Tips for Enjoying Art Museums with Your Child

By New York City Department of Education Staff

Speak with your child about art before you visit an art museum.

Talk about the artwork in your home and ask:

• Would you like to know the family history of that quilt?(painting? piece of pottery?)

Read picture books with your child and ask:

• How are the pictures helping to tell the story?
• What materials did the illustrator use?

Be interested in the artwork your child does at school and ask:

• Can you tell me about the artwork you are doing in school?
• Can you bring some of your artwork home?
• What materials did you use?
• What decisions did you make in creating it?

Walk in the neighborhood and ask:

• What decorations do you see on the building?
• Where do you find patterns and textures?

Ride on the subway and ask:

• What artwork can you find at the station platform?
• What artwork do you see as we walk through the station?
• Why do you think the artwork was put here?

When you are in an art museum:

• Let your child decide what he or she would like to look at.
• Look at the artwork first, not the label. Gently guide your child by asking:
  • Why did you stop here?
  • What do you see?
  • Can you tell me more about that?
  • What do you like about this artwork?
  • What questions do you have about it?
• Terms you may wish to use:
  • Line
  • Color
  • Texture
  • Shape
  • Emphasis
  • Movement
  • Pattern
• Let your child determine when it’s time to move on to another artwork.

Other handy tips for parents:

• It is more important for your child to look at and talk about the
  artwork, than to be told what he or she is seeing.
• It is better to plan several short trips, than to plan an
  entire morning or afternoon in an art museum.
• The trip should be a positive experience that encourages
  your child to want to visit the art museum again and again.