I love visiting museums, especially art and natural history museums, and I love being able to share that with my daughter. Child-centered museums like children’s museums and science museums, which have mostly hands on exhibits, are easier- no one gives you glaring looks when your kid is laying on the floor, running in circles, or having a tantrum. It’s a little trickier going to art museums and other less kid-friendly spaces.

Below are some tips that help make museum trips enjoyable and meaningful experiences for all of us:

1. Give your kid a camera for no-touch exhibits

Not touching things like cool statues, antique furniture, beautiful paintings is hard. Giving my daughter a camera at museums has been a game changer. It gives her hands something to hold, and I tell her “you can’t touch that but you can take a picture of it.” It’s also really fun to get home and look at her pictures!

2. Bring a notebook and pencils

Stopping to draw helps us slow down when there’s a lot to take in, focus on the details of one thing, and process what we’re seeing. My daughter and I each have an “adventure notebook” that we bring with us to museums, and we take breaks to stop and draw together.

3. Have a flexible plan

Look at a museum map before you go and have a general plan, but don’t have an agenda of everything you need to see. It takes the pressure off and makes it a more enjoyable experience to just walk around and explore to whatever extent my child can handle that day.

4. Plan your breaks

Things can deterorate quickly when my daughter gets hungry or needs some space to get her wiggles out. I offer a snack before we go in, and plan to stop for snack breaks and/or a lunch break. Many museums allow re-admission, and some have outdoor gardens, so I like to take a break outside when possible.

5. Talk about museum etiquette before you go

I tell my child simple rules like walking feet only, indoor voices, and for most museums, no touching the art and exhibits.

6. Look for free or reduced price passes

I don’t like spending $40+ to visit a museum with my daughter just to leave after 30 minutes because she’s having a difficult day. It’s a lot less pressure and I can be a lot more relaxed when I’m not spending much money for admission. Here’s some ways that I get free and reduced price passes:

Often times libraries offer free and reduced passes.
Some museums offer free admission for kids, or might have a certain day of the month that’s free for everyone.
Bank of America offers customers free passes to a variety of museums on the first weekend of every month.
If you live in Boston and have a school aged child, you can get free admission to a variety of cultural institutions around the city on the first two Sundays of every month: Boston Family Days.

I hope these were helpful tips! Please let me know in the comments if you have any tips to add!

Tips for Visiting Museums with Kids