An Introduction to Art: Your Child’s First Visit

1. Choose a local museum. Art museums seem to be an acquired taste for many adults and almost all children. If you have grand visions of touring the greatest art museums with your little travelers, you will need to practice. Visiting your local museum will give you many chances to learn to appreciate and adore the art museum experience.

2. Pick the perfect time of day. For your first visits, make sure you choose a time of day that is best for your child. Right after nap or first thing in the morning works best for little ones. Make sure everyone is well fed and well rested, so you can have the best chance at a relaxing experience.

3. Keep your visit short. No more than 30 minutes for toddlers and preschoolers and up to an hour for grade school kids is a good rule of thumb. Take a break about half way through your visit and have a snack or get outside for some fresh air. Most of all, keep tabs on your child's interest and energy levels and leave before they lose interest or enter major meltdown mode.

4. Go over the rules. Most museums have the same general rules and they can be downright prickly about following those rules. Make sure you explain that kids cannot touch the art at anytime and they must stay behind any gates or fences that are provided around the art. You might want to practice at home if you have a particularly tactile child. Also, as a personal note, assume that everything in an art museum is in fact, art. Do not make the mistake of assuming that a sign that appears to be an advertisement is just an advertisement and lean on it. Undoubtedly, it will be an important piece of modern art and you will be chastised duly. Oops.

5. Familiarize yourself with the collection. Take a few minutes to peruse the museum website and check out the collection. You might be tempted to look at the most popular pieces, but remember that those were likely chosen by grownups. Try to look through your child's eyes. Think about their interests. Do they like animals or transportation? Do they love to make up stories? Look for paintings that will captivate your child. In general children like bright colors, geometric designs, and pictures of children.

6. Do something to make it fun. There are as many art games to play in a gallery as there are paintings to see. You can pick up some postcards from the gift shop and go on a treasure hunt. Or play I Spy with each picture you see. See if you can hold the same pose as the people in the painting. Or pick your favorite and least favorite painting in each room. Whatever you choose, find a way to fill your visit with interest and laughter.

7. Keep your personal critiques to yourself. You may be surprised to find that your child has very different taste in art than you. While you may be all about pretty portraits, they may be moved by modern sculpture. Let them lead you to their interests and be cautious not to throw in your two cents about a style of art you may not enjoy.

8. Let your child be your guide. Follow your child from painting to painting and notice what catches their eye. Giving kids the freedom to look (or not look) for as long or short as they choose is vital to the enjoyment of visiting.

9. End the visit with something fun. Find a fun way to close out your visit. Pick a few postcards of your favorite paintings and enjoy looking at them over ice cream. Or treat your child to some new art supplies and encourage them to make their own masterpiece.

10. Repeat often. Little art lovers are carefully cultivated through many positive visits to art museums. Take advantage of free days, special family days, or any other reason to pop into an art museum. Before you know it, you will be enjoying leisurely strolls through great art exhibits, hand in hand with your little one.