Museums welcome families with Kids Aloud events this summer

Two children sit on a wooden floor sketching amid oversized colourful model flowers in a gallery room.
24 Jul 2026

Over 60 museums are programming special kid-focused activities this summer as part of Kids Aloud – an initiative encouraging young children and families to visit museums and galleries during the summer holidays.

For the third year running, the National Art Pass's Kids Aloud initiative is highlighting family-friendly events at museums and galleries across the UK over the summer.

It comes as new research reveals that two thirds of parents are "too embarrassed" to take children to museums or galleries.

A survey of 1,000 UK parents, commissioned by Art Fund, found that two thirds of parents of children under the age of 11 (65%) are too worried or embarrassed to take their children to museums or galleries this summer – despite nine out of ten believing visiting them is beneficial.

Concerns around noise (33%) and damaging items (32%) top the list, while a quarter (25%) say worries about their children disturbing others would stop them from going. A further fifth (18%) feel they’d be judged by others.

Parents feeling that museums and galleries are ‘not for people like me’ (33%) could be impacting children’s exposure to art and culture.

Kids Aloud: Encouraging families to visit museums during the summer holidays

Museums participating in Kids Aloud include the Foundling Museum in London, St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff, Perth Art Gallery, and FE McWilliam Gallery in Northern Ireland. Events range from ‘Shake, Rattle + Stroll’ workshops at V&A Dundee to ‘Dragon’s Den: Story Time’ at Brighton Museum and a ‘Make a Nightingale’ workshop at Keats House in London.

Many events are free or discounted with a National Art Pass, helping families save during the summer holidays.

You can find the full list of participating venues and events on the Kids Aloud page.

Kids are joined by TV presenter Konnie Huq for the Kids Aloud launch event at the Foundling Museum in London. They are looking at a large purple and blue paper flower display and smiling.
Kids are joined by TV presenter Konnie Huq as they enjoy activities hosted by Art Fund, at the Foundling Museum, London
Art Fund

Visiting a child-friendly museum keeps children entertained

Art Fund is today reinforcing its message that children should visit a museum or gallery with their school at least once a year – something which is not mandated in the National Curriculum, despite 72% of parents surveyed supporting this. One in seven parents in the survey (14%) say their under 11s have not been to a museum or gallery in the past 12 months.

The research found that visiting a child-friendly museum or gallery keeps children entertained and engaged for longer than watching television. Parents report that their children on average can remain fully engaged for around 49 minutes on average at a museum or gallery versus 47 minutes while watching TV.

Parents are also sold on the benefits – nine out of ten (90%) believe that visiting a museum or gallery is good for their children – with ‘exposing them to new ideas, places and cultures’ (61%) and improving creativity and imagination (57%) coming out as key reasons.

Half of parents (50%) also believe that it helps them to have a break from screens, and that it helps with their school education (49%).

Summer holidays can be a juggling act for families trying to manage screen time and cost whilst keeping children entertained – and our research suggests museums and galleries could be a great solution
Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund

With ‘too much screen time’ (41%) and ‘keeping kids entertained’ (48%) being amongst parents’ top concerns during the school holidays, free or discounted activities and entry to museums and galleries are one way Art Fund believes that parents can help keep kids happy and engaged this summer.

And designated activities do encourage parents and children into these important cultural institutions – three quarters of parents (73%) said that a local museum or gallery hosting activities specifically designed for children in the school holidays would make them more likely to visit. And 92% said that free or low-cost activities are important to them over this period.

Jenny Waldman, Director, Art Fund, said: “Kids Aloud is about showing families that museums and galleries are spaces where children can be curious, playful and fully themselves – all while discovering something new away from screens. With a National Art Pass offering free or discounted entry to hundreds of family-friendly museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, we hope more families will discover inspiring and affordable days out together this summer.”

National Art Pass

Great savings for all the family

Save on your next day out – and the next. With discounts at 100s of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, a National Art Pass helps you save all year long. Add Plus Kids to your membership for just £15 so little ones can enjoy the same discounts.

Get your pass

Kids Aloud events across the UK

A full list of the venues offering family-friendly events this summer is below.

  • Amersham Museum – Amersham

  • Attenborough Arts Centre – Leicester

  • The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge – Canterbury

  • Beckford’s Tower & Museum – Bath

  • Bletchley Park – Milton Keynes

  • Bow Street Museum of Crime and Justice – London

  • Brighton Museum & Art Gallery – Brighton

  • Churchill War Rooms – London

  • The Clockworks – London

  • Compton Verney – Warwickshire

  • Dales Countryside Museum – Hawes

  • The D-Day Story – Portsmouth

  • Derby Museums – Derby

  • Discover Bucks Museum – Aylesbury

  • Discovery Point & RRS Discovery – Dundee

  • Eastbury Manor House – London

  • Elizabeth Gaskell’s House – Manchester

  • Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art – London

  • FE McWilliam Gallery – Banbridge

  • The Fitzwilliam Museum – Cambridge

  • Foundling Museum - London

  • Fulham Palace – London

  • Gilbert White’s House – Selborne

  • Harewood House – Leeds

  • Hastings Contemporary – Hastings

  • Herschel Museum of Astronomy – Bath

  • HMS Belfast – London

  • Hopetoun House – South Queensferry

  • Hove Museum of Creativity – Hove

  • Keats House – London

  • Kirkleatham Museum – Redcar

  • Leeds Museums and Galleries – Leeds

  • Lightbox Gallery & Museum – Woking

  • Lightroom – London

  • The McKechnie Institute – Girvan

  • The Mosaic Rooms – London

  • Museum of Classical Archaeology – Cambridge

  • Museum of East Asian Art – Bath

  • Museum of Oxford – Oxford

  • National Coal Mining Museum – Wakefield

  • National Emergency Services Museum – Sheffield

  • National Galleries Scotland: Modern – Edinburgh

  • National Museum Cardiff – Cardiff

  • National Museum of Flight – East Lothian

  • Newlyn Art Gallery – Newlyn

  • No. 1 Royal Crescent – Bath

  • Norton Priory Museum & Gardens – Runcorn

  • Nottingham Contemporary – Nottingham

  • Penlee House Gallery & Museum – Penzance

  • Perth Art Gallery – Perth

  • Petersfield Museum – Petersfield

  • QUAD – Derby

  • The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum – Winchester

  • Royal Pavilion – Brighton

  • Royal West of England Academy – Bristol

  • Royston Museum – Royston

  • Rozelle House Galleries – Ayr

  • Salford Museum & Art Gallery – Salford

  • Serpentine – London

  • South London Gallery – London

  • St Fagans National Museum of History – Cardiff

  • Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery – Carlisle

  • Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens – Durham

  • V&A Dundee – Dundee

  • Victoria Art Gallery – Bath

  • West Berkshire Museum – Newbury

Find out more about Kids Aloud and family-friendly events across the UK.

© Art Fund 2026. “Art Fund” is the operating name of the National Art Collections Fund, a charity registered in England and Wales (209174) and Scotland (SC038331)