Children can be some of the most fun companions in museums, especially when there are hands-on opportunities and visually delightful displays. Sometimes, we can learn more as adults through the eyes of kids and the vibrantly colorful exhibits that cater specifically to young ones. Take a stroll through some of these museums and exhibits designed to occupy mostly ages 3 and up. Are you going to Europe with your kids? They’ll love these museums!
Most Hands-On
The Monaco Oceanographic Museum (Musée Océanographique de Monaco); houses skeletons and fossils, models, diving equipment and books, and a panoramic terrace that highlights African spurred turtles (a species on the verge of extinction). In the touch pool, youngsters can experience touching a starfish, stroke the back of a baby shark, and discover what a sea urchin feels like. There are over fifteen touchable species in the tank, with a facilitator to provide fun facts while you observe underwater life up close and personal.
Tropenmuseum Junior in Amsterdam is a part of the larger Tropenmuseum. Housed in one of most impressive museum buildings in the Netherlands, the Tropenmuseum Junior continues the Tropenmuseum’s focus on people of the world, in a manner that’s designed to be immersive and highly engaging. With over twelve international awards, the Tropenmuseum Junior leads visitors through a Moroccan adventure, with hands-on mosaics, calligraphy, fashion, and culinary surprises. Through 2019 you can experience the fashion of Africa, which ranges from streetwear to couture, experimental and conventional.
Waterford Treasures in Waterford, Ireland boasts the world’s first Viking virtual reality adventure. Instead of just one museum, Waterford Treasures encompasses three locations all within a few feet from each other. The “epic tour” shows off six national monuments and goes through over 1100 years of Viking history with tour guides in period costume. There are interactive coloring stations along with delightful life-sized mannequins in medieval clothing and armor – and even weapons for visitors of all ages to “practice” and engage.
The Zoom Kindermuseum in Vienna, Austria has play areas for kids as young as eight months. If your child is three to twelve years old there are a plethora of art workshops, and for the older adolescents, there is a hands-on animated film studio. At Zoom Kindermuseum children can weave a rug, dance karaoke, design ornaments, create patterns, answer quiz questions, practice Arabic letters, learn about unusual welcome rituals, and even bake cookies. While most museums cater to older children, Zoom offers areas for the younger ones with various play activities designed to engage motor skills, cognitive, and social abilities. Here they have colorful objects, inclined planes, a water mattress, and a tunnel of mirrors designed just for your growing infant and toddler.
If you make it Moscow, Russia, check out the Darwin Museum with over 400,000 taxidermied animals. It was established in 1907 as the world’s first museum on evolution. There are segments that demonstrate all sorts of biodiversity through tropical rain forests, dry savannahs, wet seascapes, mountain habitats, and marine life. A few of the cases include fauna that animate and bring reality closer with screens that allow you to “interact” with the beasts behind the glass. There is also a play area for children under seven – while unrelated to evolution, it can provide a welcome reprieve to burn off extra energy and give the parents a break.
This list would not be complete without The Children’s Museum in Brussels. Designed to be completely kinesthetic and hands-on with stages and scenery, wooden toys, and workshops, this museum encourages children to discover the world around them in the most tactile way possible. Each exhibit is designed to stimulate all of the five senses and provide a memorable and fun experience through interactivity.
Most Unique Museums for Children
For the game lovers, Computer Games Museum (Computerspielemuseum) in Berlin, Germany is devoted to the evolution of games and their interactive nature. More than 300 exhibits animate the history of playing games in the 21st century. Their collection includes more than 25,000 computer games and applications, 300 consoles and computer systems, arcade game machines, literature, archived documents and objects, merchandising goods, and videotapes.
The Toy Museum in Vilnius, Lithuania has the oldest, most popular, rarest, smallest, biggest, and the most expensive toys found in the world. Advertised as being for ages four to ninety, everyone gets an opportunity to play with toy replicas, participate in workshops, listen to fairytales, and take part in discussions and conversations with professional educators. The toys begin from the 12th century onwards: with a whirligig from the 14th century from a local excavation site, teddy bears and wooden vehicles made in Lithuania during the Soviet period, and an array of tactile toy opportunities.
The Horniman Museum and Gardens in London, England has a variety of options so you’ll never get bored of one subject. The museum boasts an animal walk with an aquarium, along with a music gallery of over 1300 international objects, next to a Natural History gallery of taxidermy, skeletons, and fossils. The music gallery has an array of instruments from around the world, and includes interactive tables to discover new sounds. Over fifteen aquatic exhibits house fish from British ponds, South American jungles, and Fijian coral reefs. Make sure you plan extra time to wander in this museum to explore each of these distinct areas!
If your kids get hyped about fast cars, then visiting the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy is a must see. While you’re there, you can take advantage of a shuttle bus tour of the Ferrari factory and race track. The cars date from different eras, including new ones with custom luxury outfitting. When you and your kids need a break from exploring museums, head to the Ferrari café for refreshing snacks, coffee, and even (for you) a beer.
The German Spy Museum Top Secret Museum in Oberhausen, Germany promises to delight with a look at espionage through the ages. You’ll learn about gadgets and technological achievements of intelligence agencies, legends around the expert spies – real and myth. Check out the pistol that shoots chemical substances to mark people and objects, eavesdropping equipment, and intelligence services ciphering paraphernalia.
[Written April 2018; Updated November 2024]
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