches. A classroom remains an important learning space, but so can a museum, science centre, forest, farm, home or cultural institution.
How the Salon is organized
The event is easy to understand once you separate its two main experiences. The exhibition hall contains the booths, specialists, demonstrations and activity areas. For Montréal 2026, access to this part of the Salon was free with registration. The second experience is the expert conference programme, held in separate rooms and accessible through the VIP Passport. In Montréal, the VIP Passport cost CAD 35 for one day or CAD 60 for two days and included expert conferences, faster exhibition-hall access and access to available conference replays after the event.
This format makes it possible to visit in different ways. A family may spend most of the day exploring activities and exhibitors with children. A teacher may focus on resources and professional conversations. A parent may plan the visit around one or two specialist conferences. Our advice is not to try to cover everything. Check the programme before going, identify a few priorities and leave enough time for unexpected discoveries. Some of the most useful conversations can begin at a booth you did not plan to visit.
Planning a visit to Québec in 2026
If you missed Montréal, the next Salon de l’Apprentissage takes place in Québec City on October 24 and 25, 2026, at the Centre des foires ExpoCité. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Organizers expect around 125 exhibitor booths, alongside activities, specialist advice and expert conferences. General admission to the exhibition hall is free, but registration is required for adults and children. The VIP Passport costs CAD 35 for one day or CAD 60 for both days, before taxes and ticketing fees. It provides access to the expert conferences, priority entry and available replays. Conference rooms have limited seating, so check the programme and arrive early for sessions that interest you.
What we took away from the experience
Our main takeaway from Montréal was not one toy, activity or educational approach. It was seeing how many different experiences and professionals can contribute to a child’s development. Books can open new worlds. Games can create opportunities to reason and collaborate. Science can begin with an experiment. Movement can support development. Nature can invite observation. Specialists can help adults better understand behaviour, communication or learning. None of these replaces school, and none needs to compete with it.
For Amaly KidsClub, the value of the Salon lies in bringing these possibilities together and making them easier to discover. Parents can find resources and expertise, educators can explore new tools and approaches, and children can experience learning in ways that feel active and meaningful. It is a good reminder of something we return to often: school is an important place to learn, but the world around a child offers many other opportunities to explore, question, create and grow.
Planning to visit Québec 2026? Choose a few activities or talks, then leave time to explore. Register for your free ticket and check the Québec 2026 programme before your visit.
Leave a Reply