Kids in capes and masks will take over 385 North York St. on Saturday, Aug. 8, when Kiddie Academy of Elmhurst opens its doors for Hero Play Day, a free morning of obstacle courses, strength tests and "kindness missions" for children from infants through age 12.

The drop-in event runs from 10 a.m. to noon, according to the event listing on Patch. No enrollment at Kiddie Academy is required. The event is free.

Hero Play Day is a national Kiddie Academy initiative running at franchise locations across the country from July through September. The Elmhurst location is one of several in DuPage County participating on the same day; Kiddie Academy of Oakbrook Terrace, at 17W725 Roosevelt Rd., will also host the event Saturday morning.

At each location, children are invited to dress as their favorite hero and rotate through "training" stations. The kindness missions station asks kids to practice acts of generosity and empathy, tying into what a recent Kiddie Academy survey found children value most in their real-life heroes.

That survey, conducted in late May among 2,000 parents of children ages 4 to 12, found that kids most look up to parents (71%), teachers (40%) and siblings (37%) as role models. Fictional superheroes ranked lower. The traits children admire most? Bravery (38%), strength (37%), kindness (37%) and honesty (31%).

Eighty-two percent of children whose parents were polled said they want to be considered a hero someday.

"It's important for children to see positive attributes modeled by people in their lives," Joy Turner, Kiddie Academy's chief academic officer, said in the company's July 7 press release announcing the initiative. "Even fictional characters can manifest the character traits that we teach in our Life Essentials curriculum."

Families can register at kiddieacademy.com/academies/event/hero-play-day. The Elmhurst academy can be reached at 630-349-5000, and refreshments will be provided.