MSU Extension Child & Family Development

Spending time at the local children’s museum can be a great way for children to work on their overall development and social skill building while having fun and interacting with the important people in their lives! As children interact with the exhibits around them, it’s important for adults and caregivers to remember to have fun and enjoy themselves as well. Caregivers should enter the learning space ready to play and engage with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and the patience to communicate and interact with their children in a hands-on environment. What this really equates to is the ability to disconnect from social media and cell phones while giving time directly to your children, the activities and the promotion of learning experiences. Michigan State University Extension recommends the following for discovering a children’s museum near you.

A quick Google search of children’s museums will immediately bring up a local places map showing museums closest to your location. As an example, the Flint Children’s Museum has a great website displaying their upcoming special events, exhibits and programs, admission costs and information about their history. A quick look at their website will let you know that their mission is to inspire a lifelong love for learning through exploration and hands-on play for children ages birth through age 8. However, children above the age of 8, including adults, will typically have a great time when visiting a fun museum full of exhibits meant to enhance exploration and play! Ultimately, most children’s museums will have web pages dedicated to sharing information with caregivers about location, cost, operating times, exhibits and special events taking place daily and throughout the year.

At the children’s museum, you will be able to find lots of fun activities and exhibits intended to promote growth in cognitive skills, social and emotional skill building, and overall developmental milestone achievements. Keep in mind where your child is at developmentally, what skills they have mastered and on what skills they are currently working. Make sure to engage with them in activities that are meant to promote their curiosity but aren’t too easy nor too complicated for them. Remember to put your phone away, and engage with your children. Communicate with them and help to explore activities and exhibits by explaining expectations, asking questions and guiding their curiosity to learn more about the world around them. It is also important to note that many museums offer sensory-friendly times for families and children who may benefit from a calm environment with significantly less distraction. Sensoryfriendly.net offers a wonderfully detailed description and extended list of terms related to these friendly environments.

Finally, as part of your experience, make sure to communicate and engage with the friendly and knowledgeable museum educators. The educators are staff of the children’s museum who can discuss and demonstrate how each of the exhibit’s work. They are a resource on what children can learn from the museum and will be more than happy to share ideas on some of the best ways to experience your time as a visitor.

Learn more

You can learn more about child development, parent and caregiver webinars and family activities by visiting the MSU Extension Child and Family Development webpage and the MI Stronger Family Facebook page.

You can learn more about the Flint Children’s Museum, including their exhibits and programs, by visiting their webpage at www.flintchildrensmuseum.org.