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Talk about Museums

Start off by introducing children to what a museum is, and the special objects that museums collect. An exciting introduction will help springboard the children into their own world of museums. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

Sharing museum experiences

Starting your exciting project with the class can include opportunities for children to share their own experiences of museums. You could start by asking questions about places they have visited, the people they went with and the things they saw.  We found that conversations around sharing experiences and ideas can introduce and enthuse the challenge of making a pretend classroom museum to a whole class.

Why not start off with circle time to talk with children about museums? Find out what the most exciting things are that children themselves have seen on a museum visit.

You could share a story about a museum trip as part of a whole class introduction.

Suggested books include:

  • Harry and the Dinosaurs at the Museum (Ian Whybrow, Adrian Reynolds)
  • Maisy Goes to the Museum (Lucy Cousins)
  • The Museum of Me (Emma Lewis)
  • Katie’s Picture Show (James Mayhew)
  • Lost in the Toy Museum (David Lucas)
What will you see at the museum?

Here is a video to share with your class about a trip to  Kirkleatham museum.. This video  is for children to will develop an understanding of some of the people they might expect to meet at a museum and the things you might find there.

A video still of a museum visitor assistant talking about how she helps visitors to enjoy their visit. In the background the visitor assistant is showing a group of children how to work at the museum front desk.

Introductory museum games and activities

Below are some suggested whole class activities to spark open-ended conversations around children’s own knowledge and experiences.

I went to the museum and I saw….

Make a game of it. Take it in turns to go around the circle and name an exciting thing you’ve seen at a museum. You can extend this activity by remembering the whole class list of objects seen at a museum. Create an image file of the objects mentioned by the children.

Looking for Brown Signs (tourism signs)

Did you know that brown signs can include a variety of symbols for different types of attraction? Follow this link to discover a variety of different types of brown signs around the UK. Can children work out which kind of destination the sign is pointing to? This activity can start to sew the idea about trips out. It can also help develop the idea of using brown signs as part of their own museum.

Museum Collage

Collect leaflets for museums and visitor attractions in your local area. Why not have children cut out, stick and label pictures that interest them to create a whole class collage showing what is available in their local area?

Two Learning officers show a group of school children a stuffed aligator

Talk about objects

The next step is to introduce objects to your class

Find out more→