WE all know the conundrum - a child, usually laying on the floor and screaming – breaks the silence in the museum…the mother panics and shouts…the child screams more, writes Claire Thornton.
Other visitors look on, some with pity, some with disgust, others merely reminding themselves never to have kids.
So how do you get a pre-schooler to enjoy a museum?
1. Do your homework. If you can have a good look at the website, try to find out if its actually a suitable place. Some small volunteer run museums might not be set up for tiny tots, the exhibits might be mainly on open display and the whole set up might be a bit old and stuffy. Avoid these, it only leads to trouble. You might also want to see if there is a coffee shop or somewhere where you can picnic.
2. Have a think about the type of museum you are visiting and see if you can think of a few things to do before you go. For example, if it’s a Roman museum you could make some Roman shields or perhaps you could practise marching before you go, so when you are there you can march around the galleries
3. When you get there, ask if there are any activity packs suitable for pre-schoolers. The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridgehas some brilliant packs, which encourage children to look for things in the gallery, after listening to you read a particular book provided in the pack. We recently enjoyed doing one based around the book We are Going on a Bear Hunt. Where we had to look for things in the story such as sea, grass and trees and find them in the paintings on display. If you are familiar with your local museum you can take these sorts of ideas and do your own trails based around your favourite books.
4. Check the museum website for activity sheets that you can download before you go.
5. Don’t expect too much from your child, if it’s a big museum focus on one gallery and spend your time there. You can always come back another time.
6. Always carry pencils/ crayons and a notepad for them to make scribbles and drawings. I always encourage my little boy to makes notes for his dad, these are literally just scribbles but he does them lovingly whilst looking at things.
7. Show interest yourself, explain things, read the labels, point and encourage your child to touch if you are allowed. Open pull out drawers and encourage your child to do this. Make a noise.
8. Try to get them to find something for you that you know will be there. For example, a stuffed bird in a natural history gallery or a painting with a tree in it in an art gallery.
9. Talk to the warding staff; get them to show you something interesting, they will know what particular age groups like from experience.
10. If its safe to do so, let your child run, hop, skip, jump through the galleries. The aim is to get them to have fun, enjoy themselves and want to come back for more.
Claire is married and a mum of two under three-year-olds. In her other life, she is a museum curator and archaeologist and has worked for St Albans Museum Service for ten years. No, she doesn’t watch Time Team. Yes, she can identify that bone, bit of pot, stone or strange iron lump. She used to be a curator at the Natural History Museum in London where she pottered around doing things with squashed plants. She maintains some sort of sanity by going on busman’s holidays to museums all over the world. She also enjoys walking, camping, bird watching, fossil hunting and cream teas and so do her children, or they wont get any dinner.
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