Watch How to Engage Your Child in Art to learn how to cultivate a young visitor’s appreciation of art. Then, review the suggestions below for a stimulating and enjoyable visit:

The “No Touching” Rule

• Discuss the "no touch" rule with your children. Explain that the museum needs to protect the artwork so that people can enjoy it for years and years.
• Encourage your children to talk about the textures they feel when they "touch" with their eyes.

Cultivate Curiosity

• Allow your children to move at their own pace.
• Tune in to what excites them and help them make discoveries.
• Read the object label. Information you find there can contribute to your conversation.

Relate Art to the Familiar

• Relate what you see to what your child already knows. For example, a knight's suit of armor serves the same purpose as a catcher's mask, a bicycle helmet, or shin guards—to protect the body.
• Remind them that art is something we live with every day. The things in the museum were once owned and used by real people.

Visit in Child-Size Portions

• Stay only as long as your child is engaged.
• Young children usually learn best in sessions lasting 10 to 15 minutes. Thirty minutes to one hour in the galleries may be the limit.
• Don't try to see everything in one visit. Focused time with a few works of art is more valuable than a grand tour.
• A family membership makes shorter, more frequent visits an attractive option for young families.