Go anyway.

Of course they don’t understand.

When you take a child to a museum, they won’t magically become adults, able to grasp the complexity of what’s presented on platforms or laid behind glass. They may not even be able to read the placards. They won’t be able to answer many questions on the car ride home or write an essay about what they’ve learned. (Please don’t ask them to do this.)

Why do it, then? If we don’t get what we feel is a good return on our money and time by bringing children to museums, why on earth put ourselves through that?

1. They’re introduced to the idea that they are a part of something big. Really big.

2. They become oriented to the past. This is HUGE, especially for Westerners, who tend to write off the past (unless they can weaponize it for their own social or political ends). We live in a forward-thinking culture, and we leave so much valuable knowledge in the dust. Any experience which can orient them to the past is worth it.

3. They will have a bench mark to go back to. Visiting museums and seeing various displays will stay with them, even if the memory is dormant for a while, and they can reflect on it later when the subject is brought up again.

4. They experience a sense of community, particularly if the museum centers upon local history.

5. Their worldview expands a little bit every time. New experiences and exposures to the people of the past help them to look outside themselves—something we desperately need as a culture. They’re able to empathize with how people lived in very different circumstances.

6. It increases historical empathy, a crucial element in understand the past and the people who lived there.

7. It stimulates the part of them that wants to know more. Why did women wear long dresses before the 20th Century in the West? Why did indigenous tribes trade with each other? What religious beliefs did African tribes have? Every display offers the potential for curiousity.

8. It develops a basic understanding of chronology: things change over time. They change socially, culturally, politically, economically, and so much more. Being able to visually observe those changes when they’re young helps them to grasp it in more detail as they grow.

9. It normalizes cultural experiences. When history museums become a part of your family culture, “time travel” (as I call it) becomes a regular occurrence. They expect it. They know how to act in museums. They know how to ask questions and look for the answers. They know who to go to for help if they need it.

10. They have experience to draw from when they read about a certain time period in books. The Little House on the Prairie is more alive to them if they’ve been to a prairie museum or historical village. All is Quiet on the Western Front hits differently if they’ve visited a WWI re-enactment.

So yes, it’s worth it, even if they can’t spit out answers after a trip to the museum. You never know exactly how impactful your trip was until years later.

Go to the museum.