A kids’ guide to Ottawa

This travel article, A kids’ guide to Ottawa, is for native English speakers and learners of English as a second or foreign language. It can help children practise reading and comprehension, learn new vocabulary, and discover fun facts about Canada’s capital city. Written by Sinead O’Carroll, a writer and EFL teacher since 2017.

An introduction to Ottawa

Did you know Canada’s capital isn’t Toronto or Vancouver? It’s a smaller, snowier city called Ottawa! 

This friendly city sits on the banks of a wide river and has two main languages: English and French. 

In winter, some people skate to work, in spring, millions of tulips bloom across the parks, and in summer, you might spot a royal guard in a giant fuzzy hat!

Facts about Ottawa

• Country: Canada
  
• Currency: Canadian dollar
  
• Languages: English and French
  
• Flag: Red and white with a maple leaf
  
• National animal of Canada: The beaver

What’s Ottawa famous for?

Ottawa is packed with things kids might like. There’s a real-life castle (okay, it’s Parliament, but it looks like a castle), museums with towering dinosaur bones, and a canal that turns into the world’s longest skating rink. 

It’s also where thousands of tulips bloom every spring, a gift from another country! You’ll even find a giant spider sculpture outside one museum (don’t worry, it’s not real).

Cool places to visit in Ottawa

• Rideau Canal – In winter, this frozen waterway becomes a huge skating trail through the city.
  
• Canadian Museum of Nature – Say hello to a T. rex and walk next to a life-size blue whale model.
  
• ByWard Market – A colourful place full of sweet treats, buskers, and Canadian souvenirs.
  
• Parliament Hill – Watch the Changing of the Guard and explore the city’s most famous buildings.
  
• Giant Spider – Outside the National Gallery stands Maman, a huge sculpture with eight long legs!

What’s on the menu?

You have to try BeaverTails, crispy fried pastries shaped like a beaver’s tail and topped with chocolate, banana, or cinnamon sugar. 

Another favourite is poutine, a warm mix of chips, cheese curds, and gravy. Don’t forget the maple syrup! It’s drizzled on pancakes, stirred into sweets, and even poured on snow to make maple candy.

What do people wear?

In summer, it’s all T-shirts and shorts. But in winter? Think snow boots, thick coats, and woolly hats with pom-poms. Ottawa gets very cold and snowy, so you’ll see people bundled up like marshmallows. On Canada Day (1 July), many people wear red and white to celebrate.

Fun facts about Ottawa for kids

• The Rideau Canal becomes the world’s largest skating rink every winter.
  
• Ottawa has approximately 1,300 parks, perfect for snowball fights or picnics.
  
• Beavers, Canada’s national animal, are amazing swimmers with strong teeth!
  
• Every spring, the Netherlands sends colourful tulips to Ottawa as a thank you to Canada for helping them during World War II.
  
• The Changing of the Guard has music, marching, and fancy red uniforms.
  
• It gets so cold in winter that people sometimes build snow mazes and ice hotels nearby!

Vocabulary list

• Canal – a water path made by people, often for boats or skating
• Curds – soft pieces of cheese
• Skating rink – a place (or frozen area) for ice skating
• Pastry – sweet baked food, like cake or pie
• Poutine – a Canadian dish with chips, cheese curds, and gravy
• Castle – a large, grand building (Parliament looks like one!)
• Beaver – a furry animal with big teeth and a flat tail
• Guard – someone who protects a place, sometimes wearing a fancy uniform
• Parade – a celebration with music, marching, and costumes
• Tulip – a bright spring flower, often red, pink, or yellow

Comprehension questions

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