Why Take Your Children to Museums?

A Place for Curiosity

Museums are wondrous places in which curiosity is not stifled but rather encouraged.  They offer seemingly endless expansions of the mind; encouraging thought, imagination, integration, involvement, and contemplation for children and adults alike. In our modern rush to keep children occupied with the body and social skill-building activities such as sports, leadership developing organizations, and structured play dates, the quality time spent in museums can sometimes get overlooked. It’s neither expensive nor time-consuming to ensure that they are a mainstay of your family’s calendar.

Museums have the ability, in much the same way as books do, to spark a child’s imagination regarding culture and history, far-flung worlds and civilizations, art appreciation, and wonderment at life itself. Visiting them will also show children that adults can become engrossed in a subject matter far from the daily interests and activities they are familiar with.

Some parents feel hesitant about bringing children to museums but there are several ways to introduce children to the experience of visiting one.

Children’s Museums 

Children’s museums are the optimum first step for the younger set. Hands-on activities, classes, and the wide array of subject matter offered by the age-specificity of a children’s museum give families another option when contemplating a list of activities. Children’s museums encourage visitors to get actively involved with the exhibits. Some are art-based, some building-based, some are more educationally focused, and others are simply about exploratory fun. Most tend to be specific to that museum with animals, science, and nature representing the typical fare. These museums can also provide children an age-appropriate opportunity to quietly interact with a current display, have a parent read a placard, and explain what it is they are viewing.

Many museums that aren’t geared specifically toward children still want to attract young visitors and will offer child-friendly exhibits and activities which correspond with a current exhibit, or focus of that museum. Their websites oftentimes have a child-oriented section from which you can plan your visit.

Local Museums

Local museums typically preserve the history of the area. Interactive displays, photographs, maps, stories, and special event days help children put their idea of home into a greater context. This perspective naturally fits into a larger worldview when families then visit anthropological museums, observatories, aquariums, and zoos.

Learning to appreciate and enjoy museums and the diversity of curated collections creates a variety of experiences for families. There are many local museums to enjoy and there are internationally renowned museums to plan to visit during a vacation. As children grow, bite-sized tours will eventually expand into hour-long contemplations which can then become family conversations and interests. Museums translate the language of objects through the experience of being human.

If you would like your children to embark on a lifelong appreciation of museums, there’s no better place to begin than locally. There are student or child discounts and free admission for toddlers. Check the North State Parent calendar each month for exhibit updates and upcoming events. You can also find a list of our local museums here.