Museum activities for children, and the childlike!
In museums you can find a lot of things to do and see for
people of all ages. With your Museum Card, you can for example set out
for adventure in ancient castles, explore a submarine on Suomenlinna
island, play at a toy museum, wash gold or climb into a plane or the cab
of a train!
On this page we collect different kinds of hints to delight children
and everybody who is childlike during the museum visit. On the page you
find information about the Children’s Museum Passport, fun Museum
Activities, links to the museums’ own activities for children and hints
for a successful museum visit with children.
Check the list of museums belonging to the category For kids, that have content planned for children in mind in their exhibitions. At the Museum Card museums listed behind these links you can find: a Nursery room, a Playing area/family area or a Space to eat packed lunch.
Children’s Museum Passport
Children’s Museum Passport is a fun way to collect markings from your own museum visits! When the adults show their Museum Card at the ticket desk, the children can show their own Museum Passport. You can ask for your own Passport at the ticket desk of any Museum Card museum. There are three kinds of passports.
Note! Children’s Museum Passport doesn’t give access to chargeable museum points.
Museum activities for kids
At a museum you can also play! At the Museum Card museums, a Museum arts and crafts task sheet is distributed, containing 4 funny tasks for the museum visit and a drawing task to take home with you. Museum activities are also found electronically on this page.
By the link below the page, you can download the digital version of the Museum arts and crafts task sheet.
In the comment field of the page, you can share your own best museum hints and museum arts and crafts ideas suitable for children!
The hunt for the secret treasure
Pick out the owner of the secret treasure amongst your group. The owner of the treasure chooses quietly for him- or herself one artwork or object in the room, that is, the treasure. The others’ task is to guess which work or object is in question. The guessers will by turns ask the keeper of the treasure questions that he or she can give yes/no answers to.
Colour Bingo
Search for colours in the museum: blue, green, yellow, red, white, black. Just one colour per artwork or object. When you have found all the colours, call out “Bingo”! The game can also be played separately in each room.
Your turn to be a museum guide
Take turns being the museum guide. The guide who is in turn chooses the work or object he or she wants. The guide tells the others what you can see in the work, or which object is in question. You can read to the others from the text presenting the work or object, about the materials of the artwork or the origin of the object.
Crazy inventions!
Everyone chooses one object in the room. Eureka! You have just made a new invention, in which all the objects you have chosen are combined. Reflect together on what this new invention could be used for.
Museums’ own activities for kids
In the museums you find a lot for children to do and wonder. To this list, which is continually updated, we add information about tasks and activities organised for children in the museums. Remember also the search categories exhibitions For kids and events For kids and For the whole family.
Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki
The Ateneum is Finland’s best-known art museum and the home of Finnish art. The images held by Ateneum are ingrained in the collective memory of the Finnish people.
Sometimes in the morning, you can hear faint purring in the Ateneum corridors. Skissi the Cat has arrived at the museum! Participate in a guided tour with Skissi the Cat or organize a birthday party with Skissi. You can also pick up a Skissi brochure from the museum’s ticket office and go for a tour by yourself. Read more from Skissi’s pages: Read more...
Non-stop workshops on most Saturdays for all for the price of the museum entrance ticket: Read more...
Visit also the page for schools: Read more...
Fiskars museum, Raasepori
Explore the life of the famous Fiskars ironworks village from 17th century to this day.
Interactive parts in the exhibitions. Open workshops during summer as well as animals living outside at the museum during summer!
Gallen-Kallela Museum, Espoo
The
museum´s changing exhibitions present the art of Gallen-Kallela and his
contemporaries as well as contemporary art having points of contact
with the life´s work of Akseli Gallen-Kallela.
Find all kinds of interesting things about the Gallen-Kallela family in the children's Senses Suitcase (Aistisalkku). As for the briefcase at the cashier.
HAM Helsingin taidemuseo, Helsinki
Art is popcorn for the brain! HAM Helsinki Art Museum looks after the art collection that belongs to the people of Helsinki.
Ask for a fun HAM-bag from the cashier. In the bag you find small activities for 3-9 year old museum visitors.
Automobile and road museum Mobilia, Kangasala
History of motoring, motor vehicles and road traffic in Finland.
There is a playing- and drawing area for children in the Mobilia exhibition hall. Children can also try to solve a detective task where children have to try to find the pictures taken in the exhibition. In Rally museum, one can practice their driving skills in Sega Rally. We always aim to have at least one vehicle in our exhibitions where children can go inside it. In our 2019 exhibition there is a Volkswagen Beetle-simulator.
Traffic Park is open in the summer for 4-12 year old children to practice driving and traffic signs. There are both lighter and heavier vehicles and always an adult monitoring the driving at the park. Children under four can play in the sandbox construction site located next to the traffic park. The newest addition to the park is a coin-operated hydraulic loader. Opening times…
In
the yard, children can find a playground and a beach. You can borrow
outdoor games. There is also a nature trail to Keisarinharju lookout
spot.
Mobilia’s mobile game On the Road for Android mobile devices is available in Google Play -store for free. Search with words “Mobilia On The Road”. There’s three different roads to drive with three cars, each representing their own era. Ford Anglia from 60´s, Volkswagen Golf from 80´s and Toyota Corolla from 2000´s. Roads are bumpy countryside gravel road from 60´s, tarmac road in forest from 80´s and a four lane motorway from 2000´s. The game is suitable for all ages.
It is possible to organize a children's party at the museum. Read more in Finnish...
Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki
Kiasma is a home of contemporary art where everyone is welcome.
Read about the tips how to visit Kiasma with kids! Read more...
Lusto – The Finnish Forest Museum, Savonlinna
Lusto is a national museum and science centre of international importance focusing on Finnish forest culture.
At Lusto you can for example climb on the 8 meter high Children's Tree, crawl in into a sleeping bear's nest or try your skills at operating forest machinery in a simulator!
Automobile and Road Museum Mobilia, Kangasala
History of motoring, motor vehicles and road traffic in Finland.
In the summer, Mobilia’s Rahtarit Traffic Park offers children (aged 4–12 years) an opportunity to learn road rules and regulations through play both as pedestrians and as pedal car drivers. There are 10 pedal cars, both light and heavy traffic vehicles, available in the traffic park.
For younger children (under 4s) there is a playground area where children can play with toy cars or try a sand digger! Read more...
Museum of Jakobstad, The Malm house, Pietarsaari
The collections of objects, photographs, art and textiles relate the maritime history and trading traditions of the town.
Embark on a treasure hunt at the museum in search of the former owner Maria Malm's lost chocolate box! Until 31.8.2018.
