How to “Do” an Art Museum with the Kids

More and more art museums the world over are becoming kid-friendly places, offering paper-and-pencil treasure hunts for elementary school children, often with a prize or contest at the end, or family-friendly podcasts and App tours to the choicest bits of their collection.

But what if there’s no tour? What if your older child considers the museum treasure hunt “too young”? And what if you'd prefer that the children not separate from you, literally and physically?

You want to enjoy the museum experience together rather than have your kids plug in the earbuds...again!  Or perhaps you wish to make a return visit to a museum where the kids have already done the treasure hunt on offer. 

What do you do?

Create your own treasure hunt!  Here's how:

Tip #1 – Bring Supplies

A few easy snacks, like nuts and dried fruits, are always must-haves when tromping with the kid(s).  But en route to a museum add creative materials to your bag of tricks: sketch books, colored pencils, pastels, etc., whatever might pique your group's fancy.   

Now you know your kids best, so you decide whether you want to surprise them with these provisions once there or get them excited in advance by packing them into their own daypacks.  When Loo was younger, she had a designated “art bag” that remained at the ready for our museum outings, whether spontaneous or planned.

Tip #2 – Start at the End

Begin your visit at the museum shop. Direct your kids straight to the postcard section – I’ve never met a museum that didn’t have one – and invite them each to pick out three favorites.  Postcards sold at museums typically represent works of that collection.  But it’s best to make sure…

Tip #3 – Research Never Hurts

…Ask the kids to flip their cards over to find the name of the artist and title of the work.  You may know your art history well enough to tell them a bit about the movement or school into which each artist fell.  In all events, join the gang as they peruse the shelves for information on master and title.  Flip open books; browse through the glossy reproductions.  Study the museum map to locate where each masterpiece might be found within the museum’s holdings.  Watch as the kids use their map-reading and orientation skills to organize their route to each buried treasure.

Now armed with a bit of information about each work and where it is located, set off on your very own, self-styled treasure hunt!

Tip #4 – Observe as You Go

Okay, you may be on the trial of a handful of specific artworks, but that doesn’t mean you can’t observe others along the way.  Take advantage of the journey, pointing out this painting and remarking on that sculpture as you go.  But a word of caution: kids can get pretty directed at this stage and may not welcome too many distractions.

Tip #5 – Let them Find the Treasure

It’s a real pleasure to watch the kids use their clues as they zero in on their quarry.  They’ll refer to their maps, study their postcards, check the name or number of the exhibit room, notice the names of other painters hailing from the same era and school.  They may even be inspired to help one another! Just sit back and watch, stepping in only when you need to. Let them do it.

Tip #6 – Pick One

Now that you’ve unearthed each treasure, ask the kids to agree to go back to one single gem, or several gems within the same room. Once there, drop down on the floor and pull out your materials.  Take a minute to sketch with them yourself.  Once the kids are involved, you can leave them to go look around the museum on your own, straying only as far as your parenting feelers will allow. 

Fear not! Loo and I have done this on three continents and have never been chastised by a single museum worker.  In fact, we've found that they appreciate seeing kids engage with the art.  Once, at age eight, Loo wiggled her way through the crowd at Paris’ Louvre Museum intent on drawing the Mona Lisa. A cadre of guards stands over the famous painting every day, there simply to keep the hordes moving. No one gets more than a few minutes before they are asked to make room for next group of gawkers.  But on this day the guards did not once bother Loo.  They protected her and kept her safe from the picture-takers and tour groups brushing by her as she happily sketched away, oblivious to the crowd.

Tip #7 – The Prize

Of course, enjoying a museum and having a great drawing to take home as a souvenir is prize enough.  But nothing tops off a day at the museum like a hot chocolate and piece of cake. So take yourselves out for a bite afterward and talk about art!



Image:

Cousins getting ready for a trip to the museum with their new sketch book, photo credit: Sarah B. Towle © 2010.