Museums spend nearly $2 billion dollars on educational programming, with the majority of the annual budget going towards K-12 education. There are so many different ways museums help educate and support kids.

There is no shortage of research out there showing the tremendous impact museums have on kids. Here are five amazing benefits museums provide for kids of all ages.

1. Critical Thinking

With a wide variety of exhibits like the interactive grocery store roleplay at The Children’s Museum of Phoenix, a children’s museum provides countless opportunities for kids to learn and improve their critical thinking skills.

2. Inspiration and Curiosity

A children’s museum should inspire and excite kids. Kids will leave wanting to learn more about a particular topic they were introduced to at the museum. A child who loves to learn is a child who grows up into an adult that is a lifetime learner!

3. Imagination

At the creative workshop at the Phoenix Children’s Museum, a child will get to stretch the limits of their imagination! They will get to explore a world of purple sparkly clouds and neon green horses galloping across oceans made of lemon Jello.

4. Literacy

A children’s museum will enhance reading skills. That’s especially true for a museum that offers unique opportunities and spaces for a child to sit down and pick up a book or listen to a story being read aloud. A fun museum for kids generally has a huge variety of nonfiction and fiction books to choose from.

After they read about a specific topic, there might also be supplemental activities or exhibits at the children’s museum to really enhance and support what they just read. This creates a greater impression.

5. Family Bonding

A parent who takes their child to kids museums will create a special bond with that child. They’ll be able to play a part in some extraordinary memories! There’s something unique and magical that happens while parents and kids enjoy a kids museum and that bit of magic carries over into meaningful discussions and laughter-filled conversations, months afterward.

Have you ever been to the Children’s Museum of Phoenix? What’s your favorite exhibit? If you have never been to the museum, what’s one exhibit you’re looking forward to seeing for the first time? And if you’ve never been, there’s never been a better time to check out our innovative offerings.