Tips for Visiting National Museums with Kids
National museums are great places to take kids that are both fun and educational especially if you are traveling somewhere far away.
There will be plenty of opportunity for discussions and education about art, as well as help your child to become more creative. However, it can also be a challenge if you and your kids are not prepared. Here are a few tips for visiting national museums with kids, so you can enjoy it to its fullest!
Plan your trip in advance
Plan out your itinerary for the day, when to leave for the museum, how long you will spend there, places to eat etc. You can also read this post on how to plan the perfect family day trip with kids.
Go at Your Own Pace
You don’t have to take a specific tour where you follow a guide. Every child and family will have their own needs and wants for each museum. You won’t feel rushed and stressed when you go at your own pace! This helps you to fully enjoy your time at the museum with your kids.
It’s Okay if They Don’t Like It
Sometimes it will not be as fun as you thought it might be, and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t work out. Kids will remember the memories of going together as a family more than they remember the museum. The most important part is being with each other!
Help Them to be Excited Beforehand
Kids might not understand or want to go to a museum, so help them look forward to going. Teach them about the things they will be seeing, so they become excited when they see the artifact they learned about! This will also help them focus more during the museum to see if they can remember what they were taught.
Prep Them with What Will Happen
Kids love schedules, and by going to a museum, you probably are not on the same schedule they are used to. However, you can teach them what it will be like, so they aren’t totally shocked when you arrive. Prepare them for what will happen, what you might see, and how it will feel, if possible.
Give Them Their Own Camera
Children will naturally be more excited if they have their own camera to capture everything! Older children might already have a phone with a camera, or you can get disposable ones if you prefer. Toddlers will especially love this! Let them take pictures of anything and everything. Make a fun slideshow to see the museum through your child’s eyes when you get home. Kids may forget the colors of a painting, but photographs might help them remember.
Find Kid-Friendly National Museums
Some national museums are probably not the best for children, especially toddlers. After you find one you want to see, do some research, and see if it is kid-friendly. You can look in forums where other families will share their experiences which may help you decide if it is worthwhile. The best type of museums to visit are ones that the kids are excited about, so be sure to include your children in your decision. Some kid friendly museums are: Maryland Science Center and Port Discovery Children’s museum.
Don’t Expect To Go Through it Entirely in One Day
National museums can be pretty big, so don’t expect to see everything during one visit. Try not to have any expectations. That way, when things go wrong, you aren’t devastated. If you don’t get to a particular exhibit, that’s okay. You can always try to go again!
If there is one exhibit or piece you and your children are looking forward to, be sure to go check that out first. That way, the rest of your time in the museum will not feel rushed.
Bring Plenty of Snacks
While you cannot eat inside the museums, you still want to bring snacks and water. That way, if your kids get hungry or out of control, you can always go outside and eat some snacks. This can help you see as many exhibits as possible, especially with young children. Everyone enjoys a little snack break!
Avoid Going on Holidays
Holidays are usually the busiest time to go on vacations, including national museums. If possible, try not to go on holiday weekends. You can check and see what days are the busiest and plan around those. Museums are more enjoyable when it isn’t so crowded.
Create a Scavenger Hunt
You might be able to find some scavenger hunts already made online, or you can create your own. Make sure you make the hunts suitable for your kids and their age. Scavenger hunts help keep them focused and excited to continue through the museum. You can even have a surprise for them if they find everything during their search! Here is a scavenger hunt free download link for the Walter Art Museum in Maryland.
Bring Art Supplies
Some kids prefer to color what they see, so bring some pencils and a notebook for them. You can also ask them to draw something specific. For example, if you are visiting the National Gallery of Art, you can have them draw a particular art piece you are viewing, or they can draw their favorite at the end of your visit.
Ask Questions About What Is Going On
Asking questions during your visit to a national museum helps keep your kids engaged longer. It will also help empower them when they know the answers to what you are asking! Make sure to find questions you know they can answer more than “yes” or “no.” Let them share how they feel or why they prefer one exhibit over the other. This will also help them remember the things they are being taught too! Ask your kids questions like “What do you see?” “How big is that dinosaur?” “What color do you think this is?”
