6 Tips to Help Kids of All Ages Appreciate Art Museums

5 Tips to Help Kids of All Ages Appreciate Art Museums

I once complained that my childhood included being dragged through every art museum in Europe. While I appreciate the experiences in hindsight, I was most ungrateful as a child. Here are six tips I’ve learned over the years to help kids of all ages — including adults — appreciate art museums.

When you pair my Mom’s art degree with the opportunity to live in Europe, you get a childhood full of visits to art museums.

While I usually enjoyed:

  • sculptures like Rodin’s The Thinker and Michelangelo’s David,
  • Impressionist artists, especially Claude Monet, and
  • Post-Impressionists like Vincent van Gogh

I was not a fan of:

Seriously, those things *still* freak me out as an adult!

Monet House from the Garden in Giverny
Claude Monet's house in Giverny, France

Because my Mom is my biggest fan and reads each of my posts, let me pause here and publicly say THANK YOU!

I may not have recognized it at the time, nor been particularly cooperative at every art museum as a child, but by continuing to expose me to a variety of art in various ways, she gave me incredible experiences that helped me finally start to appreciate art as a young adult.

Fast-forward to now. I’m not just the daughter of an artist, but also the mother of an artist.  While my contribution to the art world has been serving as the conduit that passed incredible artistic talent from one generation to the next, here are six things that helped my kids (and me) appreciate art museums.

Commissioned butterfly art by Gretchen Gambill
A commissioned piece by my daughter, Tacoma-based artist, Gretchen Gambill

Do You Enjoy Art Museums?

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1. Let Your Kids Set the Pace

I’m not suggesting that you skip a gallery that is important to you if Junior’s not into it. Nor am I suggesting that Sweet Pea be allowed to run through the museum and yell, “Done!” But you can borrow a page from a museum exhibit designer’s playbook. By letting your kids set the pace — less time here and more time there — something is sure to grab their attention.

Museum exhibit designers classify visitors into three types:  streakers, strollers, and studiers. And they work hard to ensure that every exhibit has something for all three types of guests.

Streakers

Streakers are usually at the museum because someone else in their entourage wanted to visit. Or because the museum is part of a sightseeing package. Streakers tend to glance at a few pieces, but their hearts are generally not into the experience.

When it comes to designing exhibits, museum professionals hope to catch a streaker’s attention. But they are also recognize that their hard work is largely lost on this group of guests.

Louise walking along the fluorescent wall at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City
Louise loves this bright orange piece at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City

On a trip to Cincinnati, my daughter Charlotte wanted to explore a special Shakespeare exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Her younger sister Louise promptly wrinkled her nose. I expected Louise to gloomily saunter about while her big sister absorbed the exhibit, but the designer did a fantastic job making Shakespeare appealing to grade schoolers.

Before long, Louise was engaged in the exhibit, completing a Mad Lib sonnet and acting out a scene from a Midsummer Night’s Dream on the stage. I didn’t care that she overlooked other parts of the experience, because she found something that appealed to her. And soon she was learning about one of the world’s most famous writers, whether she realized it, or not.

A child blends in with bronze workers in George Segal's Rush Hour in Kansas City
Louise interacting with George Segal’s Rush Hour outside the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City

Strollers

A stroller is someone with a moderate interest in the  museum. They are the sightseeing equivalent of someone who picks up a magazine, casually flipping through the pages and gazing at the photos until something catches their eye. Then they stop and read an article. 

Like most families, our default mode is stroller. But one or more of us can switch to studier or streaker at any time. The good thing about having older children is that they can work their way through an exhibit at their own pace — streaking, strolling, or studying as the exhibit engages them — but staying in the same general vicinity of the museum. 

I’ve discovered that this museum mode often results in us collectively experiencing more as each of us is drawn to a different aspect of the exhibit that we are excited to circle back and share with the others.

Studiers

Studiers will carefully absorb every detail of an exhibit, from reading every word on the signage to analyzing each piece on display. While these visitors are a museum professional’s preferred audience, they are actually a very small percentage of the population.

