Mudpie Fridays >> London >> British Museum with kids 14 things to know before you go

British Museum with kids 14 things to know before you go

British Museum with kids. Over the weekend we took the boys to London to visit the British Museum for the first time. The boys are aged 10 and 6. We had purposefully waited until the boys were slightly older to visit the museum. One of the iconic free museums in London, there is so much to see and do that we did not get to see it all. Despite spending most of the day there. So I know that it will not be our last trip.

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British Museum with Kids

Having not visited before we learnt a fair amount on our first visit which I thought I would share. So that if you are also thinking of visiting the British Museum then you have some tips to help make the most of your visit.

Skip the queues to get into the British Museum

When we arrived at the British Museum I was shocked to see the people queueing all the way out of the museum and all the way around the corner of Great Russell Street. Having visited pre-kids to see the Terracotta Army exhibition I thought we just walked straight in! No queuing. And it wasn’t even the school holidays!

When I first saw the queue I was a little bit worried that it was going to take a long time to get in but actually it moved reasonably quickly. The reason for the queue is because of the security measures that they have in place and there was a bag check going in.

What we didn’t realise until we got to the gate was that if you have booked tickets for an exhibition you do not have to queue with everybody else. We have booked tickets to see the hieroglyphics Exhibition and therefore could skip the majority of the queue and go to an area where there are less people to get our bags checked.

I anticipate this saved us over half an hour of queueing time. Which would be even greater later on in the day as we visited in the morning. Because of the queueing times and also the sheer volume of things to see in the museum I would suggest that this really isn’t a 2 to 3 hour stop. Unless you are trying to fill some time. If you’re looking to put an itinerary together to visit London with children. I would allow at least half a day.

Maps!! and guide book

When you first arrive at the British Museum you will see a stall in front of you selling guidebooks and maps. The guidebook is available in various different languages and costs £6. It contains key things to see in each of the rooms. They were also selling a printed coloured map which has the top 10 things to see across the whole museum and costs £2.

We thought this was the only option on a map. I was wrong. We bought a guidebook only to discover if you go into the museum a little further in. You will see the information desk to your right-hand side and on the left-hand side is the family desk. Both of them have maps that are free, they are only in black and white but that’s all you need to navigate your way around.

Disorientation

Even with a map, the museum can be a little disorientating on your first visit. Well, at least we found it to be. It will take you a while to get your bearings. If you are looking for the mummies which is what we wanted to see first. Rather than enter the central courtyard with a beautiful glass ceiling. You want to be at the main entrance of the British Museum and take the south staircase up, which is to your right. This will take you up to the third floor where you will find some of the Egyptian exhibits.

We also found that having a point of reference was really important. So we used the south staircase as our point of reference once we realised that’s what it was. I am sure if you visit frequently then you will find your way around much easier.

Visit the Egyptian mummies first

If you arrive early then I would go and visit the ancient Egyptian collection and mummies first as this is one of the most popular permanent collection at the British museum. And therefore these upper-floor rooms get extremely popular. Especially when we visited the museum has special exhibitions on hieroglyphics and the world-famous rosetta stone. The Egyptian exhibits are split across two floors and it is the largest collection of Egyptian relics in the UK.

The area upstairs is where you will find most of the mummies. And the more interesting things that the children are likely to enjoy. When we visited we arrived around 11.30 am and headed here straight away. It was still easy enough to see all the exhibits and take photos if we wanted. Without it being really busy. Including mummies of cats.

You need a full day – make a plan

If you’re planning on visiting the British Museum then you really do need a whole day to try and see it all. But realistically you are probably not going to manage it all in one day. We were there until around 4 o’clock in the afternoon and probably only managed about half of it. With a short break for lunch. This means you really should go with a plan. Of what you want to say and the most important things to you.

In order to make this plan you can find a map online through the website which will give you information and allow you to decide which route you take around the museum. We knew we wanted to see the Sutton Hoo treasure, the Elgin Marbles and other Parthenon marbles and Parthenon sculptures.

Some exhibits close early

It’s really important to note that some of the exhibits close at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. One of the areas I wanted to see with the Palace of Sargon. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to it in time and so will just have to go back.

Don’t worry if you miss this information, as the opening and closing times are actually on the map that you pick up when you enter the British Museum so it is a good idea to check these and then adapt your plan accordingly.

