The problem of play in children’s museums

Abstract

Play is central to the purpose of most American children’s museums and often highlighted as an attribute that makes them distinct from other types of museums and informal learning institutions. However, play is also problematic in that it is often ill-defined and ill-understood within society more broadly. This article describes a recent research study conducted by The Children’s Museum Research Network. The study’s purpose was to better understand how children’s museums conceptualize play and how they position themselves and their work relative to play. Professionals were interviewed at 49 children’s museums. Results suggest that while the majority perceived play as important for their mission, only half of the respondents said their children’s museum had the word play in its mission and even fewer had institutional definitions of play. This reveals tensions around the concept of play and the need for the development of more robust definitions.