Our family has long been steeped in the fine arts. Jeremy and I met in college as music majors, we both enjoyed drawing and painting classes as children, literature held a special place in both of our hearts, and even in the early days we enjoyed lingering over works of Rodin and Picasso. When we got eloped in down town Chicago we went directly from the courthouse to the Art Institute of Chicago. Now we work with artists and still create our own pieces. The fine arts have held such a place of prominence in our lives that we named all of our girls from literary inspiration.
It’s important to us to expose our children to a wide breadth of the arts without the label of “good” or “bad.” We share art with our girls on a regular basis, indeed, the arts permeate our daily lives and we include our children in the experience from the moment they are born. Music of just about all genres (ok, we’re not big fans of rap or techno) is a constant, all the girls take piano lessons from Jeremy (aka “The Piano Man”), they’ve dabbled in flute and violin, all of them sing, dance, take art, and read. Thankfully, we live in an area that has at least some arts opportunities including free performances of musicals, concerts, plays, dances, art film, etc. Embracing the sciences and history is important to us as well and we enjoy the natural science museum and other educational and cultural opportunities.
We are constantly tweaking how we expose our children to the arts, particularly in public settings but there are a few things we have found to be particularly helpful.
- Prepare. Talk about what they will see, hear, and experience. Discuss appropriate behavior and why (i.e. quiet voices in the museum to not distract other patrons, waiting for applause at the ballet, etc.) and practice it at home. Dress appropriately and comfortably. The paton leather shoes may look prettier for the ballet but if slippers or sneakers will be more comfortable and set you both up for a better experience walking to and from the venue and thus during the performance, nobody is going to care.
- Plan around nap times with young children. Sleepy, cranky young children seem louder and more cranky in a museum or performance setting.
- Tank them up. Have a protein rich meal before heading out to avoid the munchies or a sugar crash.
- Check out books, DVDs, and CDs at the library highlighting a particular artist or art form to familiarize the family. See if YouTube has anything related. Having a context (I love hearing my children exclaim that they saw that painting in a book or heard that aria on a CD) not only prepares them for the experience, it makes it more familiar and develops a connection. Have the books handy before and after in the car or in a bag for reference.
- Find the bathrooms before you need them. You’ll feel less frantic when the inevitable need for it arises.
- Free or low cost events, particularly in large cities, are an easy way to begin introducing children to arts and culture. Such events are often outside, an easier setting for young children and you’ll be less likely to try and force something if you didn’t pay much to attend.
- Children’s productions. Whether a professional children’s production company or a studio featuring younger students, a production for or by children will usually be tailored more for a younger audience with awareness of attention spans, energy levels, and entertaining materials.
- Explore other options. Our local library has a surprising number of events aimed at exposing the community, including children, to more of the arts and sciences. Usually a smaller audience and a free event, this can be a great way to try something new.
- If quiet will be required and specially if sitting still is important for the setting, intentionally build in some energy expending activity before and after. We usually enjoy some silly play between the van and the venue and head to a nearby park following the experience for some snacks and physical activity.
- Babywear. From infancy up into preschool, babywearing can be a lifesaver. Our youngest walker can last a lot longer in the fine arts museum if she can take a break riding on mommy or daddy’s back and the baby is worn from the get-go. Plus, babywearing can be a lot easier than navigating a stroller in a crowded space or around displays.
- Be realistic and relax your expectations. Don’t expect a 3 year old to sit through a 3 hour production, it’s not going to happen, nor is it going to end well for anyone. They may last an hour. If you’re really, really lucky. The general rule of thumb is 10 minutes for every year they are though our experience has proved they can last much longer than that if the content is engaging. Know your child though and don’t start with something too overwhelming or you’ll all get discouraged. All 8 of us can usually last an hour at the fine arts museum together and through an 1.5 hour show at the outdoor theater if we have a spot on the hill with snacks and pillows. Though this past Christmas they did sit through and enjoy their big sisters in the Christmas dance production.
- Discuss together. Ask for their thoughts. The arts and sciences aren’t just to be observed, they are to be experienced and to inspire.
- Avoid high traffic times. Houston has museum days, a weekend when the museums in the museum district throw open their doors and invite the community in for free. We did that once. It was a disaster. Long lines, crowded exhibits, full bathrooms… not so fun with young kids in tow. Instead when family asks what we’d like for birthday and holiday gifts, we request memberships to the museums so we can go whenever we’d like and frequently. Plus, several of our local museums have free days weekly that are much less crowded.
- Regular exposure. Sometimes all we can manage is hanging out in the sculpture park for a picnic lunch and some reading time or a dance party to the Firebird Suite in our living room or a game of art bingo (we also have a composer bingo, they’re not fans of that one). As much as we’d like to all go to The Nutcracker each year, we’ve settled sometimes for watching it on our TV at home (Netflicks had a few versions this past year). That’s ok.
- Bring it to life at home. Art tends to beget art, cultivate your own artists by creating your own works of art as a family. Try some science experiments, produce your own musical, make a family video, set up your own gallery show with all the family members and inviting friends to display their work for an evening of cheese squares and grape juice, etc. It will be more exciting and real to them the next time they get to experience someone else sharing their art or appreciating the natural science museum.
How do you enjoy sharing the arts and culture with your children? What tips do you have for exposing your kids to museums, concerts, and other public events of culture?
~Jessica