Ask them to find the tallest and shortest things around. Encourage them to point out interesting facts and curiosities as you go along.
Take Lots of Breaks to Let Out Their Energy
Museums can be a challenge for small children. If you are traveling with toddlers, be sure to take them out to release all their energy. Without little breaks during your visit, your kids will struggle and will want to leave earlier than you’ve planned.
Bring a Stroller or wagons for Younger Kids
You can bring strollers and small wagons to most museums. If you plan to be there for a while, it might be worth it to bring one with you for your younger kids. You will easily get tired if you have to hold them or keep them contained and happy. With wagons, they can still see everything around them but are contained and a lot happier than walking and getting tired.
Don’t spend too long
We recommend limiting your visit to a museum with younger children around two to three hours. If you stay any longer, it’s likely that your child will become agitated and uninterested. Older kids may be able to stay longer, but plan ahead and be flexible to adjust your schedule.
Link what you see to your play at home
A lot of museums have interactive exhibits so kids can learn by touching and playing. You can also use this to teach your child about a certain topic. For example, you might set up a scene at home with stuffed animals in it to represent natural habitats for endangered species. Go see an animal show at the zoo or aquarium and discuss what they learned about the animals.
Don’t miss: 7 Reasons to take your kids to the Baltimore National Aquarium
Be flexible
Wherever you go, look at everything . Don’t just wait for your kid to finish so you can move on. Chances are the exhibits were designed with kids in mind. So engage with them by asking questions like “What do you think would happen if we did this?” or “What do you see?” If an exhibit catches their interest, just let them play for a few minutes.
Take it outside
Many museums have special outdoor exhibits or green spaces. You can also head to a park right after or plan to check out the park’s playground on your way home.
What to pack for a great day at the museum with kids
Museums are fun but can also be challenging. Packing the right things for your kids can help the day go smoother for everyone. Here is a list of a few things you can bring along with you for a museum visit.
1. Mini Puzzles
Puzzles can be great for Maryland road trips, plane rides, and museum visits. Although you can’t set them up while walking round the museum, you could put them together during mini breaks. The whole family can try to put together a portion of it which is also an activity that brings everyone together.
2. Paperback Books
We try to always bring a few books with us for our outings. You can find some books on specific exhibits eg fishes, dinosaurs or things you kids are interested in. We also have a ton of nature-related poetry and science books which are great because they highlight things you might see in the museum (i.e., rocks, leaves, bugs).
3. Mini Notebook & Crayons
It’s not a trip if you don’t leave with at least one thing in your hand! If we are visiting an exhibit with a lot of written text, we like to bring this pocket-sized notebook and crayons. We can highlight the important facts or passages that my daughter would be interested in.
4. Bubbles
A classic! You cant use these inside the museums but probably can when you head outside the museum or a park nearby to play. Just make sure you have an extra bottle of bubble mixture and a few wands stashed in your bag – its definitely not fun when you lose a bubble wand.
5. Magnifying Glass
This is such a simple but fun activity because so many exhibits also come with magnifying glasses! Your kids can explore their surroundings with this lens and look at all the small details that they would never see with normal vision.
6. Sidewalk Chalk
A must-have for any outdoor museum visit! You can decorate the sidewalks outside of the exhibits, find out what is hidden in the pavement, or make your own game on a paved path.
7. Portable Charger
Our phones and tablets die so fast whenever we use them (because my daughter always has to watch something on there). It is probably because we bring it everywhere we go, but I am always so relieved when I have a fully charged one in my bag.
8. Water Bottle
Hydration is the key to any day outside! I always make sure we bring our water bottles or travel mugs. We refill them at the water fountains or with filtered water from the concession stand outside of exhibits. You can always ask someone working there to fill it up for you without having to buy an entire bottle.
9. Snacks
This may be my favorite on the list! If we are going to be in the museum all day, I make sure I have a stash of my kids’ favorite snacks in my bag. This is great for two reasons: they can munch on something when they get hungry and it doesn’t cost us a fortune to keep feeding them at the concession stand.
National museums can be a lot of fun and make for a great stop during your family vacation. Use these tips so you can get the most out of each museum you visit! Try not to stress too much so you can simply enjoy this time with your family.