Bones for little ones

Be mindful of the fact that some of the exhibits do have skeletons on show. We found a number of these in the history of ancient Egypt areas. And this did upset my youngest who is a little bit sensitive to these sorts of things.

So please be mindful. We did not see them anywhere else but obviously, it is part of the history of the Egyptians and therefore to be expected. This shouldn’t stop you from looking at the mummies though because actually they are exhibited well.

it was more the early Egyptian periods where you saw a number of bones and also the first mummified body which was pretty graphic for a six-year-old. If you want to avoid this then that was in room 6XXX.

Food Options – check your bill

There are a couple of places to eat within the British Museum including the Great Court Restaurant on the fourth floor.

We opted for one of the cafes in the centre of the museum in the great hall. They served a selection of different baguettes, cakes, hot drinks and cold drinks. They also had children’s lunchboxes which included a sandwich, juice drink, a piece of fruit and some popcorn for £6.50.

There is a seating and we did manage to get a seat altogether however you are dependent on people clearing up after themselves as there does not seem to be any table cleaning service going on. And we also found That they overcharged us several pounds for the supposedly discounted value meals that they offered. The value meal cost £8.95 and included a drink, a packet of crisps and a choice of baguette. When we visited the baguette choice was quite limited there was a cheese Plowman’s, ham and cheese or a chicken salad option. I found the pricing to be reasonable once they refunded us the overpayment compared to other attractions. Especially in the city.

You are allowed to bring food and drink into the British Museum obviously no alcohol or glass. But we did notice that a number of people have bought picnics and were sitting on the café benches eating them. Which then obviously reduces the number of tables available for paying guests. There is no picnic area within the British Museum that we found.

Baby facilities

There are baby change facilities located around the museum. Plus if you are bringing a buggy then you can use the lifts to move between floors and exhibits. Although it is possible to leave buggies in the cloakroom at the entrance free of charge.

Some rooms with missions

There is a lot to do for the children. Some of the rooms we found to have missions and a treasure hunt. Using your smartphone you can scan a QR code which takes you to one of the web pages on the British Museum website. Here you can hunt for clues and items within the rooms. It was a useful tactic to keep the youngest member of the family amused. I did not notice them in all the rooms. The ones we did find were near the entrance.

Kids’ activity booklets at the information centre

The families desk was closed when we visited so we couldn’t pick up the kid-friendly guide or activity backpacks. But I found that the information centre on the other side had some activity booklets and free trails.

These are free of charge and really quite substantial with fun facts and the use of themed activities. These are designed for children aged six and over and are a great way to keep little ones entertained while learning about the ancient world. You can choose a specific area of the museum and the booklet will give activities relating to the rooms in that area. We opted for the ancient Greece one which focuses on the greek sculpture rooms.

There are six different ones to choose from for older kids ages 6+. As well as two others designed for young children aged 3+. Make sure you hunt them out as they felt a bit like a best-kept secret when we picked one up.

Audio tour via an app

For adults, you can download audio guides using your phone. The app is available on both android and apple and costs £4.99 for the whole museum. Or if you would prefer you can access certain areas only and these costs either £1.99 or £2.99 depending on how much is in each part. There are QR codes located at the entrance or you can find it on the British Museum website.

Hands-on exhibits

One of the other really good things at the British Museum with kids, is that in various rooms around the museum, there are hands-on areas. These are open continuously throughout the day and allow children to touch some of the exhibits. It is a fantastic way to encourage children to ask questions of the museum curators. We always find this really good fun and the boys ask way too many questions.

Gift shops – British Museum with kids

There is a large gift shop in the centre of the museum which sells all sorts of gifts, books and souvenirs. But be warned that also have a large toy and kids book area. It is not easy to avoid unless you stay away from the centre of the museum. There is also another shop on the way out but there is not much in the way of children’s gets here. As well as the boy’s favourite shop which was next to the hieroglyphics exhibition. It had some small pocket money bits for a few pounds.

We had a wonderful visit to this brilliant place – The British Museum with the kids. There really is something for the whole family.

Have you been to the British Museum with kids, it is such a great place. Which other museums in London would you recommend for family days? I would love to hear about your top tips in the comments below.