A person at a party inquired,” My child is 4 years older. I am a university docent at the National Gallery of Art.”  , Is she too fresh to attend an art exhibition”?
” Oh no”, I replied. A young child can enjoy an evening spent admiring artwork and sculpture.
I’ve led trips for students from pre-k through high school for the past seven years as a university docent. With summer upon us, here are some tips for kids on how to make the visit to an art gallery fun, educational, and memorable.  ,
Kids are open and receptive to the treasures of a gallery, even at the ages of 4 and 5, according to what I’ve found. As a docent, it’s wonderful to work as a climber for a boy’s first few sessions. The trip is an opportunity to help young people feel at ease with the frequently sprawling structure and show how best to behave among the most unique, and frequently large, works of art because like institutions can be big and overpowering.
Quality Family Time
A museum visit may provide a household with enjoyable family time. Disabling from phones, computers, Television, and cultural media presents a window for observation and older- made conversation. It’s about stepping away from the numerous distractions that predominate current life to take in the beauty of a painting or sculpture.
A calm, close-up view is the best way to view works of art, giving the occasional chance to slow down and concentrate. ” To see takes time, like to have a friend takes time”, the artist Georgia O’Keefe explained.
It’s better to concentrate on a small number of functions than to try to see as many as possible. Even for an child, visiting an art gallery can be frustrating. To minimize confusion or anxiety, create a quick search of the gallery’s holdings online. My four to six-year-old tour typically consists of only two or three works of art.
Earth Rules
Once outside, evidently explain the rules. Museums are large houses, and it is easy to get lost! Make sure your kids are aware that their parents may remain together. To be friendly to other customers, running or shouting is no permitted. Additionally, it should be noted that visitors must keep a safe distance from all works of art and that touching them is not permitted. My favorite way to do this is to include an adult, acting as a trial statue, taking a pose. Then I demonstrate with hands behind my back and hands laced how to keep at least one foot apart from our stand-in art.
Interact
Practice dynamically is one of the best ways for children to learn about museums. On my travels, I utilize sketching, writing, and intellectual activities. Check back to find out what types of craft supplies the exhibition allows. If acceptable, bring together pencils, crayons, and a picture pad.
Start with the Basics
After 30 to 60 hours of nearby looking at your first work of art, discuss form, colour, and range. Do the kids see circles, triangles, or loops, or are the shapes unidentifiable? What hues do they notice? Are the traces thick or thin, flat or curvy?  ,  ,
This All Bring
Sketching aids in understanding a piece of artwork more fully. Instead of focusing on the whole artwork, which can be overwhelming, I advise younger children to put their fingers and forefinger together to form a stone or viewfinder. Using the area within their lens, the infant can identify an area of special interest. They then sketch, blowing up that area or information, the flower on the woman’s gown in Mary Cassatt’s 1905″ Woman With a Sunflower“, or the green spear featured on the rear of Edgar Degas ‘ actress’s bikini in” The Dance Lesson“, for example. When the kids are finished, I ask what they might have discovered by concentrating on a particular aspect of the artwork.
Storytelling and Character Id
For visiting children, traditional and visual art offer creative options. To help kids employ, I ask them to determine figures in a painting.  , A paint like Jan Steen’s 1663″ The Dance Few” offers plenty of opportunities: newlyweds dancing, males eating and drinking, ladies clapping, fiddlers tinkering, and children playing. After identifying the heroes, I ask the children to give the figures their names and, if they are match, a little background on the participants in the festive occasion. One interesting point to communicate: The smiling number on the left, tickling the neck of the lady drinking wines, is the artist himself.
Children Love Wildlife
There are many tale possibilities in paintings with animals as key characters in the theme or story.  , Sir Edwin Landseer’s” Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Disturbed Traveler”, for instance, offers two big mountain dogs, ancestors of the modern-day- time Saint Bernard, coming to the aid of a frightened traveler. It helps to stimulate creativity by having the children contribute one line each to the tale about the dogs or the traveler.
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ‘ massive canvas,” Daniel in the Lions ‘ Den,” is one of my favorite animal paintings. In it, the artist depicts Daniel in the cave the morning after his ordeal, surrounded by 10 giant lions. In order to prepare for his painting, Rubens did at the royal menagerie in Brussels and the zoo in Ghent. I encourage the children to pick their favorite lion, give it a name, and then draw.  ,
An afternoon spent looking at art, punctuated by discussion, sketching, and storytelling will engage the entire family. Parents can watch as their children make connections and discoveries while they talk about a piece of art together. Or simply stand in front of a magnificent masterpiece and watch as its complexity engulfs you.
Then write and let me know whether you or your kids had more fun.
Beth Herman is an artist, essayist, and school docent at The National Gallery of Art. In addition to The Federalist, her essays have been published in The Wall Street Journal, Legal Times, The Washington Times, and on NPR. When Beth and her husband of over 35 years, author and historian Arthur Herman, are not running together when she is not at her easel or writing desk.
