Young Children and Touring Art Museums
Tips on Viewing Art with a Toddler or Preschool Aged Child
Mar 13, 2009
Visiting an art museum with young children in toe may conjure up images of random toddler destruction and angry security guards. Although this activity may present some fairly obvious challenges for the young child (i.e., self control, attention span, and subject matter), art museums can be a wonderful place for toddlers and preschool aged children to learn and develop.
Pre-planning for the Art Museum Visit
Before actually going to the museum, there are some considerations to take into account. These mainly include logistical planning details such as family needs or food and beverage availability.
Another pre-visit step to take is talking to your child or children about the museum. Specific talking points should include:
- How to walk through the museum: walking not running, twirling, skipping, jogging, hopping, crawling, or dancing.
- Not touching the art: this includes paintings, sculptures, display cases, walls, and picture frames.
- Using an inside voice.
- Staying with the family/group.
- Not eating or drinking in any art gallery.
It may be helpful to ask your child what he or she thinks the art museum rules might be before dictating them. Invite the child to make suggestions based on what he or she may know about a museum. Add in extra points that the child may not be able to think of.
Strategies for Making Art Viewing Enjoyable for Young Children
A young child is not likely to view art (or the museum experience) in the same manner as an adult would. Simply walking through the art galleries stopping to look at paintings or sculptures will not hold a young child's attention for long. There are multiple ways to engage your child during this time, and make this activity fun for them (as well as yourself).
- Check to see if the museum that you are visiting has a child friendly tour or audio tour. Make sure that any tour is labeled family or for children. It is also helpful to check the suggested ages first. A family tour geared towards children ages eight through eleven is not suitable for a four year old.
- Play I Spy. Come up with a child friendly theme such as animals, seasons, colors, or shapes. Ask your child to help you find these in the artwork.
- Have a scavenger hunt. Before your visit prepare a small list of items for your child to find in the artwork. Examples may include a wheel, a dog, a boat, the ocean. If you have more than one child, and more than one adult, break into teams for this fun game.
- Make an art journal. If the museum that you are visiting allows sketching with paper and pencil in the art galleries, allow your child to sit down and draw what he or she sees.
- Have your child be the photographer for the day. If photography is allowed in the art galleries, give your child the camera.
- Take a parent-child class. Many art museums offer gallery based parent child art classes. This can be a great introduction to art and museums.
The art museum visit is not just for adults and older children. Young children (toddlers and preschoolers) can have an exciting, enjoyable time too. Plan your visit, then select art viewing strategies that best meet your specific needs.
