Child-friendly art galleries are fantastic places to visit with young children. We were invited to the Wolverhampton Art Gallery last weekend for a bloggers’ tea party and to try out the gallery and activities it offers. The crucial thing we look for in a gallery or museum is that there are lots of hands-on things for the children to do – and the Wolverhampton Art Gallery was fantastic.

B loved to art room where there was a table full of junk modelling supplies and she got stuck in to make a secret door treasure chest. There were staff on hand to help locate sticky tape and scissors but the children were free to stay as long as they liked and use as many of the resources as they wanted to. B loved the sensory room upstairs where you are positively encouraged to touch all the exhibits – lots of textures to explore, drawers to open with smelly and touchy-feely contents, and materials to make something of your own. There is a ‘Stories‘ exhibition running there until 4th September which offers a place to read and play, whilst relaxing on turtle and toadstool cushions, surrounded by beautiful art works. There’s also some dressing up fun to be had too – you can see B loved that!

The Wolverhampton Art Gallery has a full programme of events for children including a regular pre-school group and entrance to the gallery is free. We loved our visit and I’m hoping to visit the Bilston Craft Gallery soon, which is their sister site.

If Wolverhampton isn’t local to you there are lots of other galleries which welcome children with all sorts of hands-on events. Including:

Family Tour and Draw at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Big Art for Little Artists at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool

Family Activities at the Tate in Cornwall, London and Liverpool

So why not take the kids to a gallery this summer and let them get inspired to create some art of their own? If you have a great kid-friendly gallery to recommend, please let us know in the comments.