Visiting a museum with children

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 18:44

What a great idea to visit a museum with the kids! Excellent way to open them up to the world in addition to sharpening their sense of observation and titillating their curiosity. Shall we go?

Is it too small? He won't understand? These are excuses that no longer hold water. More and more museums, all over the province, are making it a point to adapt their exhibitions so that children and adults alike can benefit from them. If not, in addition, of all the museums that are directly dedicated to the child public.

Museums are a mine of information. By visiting them, you learn lots of things about an event (Maison nationale des Patriotes of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au -Father who tells the story of the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, etc.), on art (Musée des Beaux-arts in Quebec,Montréal or Ottawa , the contemporary art museum, etc.), on an economic activity (Mineralogical and mining museumof Thetford Mines, Maritime Museum of Charlevoix, etc.) or on a special theme (Musée de la nature et des sciences of Sherbrooke, the Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa,the Exporail – railway museum in Candiac, etc.). In addition, very often, they allow us to better know the region or the city where they are.

Babies at the museum

From their first year, it is fun to take children to museums. They familiarize themselves with a new and very stimulating universe. As in the novel Momzilla, the moms have left the malls to end up in a museum as a daughter's outing during their maternity leave. In addition, there are museums that offer music, sound and image workshops for infants, such as the Musée McCord in Montreal. Nice idea, right?

A great visit

Also, for your visit to go well, nothing too complicated.

• Find an exhibit that matches your child's interest. Does your boy swear by dinosaurs? Do not bring it for a first visit to a museum that tells how soaps are made. Even if this exhibition may be interesting for other children, it is not likely to pique the curiosity of your dino lover and you are missing out on a great opportunity to make museum rhyme with pleasure. Because, we do not hide it: it is the first rule. So find a museum that will immerse him in the universe of these prehistoric beasts.
• Maximize your visit by planning it! See if there are special animations, a show or even a craft activity (for example) theday of your visit. Thus, you enhance the visit and ensure that for your child, he was not only a spectator, but also a participant. A notion he usually loves!
• Try to avoid busy days. This way you can get more out of your visit and the guides' free time to answer any questions you may have.
• Lower your expectations. Don't go with the idea of spending the whole day at the museum with your children. Aim more humbly for a visit of around 1h or 1h30. No need to aim too high, you will only have the opposite effect of discouraging your child and making the experience boring.
• A museum is not a sanctuary. Let your children go for walks without always lecturing them or warning them. Of course, there are rules to follow, but you shouldn't exaggerate either. For the first visits, exhibitions built expressly for them would be ideal. Often interactive, these exhibits invite children to touch, experiment or manipulate objects to find even more information.
• Souvenirs… We're not talking about robbing the souvenir shop, but we can give a small amount to the child so that he can choose a small souvenir (pencil, stickers, etc.). Also, take photos during your visit. You can "relive" your discoveries by watching them.
• Go further! Did the subject captivate you? Has your child had the sting? Why not findbooks on the subject and continue your exploration? Have you seen any artists' paintings? Organize an exhibition at your home. The idea is to bring the museum and what you have learned to life for a long time…

Museums you love…

• Children's Museum in the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull

• Children's Museum in Laval

• McCord Museum in Montreal

• The Exporail – railway museum in Candiac

• Sherbrooke Nature and Science Museum

• Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa

• Pointe-au-Père Maritime Historic Site

• Musée de la civilisation in Quebec

• Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa

• Quebec Museum of Popular Culture in Trois-Rivières

• Canada Agriculture Museum in Ottawa

• The House of Native American Cultures of Mont-St-Hilaire

• Bee Museum at Château-Richer

• Biosphere in Montreal

• Cosmodôme in Laval

• The Exploramer in Sainte-Anne-des-Monts

• Ecomuseum in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue