Nine fun things to do with children in an art museum or gallery

On Saturday, I was in London where I saw a family posing in front of Tate Modern for a photo.  "I hate museums!" yelled one of the children.  "Museums are boring!" yelled another.

Have you ever tried to drag reluctant kids into an art gallery?  Here are some fun ideas, most of which I've tried myself when the children were young.  (Now they go to galleries voluntarily so something must have worked...  *g*)

The following ideas will work in most places.  So whether you live in Cambridge or in another town, try  one and let me know!

Nine things to do with children in an art gallery or art museum

1. Alarm the kids

Galleries can be difficult.  While some are child-friendly, others don't allow push chairs or strollers, and many have nervous security guards.  Few allow running or touching of the art. 

Turn this into an asset.  Explain how a gallery is full of precious treasures and how these are guarded by guards and wired up to an alarm system.  If visitors come too close, the alarm will go off.  

Tip:  This works well with very young children who find the idea of the 'alarm' quite exciting.  

2. Always take paper and pencils 

Best to bring a pad of paper and some pencils.  Avoid felt pens and crayons; these can get too messy in a gallery.  Go to one room.  Ask the children to choose their favourite art in the room and draw a picture inspired by it.

Tip:  Don't worry about 'copying' the picture.  Encourage everyone to draw what they like.  Join in.  Then talk about the picture and what it was like to draw it.

Source:  Stock.XCHNG

3. Scavenger hunt:  Spot the detail

Prepare this one in advance.  Give the children a sheet of paper with details from 10-15 paintings in the gallery.  Ask them to go and find the paintings.

Tip:  If your local gallery has at least some of their collection on-line, this is easy.  You print out the images, cut them up and paste them onto paper.  If not, you can be more inventive:  for example, buy some postcards in advance and cut them up.  

Variation for a group of kids:  Distribute pads and pencils.  Send each child alone (or in pairs) to a different section or room of the museum and get them to draw details from paintings of their choice.  Then they exchange pads and try to find the paintings whose details they see.

 

Details from Rebecca O'Hanlon's photo; Helene Fesenmaier, A Bit of Cheese, a Devilled Egg and a Picnic (seen at Trinity Hall, Dec.2012); David Poole, Rodney Thomas, Architect and Artist, in the People's Portraits collection, Girton College

4. Treasure hunt

This is a variation of the detail scavenger hunt but without the preparation bit.  Go to the gallery. Ask the kids to find a picture with:

an animal, an insect, a flower, a dead flower, a man with a beard, a cloud, a bare foot, a candle, a book, the colour blue, a picture that's not rectangular, a dragon, a princess, a baby, a square, something made of wood, a naked person.

(Most galleries will have at least one of the above.)

5. Outdoor sculptures

These are fabulous because in most cases you are allowed to touch outdoor sculptures,  often climb on them, and certainly photograph each other with them.

6. The 'Boring Challenge'

The kids are bored?  Go with that.  Pick a really boring work of art.  Force yourselves to stand in front of it and find one interesting thing about it.

7. Ask questions 

I would avoid telling children facts about a work of art or a style or a movement.  Instead, ask questions and respond to their questions by speculating.  What's your favourite in this room? How many colours can you see? Can you spot anything really weird about this painting?

The great thing is you don't have to feel pressured to know anything about art when you're with children.  Just share your thoughts. 

8. Go to the shop

Everyone gets to buy a postcard of their choice. What can you do with the postcard when you get home?  Send it to someone (surface mail! a radical idea...)  Pin it on the wall.  Draw on it. Cut it up into a jigsaw puzzle.  Make an advent calendar out of it.  Buy several and make a collage.

Tip:  The Fitzwilliam Museum sells ready-made mini-jigsaw postcards of the Chinese vases that were smashed into smithereens a few years ago.  Clever.  And an inspiration for the junior jigsaw-maker.

9.  Make time for the café

Most museums have a café.  Often these cafés are overpriced but they're well worth it for the atmosphere and for the chance to debrief and talk about what everyone liked or hated.

By the way, I've always found it best not to plan a whole day, or even half a day.  Speed is of the essence.  See 4 paintings in depth rather than 50 paintings.  This is why free galleries are so great: no pressure to 'get your money's worth'.  

This post is for all the wonderful women who have (alongside me) been taking part in Melissa's online blogging course (Content Brew Course) over the past week and many of whom have young children.  You've been an inspiration!

In Cambridge, your children may like:

Dinosaur sculptures (updated 2014:  These are no longer here, alas!)

Colourful Snowy Farr sculpture
Dung beetles
Bull sculptures

Read more:

'Mother of all Trips' has some great ideas here:  How to take kids to an art museum.
Sandra's great day out with art and her grandson in Los Angeles (fabulous pictures: I especially like the amazing Metropolis II sculpture). 

Permalink: http://artincambridge.blogspot.com/2013/02/nine-fun-things-to-do-with-children-in.html