Even beyond art museums, my Mom is a studier.  She will fully absorb every exhibit of every type in any location.  Her constant thirst to learn has kept her mind sharp and why she has always been a fascinating person to spend time with. It also means that if the rest of us are strolling or streaking, we tend to slow down and more fully absorb the exhibit thanks to the example set by my Mom.

2. Learn About Artists

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved biographies. When it comes to literature, I often find the writer’s life story so much more fascinating than his or her literary works.  (Yes, Ernest Hemingway, I’m talking about you!) Even watching a television show or movie requires me to simultaneously Google the actors and learn all I can about their lives.

Before visiting a contemporary art museum, modern art museum, or even local art galleries, find ways to expose your children to one of the artists as a person. If you’re going to enjoy the art of a local or regional artist, visit the artist’s website to read their bio and see some examples of their art before you go. If you have the opportunity to see the work of a well-known artist, I recommend the books, websites, and movies below.

Photograph of Monet in the Gift Shop at Giverney
A photograph of Claude Monet at his home in Giverny, France

For Younger Children, Ages 4 to 8

Laurence Anholt’s Artists Books for Children series features Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, and other well-known artists in short stories with beautiful illustrations. James Mayhew’s Katie series is another great way to introduce elementary school children to art history by exploring famous works of art by helping Mona Lisa find her smile, growing sunflowers with Vincent van Gogh, and other art inspired adventures.

For Children Ages 8 to 12

For older children, check out the Making Art Fun website. The artist index offers two-page bios for more than 25 legendary artists, from painters to sculptors to cartoonists.  In addition to artist biographies, the site also offers “learn to” and other lesson guides in its Lesson Zone.

Also focused on the age 8 to 12 crowd, the Ducksters education website offers more than 15 artist biographies. And most of the bios are different from those available at Making Art Fun. Beyond artists, the site features biographies for many other famous people, organized by time period and contribution.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the What Makes a …?  series is another great resource for older elementary and middle school kids. Before visiting Through the Eyes of Picasso at the Nelson-Atkins in Kansas City, I read What Makes a Picasso a Picasso? (The series also includes What Makes a Goya a Goya? but I’m certain it will be too gory for me.)

For Children 13+ (Including Adults)

In addition to a wide range of books, there are also a number of films about artists. Here are some of my favorites:
  • Girl with a Pearl Earring. Starring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson this Academy Award nominated film tells the imagined story behind Vermeer’s most famous work. (Rated PG-13)
  • Vincent & Theo. This mini-series starring Tim Roth and Paul Rhys explores the relationship between struggling artist Vincent van Gogh and his devoted brother, Theo. (Rated PG-13)
  • Frida. Salma Hayek was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in this 2002 film. Note this film is rated R, mostly for sexuality and nudity. This parents guide provides more information to help you decide if this movie is appropriate for your teen.
Sage Advice: I also recommend adult coloring books that feature the works of the masters for this age group!
.

3. Explore Many Types of Art

As your child discovers different artists, he or she will be exposed to many types of art over several historical periods. One is sure to pique their interest!

Help your child understand that visual art is a broad category that includes ceramics, sketches, oil painting, watercolors, sculpture, and more. And that art includes everything from prehistoric cave paintings to Andy Warhol’s contemporary art soup cans to modern art masterpieces.

Louise by Georgia O'Keeffe Painting at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville AR
Louise admiring a Georgia O'Keefe oil painting at Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas

4. Make Art Museums Fun with Scavenger Hunts

Many art museums have scavenger hunts, workbooks, and other programs to help engage their younger visitors.  Here in Kansas City, our art community offers several options.

Richard Pund created this scavenger hunt based on the works of art that caught his eye at Kansas City’s largest art museum. The folks at KC Parent also developed a Nelson-Atkins scavenger hunt, including one for younger children that requires no reading.

And at the Kemper Museum, a free self-guided scavenger hunt helps kids explore Kansas City’s contemporary art museum. Once visitors finish the scavenger hunt, they can pick up a take-home activity kit.

