There is a place in nearly every country, where you can time travel. You can visit the past, observe ancient cultures and their traditions, marvel at strange, extinct creatures, and get lost in artfully placed brushstrokes.
Click start to play today’s Spell It and take a trip to the ‘museum’.
Museums are truly magical places that offer insight like no other. According to the Association of Art Museum Directors, an international collaboration between the US, Canada and Mexico, the world’s top 100 museums welcomed more than 230 million visitors in 2019 – a record figure.
While adults can spend hours in these places, children, too, can gain enormous benefits from such visits. So, if you’re looking for something to do on the weekend, why not take them to the museum? Here are some great reasons why:
1. It sparks curiosity
Generations Z (who are aged between 10 to 24 right now) and Alpha (aged zero to 9) are accustomed to receiving constant stimuli from smartphone apps, screens and streaming platforms. In a May 2013 study of 263 students studying for 15 minutes in their homes, conducted for the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, researchers found that technologies caused an enormous distraction for students – they studied for less than six minutes before switching to social media or texting. With concentration levels reducing, and a waning inclination to learn something new, it’s worth pulling children away from their screens for a few hours and showing them the beauty of the real world – and how it once used to be. It’ll make them curious, give them something new and exciting to talk about, and motivate them to learn new things and study harder.
2. It introduces them to trusted sources of knowledge
In a world where you have to sift through fake news and artificial intelligence (AI) hallucinations, it’s important to get children into the habit of learning how to distinguish fact from fiction. By showing children places where knowledge is created, and how scientists, paleontologists and academics came to their conclusions, they’ll learn the processes involved in uncovering the truth. They’ll also learn the ability of sorting trusted sources from non-trusted ones.
3. It encourages questions
Our desire to question is innate, and we launch into “Why?” and “What if?” from the time we’re toddlers. But somewhere along the way, we stop. The museum is a great place to nudge children into asking questions with no limitations – it’s an excellent way to get them to be more curious and involved, and a good bonding exercise for parents.
4. It builds listening skills
Children today tend to get distracted easily, and it can be a challenge to get them to be more focused and attentive. Museums are a place where they can hone their listening skills, thanks to qualified museum educators with lots of fascinating stories to share, educational shows, and interesting exhibits with audio support. It’s a place where they can learn to still their minds, observe and listen – all valuable traits worth pursuing.
When was the last time you visited the museum? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.
