by A. Y. Ford

Created on: April 22, 2009

The educational experience of visiting a museum with children can be enjoyable or frustrating. There are a few important things to realize to keep the experience on the enjoyable end of things. Some kids will naturally enjoy looking at exhibits for hours, especially exhibits that are of great personal interest to them. On the other hand some kids won't enjoy even the most exciting exhibits even those geared directly to children. For those kids that don't enjoy going to museums here are a few tips to try making it as painless as possible and as covertly educational as it can be.

First of all the kids don't need to realize they are being educated. Some kids lose all motivation to enjoy themselves if it is given to them as a context for education. It is okay to teach them lessons through exhibits without telling them what you are doing. Talk about the fun aspects of the museum such as interactive exhibits, touch tanks, petting areas, or projects that are available.

Do some research about the museum you are going to visit. Also know the children and their personal interests. Find the most outrageous facts about a couple things in the museum and share those things before entering so that the kids will look forward to finding the exhibit that backs up your claim. If the museum provides a worksheet, offer a prize for right answers. If the museum doesn't provide a worksheet try to make one up yourself so that the children have something to write down. A kind of goal to accomplish by finding the answers to a puzzle.

Don't expect to see everything in the museum. Some kids will want to explore one area for hours. It is better to let them enjoy an area that sparks their interest than to force them to walk the entire museum. It is better if they retain the information from one section of a museum than to retain nothing as they hate the entire experience.

Some museums offer IMAX movies; this can make the experience memorable. If appropriate let them pick the movie after they have seen a few of the exhibits. If it is a movie that teaches something in the museum the kids might be motivated to learn more or at least see exhibits on that subject again.

Remember relax and let the kids explore as much as you are able. Museums are supposed to a fun way to help educate or kids, but there are a few steps that can be taken to make them more effective. Making a visit enjoyable will leave the children with a desire to revisit and not dread trips to museums.

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