Making a Museum Visit Fun for Toddlers, Teens, and In-Betweens

Brought to you by the National PTA.

by Marilyn Anderson and Patricia Sullivan

Museums are places of wonderment, exploration, learning, and fun for the entire family. Just ask Jean L. Sousa, associate director of museum education, The Art Institute of Chicago. "Don't be intimidated or worry that your children will cry or misbehave at the museum...and don't worry that you need a degree in art history," she said. "If the museum offers family programs, these are non-issues." Sousa said that parent workshops at museums build on issues in child development and learning theory to make family visits more comfortable.

Today, many museums are interactive learning centers that give families an opportunity to explore, learn, create their own art, and, yes, even touch some exhibits. With all of this variety and activity, how can parents ensure that their children won't become overwhelmed, tired, or too distracted to enjoy the experience? The key is in the planning.

Hands-on learning at museums
Children's museums are just one example of these new interactive museums. The Brooklyn Children's Museum, the oldest museum of its kind, celebrated its centennial anniversary in 1999. By 1975, there were only about 31 children's museums in the United States; today there are 200 children's museums in this country that are Association of Youth Museums (AYM) members. Seventy percent of these museums are located in urban areas. In all, outreach programs in AYM member children's museums extended to more than 3 million people in 1998.

There are, of course, a variety of museums in addition to those geared especially for children. Other museums run the gamut, from art and science to history and living collections such as zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens.

A look at art museums
"It's important for children to distinguish between beautiful, masterfully rendered art and mass-produced art," Sousa said.

For children's first art museum experiences, she recommends that parents keep the visit simple. "See three pictures and then have lunch," she said. Be flexible. When the children start becoming restless, do something else.

"Even for toddlers, just coming into a building like this (The Art Institute of Chicago) is an adventure," she said. "Walking up the grand staircase, seeing the skylights and all the marble...just the drama is exciting."

Following are suggestions from Sousa and The Art Institute of Chicago on how to cultivate your children's curiosity through art.

Look for recognizable things.
Simply identifying things in a painting can be fun for families with young children. Parents can ask their children how many people and animals they see, how many fruits are in a still life, what kind of activity is taking place, what colors and shapes they see, and how many patterns they can find.

Find visual clues that uncover meaning.
Ask older children to describe what they see and help them determine the meanings the artist intended. For instance, ask your children to determine the time of day, season, or which person is oldest in a painting. Then ask them to explain how they came to their conclusions. Also, ask if a piece of art seems to be moving and what makes it look that way. When viewing a sculpture, ask whether they think it is solid or hollow, and help them find clues.

Imagine the work of art coming to life.
Let children's active imaginations run wild by asking them to make up a story for a picture. "In some ways not knowing much is an advantage," Sousa said. While looking at "The Adoration of the Magi," for example, Sousa suggests parents ask a child to look at the baby, parents, and animals and tell a story.

Modern art offers plenty of room for interpretation, too. Parents can ask, what just happened? What's going on now? What will happen next? What sounds or smells do you imagine while looking at the painting? If you could walk into the picture, where would you explore? How would this scene be different today?

Listen and respond to each other.
Sharing time with your children at a museum also means communicating well. Be sure to ask your children why they feel a certain way or made certain comments about a piece of art. "Actually, coming to a museum as a family is a good way to learn more about your kids!" said Sousa. This can be particularly important for parents of adolescents and teens. If they struggle to describe what they see, help them develop an art vocabulary by introducing terms like brushstrokes, foreground, and background. Record your unanswered questions in a notebook so you can find and discuss the answers together later.

Older children will find that art museums are good places to learn about what they're studying in school. "It's a very sophisticated type of learning, learning from objects, understanding by looking at something," Sousa explained.

How to prepare for a museum visit
"A child is going to get out of an experience what the adult is willing to put in," said Nancy Kolb, president and chief executive officer of Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. "The parent has to be patient."

For instance, she told of a birdhouse exhibit, in which by opening the birdhouse door, a light bulb illuminates and the mother bird feeds her young. When the door closed, the light went out. One young child spent 3 1/2 hours at the exhibit! Kolb said parents shouldn't discourage such behavior. "Let the child learn, practice, test it," she said. Here is a compilation of museum tips:

Before the visit

• Get the information. Explore the museum's website to learn about the permanent and special exhibits, hours of operation, accessibility, admission fees and discounts, and family programs. Request a brochure or activity sheet that is used for school groups. (More than half of museums are free to the public. Of those that charge fees, 58.7 percent have free days.)
• Ask your children what they're interested in and what they're studying in school. Then try to build upon their responses.
• If you have a book at home that's related to one of the exhibits you plan to see, sit down and leaf through the book with your children. It will help build their excitement.
• Consider becoming a member if you plan to visit several times during the year. Museum memberships often provide discounts for the museum store, food vendor, and special museum programs. (The median museum admission for a family of four is $15. The median membership fee for families is $25.)
• Determine how long you will spend at the museum. Ninety minutes to two hours should be enough.

• Find the information desk and ask, "What do you recommend for families?"
• Help children figure out how things work, but don't do it for them. Use open-ended questions and try to get to the how and the why of things. For example, while at a dinosaur exhibit, ask, "How do you think they ate? Where did something that big sleep?"
• Keep the visit simple and don't try to see everything.
• Take a break.

• Ask your children what they liked or didn't like, and why. Ask what they enjoyed the most.
• Have them share their experiences with friends and relatives.
• Help your children find the answers to their unsolved questions.
• Talk about items in your home and have them relate what they learned to everyday objects.
• Go back!

Excerpted from the December 1999/January 2000 issue of Our Children, the official magazine of National PTA.

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