Supporting young children’s learning from science objects: the importance of play on gallery

Abstract

Experiences during the early years shape our lives as adults, including our appreciation and understanding of science. Even though early years audiences make up a significant number of visitors in many museums, they are an under-researched age group, particularly in science museums. This paper addresses this gap by considering young children’s learning at the Science Museum in London. Two approaches to support learning from unfamiliar objects were tested with 4–7 year-olds in family groups. The first approach involved families creating a display that featured a small replica of the original object. The second approach involved displaying familiar objects or modern versions with conversation prompts next to the original objects. The testing included observations and semi-structured interviews with a total of 16 family groups. Findings show that families use play to create familiarity and context around objects. Guided play provides opportunities for families to tap into their existing understanding and interests, and in this way allows families to learn from objects. These findings highlight the importance of providing for and encouraging play on gallery to support young children’s learning from objects. Young children can successfully be supported to learn from unfamiliar objects in object-rich galleries in a science museum.