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Family Travel to New York City: 6 Ways to Expose Your Kids to Art
Are your kids into art? Want to introduce them to more culture on your next vacation? Family travel to New York City is the perfect place to expose your kids to a variety of art forms.
5 Ways to Expose Your Kids to Art During Family Travel to New York City
Exposing your kids to art on your New York City visit doesn't have to cost a fortune, require a lot of planning, or force you to become an art expert. Creating cultural experiences can be as simple as doing the following six things.
1. Enjoy a family outing to a museum.
Given the number of museums in the area, your entire family travel to New York City could be spent visiting one museum after the next. My recommendation is to research various museum websites with your child(ren) prior to your trip, reviewing the various exhibits at each one. Then, have the family decide together, with the kids weighing in heavily, which museum(s) and exhibits you most want to visit and see.
We decided to visit the Guggenheim museum on our family travel to New York City, because we were interested in both the exterior and the interior of the building. Also, it sported a children's art exhibit, which my 9-year-old aspiring artist son was especially excited about.
2. Point out the art in the subway and train stations.
When we first arrived in New York City, my husband pointed out to our son that the New York City Subway was the largest art museum in the world. We made a fun game out of pointing out the various art on the subway walls, creative advertisements in the stations, art in the trains themselves, mosaics and other art forms on the subway station floors and walls, and even the ceiling in Grand Central Terminal.
3. Stop to check out the different street vendors selling art.
My son has taken art lessons for two years and was elated to see the various artists selling their art on the street. He decided the first night that he wanted to move to New York when he grew up so he, too, could sell artwork on the streets. Making sure to stop and check out the street vendors is a great way to expose your kids to art while on your family vacation.
4. Call out different buildings' architectural styles and take note of the various structures, statues, and art forms.
New York City boasts a variety of art in simple places, like in the structure in the middle of this fountain. Paying attention to architecture and calling out the various buildings, structures, and statues is a great way to help your kids learn that art is more than just a painting.
5. Learn about art festivals or activities and attend them.
We learned about the Museum Mile Art Festival shortly before heading on our family vacation. This annual festival takes place each June, and the entire Museum Mile is closed for pedestrian traffic only and all museums are open to the public at no cost. It goes from 6-9 p.m. in the evening and while the lines are long, you can move through a couple of museums quickly if you arrive early and leave late.
6. Encourage your kids to take pictures.
Providing your kids with their own camera and encouraging them to take pictures of the art they see around town helps them focus on the creativity that is all around them. I love this picture my son took, which perfectly captures one of his greatest loves about his stay in Times Square, all of the characters.
How do you expose your kids to art and cultural experiences on your family vacations or staycations?
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