Deep Dive ~ How to visit a museum with young children
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And with that, here’s a Deep Dive on how to visit a museum with kids.
By my best estimation, I’ve spent about 100 hours in museums with my children in the last nine years. My first time visiting a museum with my 3-month-old baby, I was so nervous! Now I’ve got four kids and a foolproof formula. This Deep Dive is full of all of my lessons learned and best tips, including a few from my kids, and one surefire way to get yourself kicked out…
When my kids and I visit a museum, my number one priority is that they have fun. Our simple formula: teach them the basics of a museum visit + let them be in charge = delightful time for all.
Prepare yourself
This trip is not for you. Start with the mindset that this is an opportunity to show someone you love a world of art/ dinosaurs/ etc that they’ve never seen before. What a privilege! You might get a chance to enjoy an exhibit for 45 seconds at a time. But on this trip, you are the docent, your child is the guest.*
You must be prepared for people to be afraid of your child. As you already know, children are legally permitted to take up space in public. Many people in museums do not know this. Prepare yourself for a lot of deep breathing and smiling.
Start early and be flexible on the timing. Give yourself 30 more minutes than you think you’ll need. Avoiding the stress of feeling rushed is key to a great visit.
Pretend you’re the only people in the museum. Others may be afraid of your stroller or your child. Ignore them and their comments. You are the only family in the museum today! But please carefully note Item 3 in the following section.
Your stroller is your greatest tool. May I analogize the stroller to a war horse. Without it, you are a mother attempting to calmly join forces with a wild hyena in battle against the marrow-deep boredom of playing pretend at home for the 99th day in a row. But with your stroller, you empower the hyena; she maintains autonomy and finds a safe place to retreat wherein snacks are dispensed freely and there’s a cozy towel to sleep on if/ when art gets boring. You conquer the museum, the hyena, and the boredom. You are proclaimed The Greatest Mother of All. You win a medal. You smugly enjoy your pastry from the museum café and share zero bites with the hyena.
Prepare your child
Talk it up like crazy. Tell your child every single cool thing you know about the museum. Start well in advance and give away everything. Think about this: if you know the genre and cast of a movie beforehand, you enjoy it way more than starting a film knowing nothing about it.
Keep the timing realistic. Our family does our best museuming when we spend two hours from the parking lot and back. Maybe 2.5 if we’ve got a secondary adult.
Scare the crap out of them about touching the art. Warn that there will be yelling, very deep trouble, jail, etc. if they get too close. You must terrify them. Lucy once tried to highfive a Monet mural (missed it by centimeters) and I was escorted out of the gallery directly into my own grave.
Once you’re in the museum…
Go to the thing YOU care the most about, first. It’s your best chance at enjoying an exhibit or piece on this trip. And it’s such a thrill to show your child something you really love. (Also, be prepared for them not to care.)
Capitalize on the kid-centric stuff: the free kids’ guide, the kid-friendly sections, the kids’ scavenger hunt, etc. Let the museum do the heavy lifting for you.
Wear your Kid Translator hat – read the placards, but give your kids summaries that make sense for their comprehension level/ age. Remember that they want to know what they’re looking at!
Ask your child their favorite piece of art in the room. Ask which piece they hate.
Let them get a little distance from you (if they’re old enough).
Enjoy the grounds – they’re a secret piece of art!
Museums are a great place to let kids learn about nudity. Don’t be embarrassed if your kid loudly acknowledges it. Smile through and keep moving.
Never skip the gift shop. (Check closing times to avoid tragedy)
Take photos along every stop (unposed is fine) so you can relive and retell the experience. Retelling, especially, helps solidify the positive memories and increases chances for future success.
TL;DR – Go in this order: most important exhibit, 2nd most important exhibit, stop for photo op with a favorite piece of art, the child’s pick of gallery/ies, outdoors on the grounds for a snack, one final thing, gift shop, exit.
*Important exception to the my-kid-is-the-client dynamic: if you’re somewhere like Paris as a family (my dream for 2030), and the museum is Super Important to Mom and Dad, split up. Take shifts where you get to visit a gallery by yourself for 15 minutes.
From my kids:
Tips for adults from real live children!
Eleanor, age 9: “Let the kids decide most of the artwork or nature areas, but also make sure that everyone, including you, gets to see the exhibit that they want.”
Eleanor’s tip for kids: “You will get to see the stuff that you want, but not everything. And you’ll need to know that you’re going to see artwork that you don’t really want to see, just to make it fair for everyone.”
Lucy, age 7: “Try doing a little bit of movement before so you aren’t feeling so much like running around while you’re at the museum, or maybe rest a little bit so you’ll feel calm at the museum.”
Lucy’s tip for kids: “It’s not about the gift shop or the other stuff, it’s about enjoying the art while you have the time to be at the museum.”
Charlie, age 4: “Have a snack!”
Charlie’s tip for kids: “They could look around at statues. I like the Getty and the dinosaur museum.”
Mick, age 8 months: “I like changing locations, i.e., my stroller seat, the stroller basket, Mom’s arms. Also, always bring me fruit leather.”
Mick’s tip for babies: “Just fall asleep.”
Lucy, 7. Eleanor, 9. Charlie, 4. Gift shop snake, 2 min. // July 2023, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
