Make Museums Fun for Your Kids
3 Tips to Make Your Visit More Kid-Friendly
Visit exhibits thatwill interest your kids. Whether you’re at your local history museum or the Louvre, don’t try to rush through as many exhibits as you can. That will just make your kids (and you) tired and cranky! Instead, pick out a few exhibits that your kids will find interesting, like dinosaurs or electricity, and just visit those. That way, your museum adventure will be a lot more fun and relaxing. Make the visit interactive. Just meandering about reading placards all daywill leave even the most studious children watching the clock. If you want your kids to enjoy the museum, then you’ve got to make your visit engaging. Try looking at the museum’s exhibits online before going and creating a scavenger hunt for your kids to followwith fun directions, like “Find a painting with two babies making silly
Editor’s Note: While museums may be closed for the foreseeable future, we wanted to share this guide in honor of International Museum Day on May 18 to help you plan future adventures. Please check with your local museum for updates and safety precautions before visiting. School is out for the kiddos, which means that for the next few months, they’ll have six extra hours in the day and no idea what to do with them. Why not set aside some of that time for an educational and fun adventure? International Museum Day comes this month on May 18, making it the perfect time to plan your next visit for when the local museums open their doors again. Your kids might think museums are boring, but we’ve got you covered. Here are some ways to make their next museum visit fun and exciting.
faces,” or “Tell me howmany pterodactyls you can find in the dinosaur exhibit.” Your kids will be way more engaged in the exhibit, and they might learn something to boot. Take a food break or visit the gift shop. If your kids aren’t too excited about visiting a museum, a little incentive to get them to go — like taking them to the museum’s food court or purchasing them a keepsake from the gift shop — never hurts. Even if that’s the only thing they enjoy about the museum, theywill still have positive memories associated with their visit.
A Dangerous New Trend
But I must warn you about a new trending phenomenon. I am getting calls about kids who are 13–18 years old having virtual drinking parties during the pandemic. The protocol is to wait for parents to go to sleep, then sneak alcohol from their stash. The kids are hanging out virtually on apps like House Party or Zoom. Some have been making videos and distributing them to friends. The long-term impact of that could be devastating, so be on the lookout for this behavior. Over half of Americans between the ages of 12–20 have experimented with alcohol. Sadly, 1 in 5 teenagers becomes a heavy drinker. Common reasons for underage drinking include kids thinking it is cool, wanting to fit in, wanting to feel more comfortable around
friends, proving oneself to others, feeling pressure, and battling anxiety and depression.
Kids are struggling to cope in this environment. Change is hard for everyone. They are used to seeing their friends every day, and many of them were involved in sports and other extracurricular activities. Now, they are faced with boredom. That leads to trouble. I encourage you to talk to your kids about this now. Do not wait for something bad to happen. Ask them if they have heard of kids doing this and talk about all the reasons this is a bad idea.
During this pandemic, my husband, Jerry, and I have been struggling to take care of our four kids while also trying to keep our businesses afloat. We both own small businesses that we are now running from home. I am the sole owner and operator of my law firm, PhyllisLaw.com. Jerry is the sole owner and operator of a CPA firm. For the most part, we have trusted the kids to get their schoolwork done and go to bed by 11 p.m., as we simply cannot watch over them 24/7. I knowmany of you are in the same boat, and I think it is okay to take that approach, given the circumstances.
We are here for you and your family during this difficult time. Together, we will get through this.
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