01 / INTERACT
Exhibit guide · Ages vary
Interactive exhibits
Explore role-play, building, sensory stations and cause-and-effect activities. Exhibit design varies by museum.
Read the exhibit guideThe Children's Discovery Atlas
Discover museums made to be touched.
Children's museums use interactive environments to help younger visitors explore ideas through movement, observation, experimentation and play.
01—05Practical guide topics
Family-firstPlanning information
IndependentVisitor resource
Explore by doingField guide 01
Start with a subject
Five useful ways in.
Compare exhibit types, spaces and visit needs. Check venue-specific details before you travel.
01 / INTERACT
02 / FIND A SPACE
Space guide · Multiple modes
Museum learning areas
Compare art spaces, science zones, construction areas, reading corners and discovery stations.
Explore museum spaces
03 / PREPARE
Visit guide · Practical planning
Family museum planning
Plan time, breaks, food, arrival and transport details around your family's pace and the venue's information.
Plan the visit
04 / MAKE & TEST
Subject guide · Art and science
Children's art & science museums
See how making, observing and experimenting shape different kinds of museum experiences.
Compare the approaches
05 / CHECK ACCESS
Access guide · Check the venue
Accessibility & family visits
Use practical questions about routes, facilities, sensory conditions and communication when planning.
Review access criteriaA useful design lens
See → Touch → Try → Understand
This sequence is one way to read an interactive exhibit. It is not a rule for every museum or every visitor.
How interactive exhibits work- 01
See
Observe an object, space or demonstration.
- 02
Touch
Interact with materials or controls.
- 03
Try
Test an action or an idea.
- 04
Understand
Connect the experience with a concept.
Before your visit
Start with the official venue details.
Exhibits, access arrangements and visitor policies differ. Confirm current information directly with the museum.