What is a Children's Museum?

According to the Association of Children’s Museums, ‘children's museums are institutions committed to serving the needs and interests of children by providing exhibits and programs that stimulate curiosity and motivate learning.’

• Children's museums like Eureka! aim to bring children and families together to inspire lifelong learning through play
• Children’s museums are, as traditional museums, custodians of learning
• Exhibitions are created by adults for children - the creative process involves children by consulting them to ensure that both the content and the educational approach are appropriate
• A children’s museum is a non-elitist institution, aiming to be accessible to all members of the public and integrating people with disabilities wherever possible
• It is also a meeting point for all those concerned with children and their future, whether parents, teachers, child care professionals, or industrialists
• Children's museums aim to develop in young children a knowledge of themselves and their environment, providing areas where the child will face diverse situations rich in experience
• Exhibitions in children’s museums are characterised as being hands-on and multi-sensory
• Children's museums recognise that learning occurs as the result of direct interaction with the environment
• Children’s museums are child-centred and encourage active learning
• The process of learning and not the end-product is important
• Children set the pace at which they proceed
• The parent, teacher or museum educator’s role is to create situations which challenge children to ask questions and discover and for them to interact socially with other children.