Sage Advice:  If you’re visiting an art museum that doesn’t have a scavenger hunt, visit the museum’s website before your visit. Find a few pieces that you think will appeal to your child.  Then print them out before you go and let your child search for them during your trip to the museum.

5. Help Connect the Dots

Help your children connect the dots between what they see at the museum and the world around them. Find ways to connect the art they’re seeing to something else they’ve seen or studied.

For example:

Charlotte saw a set of notecards designed by Charley Harper in a stationery store and recognized him as the artist behind the Homecoming (Blue Birds) mural in Cincinnati.

Walking Tour Cincinnati - Homecoming Mural

Standing under Maman, the 30-foot tall spider in the courtyard at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Louise immediately linked it to a smaller spider sculpture by the same artist that sits in front of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art here in Kansas City.

Maman, the giant spider sculpture, outside Crystal Bridges

After reading Devil in the White City, a painting of the Chicago Exposition at Crystal Bridges caught my eye and converted me from a stroller to a studier as I paused to drink in the scene painted with words in the novel.

A painting of the Chicago World's Fair at Crystal Bridges

And all of us were excited to learn that Moshe Safdie, the architect behind the gorgeous Crystal Bridges Museum, also designed the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts here at home.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City

6. Let Your Child's Interests Influence Yours

While I’m still not a big fan of mummies, coffins, and burial masks, Louise is fascinated by these objects.  Lucky for us, the Nelson-Atkins continues to add to its collection. It’s easy to spend time in a gallery that excites your kids, even if it’s not your cup of tea. After all, my excitement that she is interested in ancient civilizations and going to an art museum with me overrides the creepiness I feel exploring these galleries.

Now if she wants to see Saturn Devouring His Son by Goya, I may ask my Mom to take her…

How Do You Help Your Kids Appreciate Art Museums?

Do you have any tried and true techniques that have helped your children appreciate art museums?  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.

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Thank you for sharing!

29 thoughts on “6 Tips to Help Kids of All Ages Appreciate Art Museums”

  1. This post has given a complete new perspective on helping kids appreciate art museums. Your comment holds true for me too… excursions like these are appreciated by me in the hind sight now, while when I was young, it was not as interesting! Learnt about streakers, strollers, and studiers as three different types of visitors to museums!

  2. ablondeandherpassport

    This is really well thought out. I’m not a kid and definitely don’t have kids on the scene right now but will use some of your tips for myself!

  3. I have to say I felt the same way growing up, my parents would drag me to museums and churches all over Europe, I think I’m still a bit bitter about it 😉 but as I’ve grown older I go back to Museums and I appreciate knowing how to go around them, what to do, what to look for, had I not gone with my parents I think I would be so lost as an adult. The thing I do remember as a child was visiting the Vincent Van Gogh museum and loving it! I think that’s a great one for kids 🙂

    1. Oh, the churches and cathedrals, ALL of the hours I spent as a kid visiting those, too! I am a big fan of Vincent, and agree with you. I also think Musee d’Orsay is a great choice for kids. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

  4. These are all great ideas for kids – luckily places really have made museums and galleries more interesting for young people. I was interested by streakers – in the UK these are people that run across sports pitches completely naked and imagined this is art galleries LOL! Plus what is Trivia Crack? I am tempted to try but worried I will get hooked 🙂

    1. Streaker means the same thing here in the US which makes it a funny, cheeky term used by museum professionals. Trivia Crack is a trivia game that you can download for your phone. Sooooo fun, but highly addictive. At least it’s more educational than Candy Crush!

  5. I work in a museum for my day job, and I SO agree with your tips! We see so many people come in with children, and either make no attempt to engage them in what they’re seeing, or drag them round at an adult pace. Either way leads to a frustrated kid. These are great tips, and I hope that plenty of people read them!

  6. This is such a thoughtful post! We were about to head to the museum with our almost 3 year old and I feel like so much of this is still applicable for a young guy like him! Thank you so much, didn’t even think to consider most of what you wrote!

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