At the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum, we encourage visitors of all ages to be “explorers of the world.” But as a parent, I recognize that this can be a challenge. It is often hard to engage children with a place (a museum, a nature center, an art gallery, an unfamiliar neighborhood) or an object (a public sculpture, an unusual plant) that is new to you, the adult, as well. Children ask a lot of questions, and it can be uncomfortable when you don’t know the answers, or how to help them stop and figure it out for themselves.
Here are five techniques that parents can use to be co-explorers of the world with their children.
Let children lead the way
When planning a day trip, your instinct may be to plan out the details. Or you might have something that you really want to see or do at your destination. But the most successful trips with children leave those decisions to the children themselves. Instead of arriving at a museum, nature park, or cultural destination with an agenda, let children lead the way. They will find things that spark their interest and curiosity, making the visit exciting for everyone.
Ask open-ended questions to spark engagement
Some children arrive at a destination shy and unsure of themselves. They need cues for how to explore. In this case, it is useful to ask questions that allow them to discover what excites them. These questions might include:
What’s the most interesting thing in this room?
If you were sharing this exhibit or place with a friend, what would you show them first?
What do you wish you could add or change here? Why?
What can we find that we can touch? Smell?
Ask “What do you notice?”
Once children are engaged with something, facilitate a conversation by asking, “What do you notice?” There are a number of advantages to this method:
It asks children to look. Too often people – including but not only children – make assumptions about what is in front of them, without looking closely. “What do you notice?” asks children to start an encounter with close observation, noticing what’s really there.
It opens the conversation at the child’s level. Instead of sharing what you are noticing, or starting a conversation rooted in your own assumptions, it allows the child to voice his or her responses.
It is a great way for adults to learn something new. When I ask this question, I almost always learn something about the child, or think about the subject in a new way.
Keep visits short
Kids have a limited attention span, and tire easily. Often 30-45 minutes is enough for a visit to a new place. Leave while the child is still engaged, and before exhaustion sets in. And then plan to return another day to see something new!
Follow up
Exploring new places helps excite children about new things. Was your child interested in guiding boats along the water table at the PlayHouse? Buy some boats for the bathtub, and find books about boats and water in the library. Experiment with household objects and a bucket of water – what sinks? What floats? Why? Was your child entranced by wild turkeys at Forest Park Nature Center? Find a website with pictures or videos of wild turkeys, or go to the library and read children’s books about wild birds.
Interested in how children ages 6-14 can explore the world through the Peoria PlayHouse Children’s Museum? Check out our summer camps, which use the PlayHouse as a starting point to explore water (ages 6-10) and art (ages 10-14) and engage children as explorers of locations throughout the city! Visit www.peoriaplayhouse.org for details.
