Muddy Stilettos

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1274" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/li-lin-3Dqzws0Py_w-unsplash.jpg" alt="Unsplash girl looking at picture in a museum" class="wp-image-116162" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/li-lin-3Dqzws0Py_w-unsplash.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/li-lin-3Dqzws0Py_w-unsplash-471x600.jpg 471w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/li-lin-3Dqzws0Py_w-unsplash-785x1000.jpg 785w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Let’s be honest – the idea of taking your kids to a gallery or museum can feel about as relaxing as herding caffeinated cats. Will they run riot? Touch priceless artefacts with sticky fingers? Loudly ask why that statue isn’t wearing trousers? Probably. But stay with us – because there’s a brilliant new shift happening in UK culture spaces, and you’re going to want in.



National charity <a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/plus-kids?utm_medium=article&amp;utm_content=feature+kids_aloud&amp;utm_campaign=nap+2025+general&amp;utm_source=muddystilettos.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Art Fun</a><a href="https://www.artfund.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">d</a> has relaunched its initiative called <a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/kids-aloud?utm_source=muddystilettos.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=nap+2025+general&amp;utm_content=feature+kids_aloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kids Alou</a><a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/kids-aloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">d</a>, which flips the script on “Shhh!” culture. This summer, museums, galleries and historic houses across the Muddy counties are hosting time slots and events where it’s totally fine for kids to be noisy, energetic and, well, kids. 



Better still, you can snag a trial <a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/plus-kids?utm_medium=article&amp;utm_content=feature+kids_aloud&amp;utm_campaign=nap+2025+general&amp;utm_source=muddystilettos.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Art Pass</a> this summer for a mind-bogglingly good value £20 and enjoy three months of discounted entry to Kids Aloud venues – plus perks in cafés and gift shops which makes days out over summer waaaaay more affordable. It&#8217;s pretty much a no-brainer! And in case you&#8217;re still unsure about taking your high octane kids into the culture zone, read on.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-museums-amp-galleries-are-fun">1. Museums &amp; galleries are fun</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="2560" height="1704" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-scaled.jpeg" alt="Kids and families at the Garden Museum.jpg" class="wp-image-116316" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-600x399.jpeg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-1000x666.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-1536x1022.jpeg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kids-and-families-at-the-Garden-Museum.jpg-2048x1363.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></figure>



Forget the “don’t touch” museum halls of yesteryear. Today’s galleries know they need to capture attention spans shorter than a TikTok reel. Think climbing, crafting, rolling down hills and installations made for little fingers. If your kid can spend 45 mins poking an empty cereal box, imagine what they’ll do with a giant inflatable art installation. Amongst the many possibilities, kids can make their superhero at <a href="https://www.artfund.org/explore/events/2025/07/26/lego-bricks-creative-superheroes-crafts-6870f424a8437" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Herbert Art Gallery &amp; Museums</a> in London, head to <a href="https://www.artfund.org/explore/events/2025/08/18/snarks-and-riddles-6878b7a1961a0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Oxford&#8217;s Story Museum</a> to solve riddles and puzzles through an interactive Snarks and Riddles immersive installation inspired by the imaginary worlds of Lewis Carroll, or create Soft Sculptures in <a href="https://www.artfund.org/explore/events/2025/08/09/saturday-soft-sculpt-686e737a86caf">Henry Moore Studios &amp; Gardens, Much Hadham</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-it-s-good-for-their-brains">2. It&#8217;s good for their brains</h2>



According to&nbsp;Art Fund, 92% of parents agree that cultural days out are good for their kids – and they’re right. Art and history trips boost creativity, fire up the imagination, and encourage actual family conversations that don’t involve the words “tablet time”. Plus, let’s not pretend we’re above a bit of screen-free smugness. With over 50 activities part of Kids Aloud, including crafts, sculpting, trails and tours, there’s plenty to keep the kids amused.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-they-re-not-just-staring-at-dusty-portraits">3. They’re not just staring at dusty portraits</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/julia-PW6cOJfMB-U-unsplash.jpg" alt="Unsplash, girl doing art in an gallery " class="wp-image-116160" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/julia-PW6cOJfMB-U-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/julia-PW6cOJfMB-U-unsplash-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/julia-PW6cOJfMB-U-unsplash-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Most modern museums have kid-friendly spaces and interactive activities and now double as hands-on creative hubs. From craft rooms to sound labs and digital exhibits, it’s all designed for interaction. Case in point: <a href="https://www.artfund.org/explore/events/2025/07/30/foundling-museum-x-kids-aloud-686fd1062e054" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Foundling Museum</a> in London is teaming up with Kids Aloud to run summer workshops every Wednesday (30 July–27 Aug), inspired by its moving and fascinating collection, whilst <a href="https://www.artfund.org/explore/events/2025/07/29/creative-drop-in-activities-6865422889714">Chippenham Museum</a> in Wiltshire has creative drop in sessions every Tuesday and Thursday (29 July &#8211; 28 Aug), from 10.30am to 3.30pm, for free ‘fashionable’ activities inspired by its summer exhibition Threads: Clothing, Memory and Identity. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-they-re-learning-and-don-t-even-realise-it">4. They’re learning and don’t even realise it </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/nick-fewings-b0rbVE6olh8-unsplash.jpg" alt="Art unsplash " class="wp-image-116158" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/nick-fewings-b0rbVE6olh8-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/nick-fewings-b0rbVE6olh8-unsplash-600x450.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/nick-fewings-b0rbVE6olh8-unsplash-1000x750.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The best kind of education? The sneaky kind. Wandering through museums and galleries are a fantastic way of helping kids learn outside the classroom, from improving listening and observation skills to history lessons and widening their world view. They also learn about storytelling, and empathy – all under the radar. And if they can tell the difference between Baroque and Brutalism while they&#8217;re absorbing the world around them, all the better! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-it-s-not-just-about-the-art">5. It’s not just about the art</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/brooke-balentine-UjAbmlOKkCQ-unsplash.jpg" alt="Unspash man and daughter in art gallery " class="wp-image-116161" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/brooke-balentine-UjAbmlOKkCQ-unsplash.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/brooke-balentine-UjAbmlOKkCQ-unsplash-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/brooke-balentine-UjAbmlOKkCQ-unsplash-1000x667.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Let’s not pretend kids are only here for the art. They love a cavernous building (stairs! echoing halls! secret corners!) and, crucially, the&nbsp;shop. Somehow every museum shop is 93% better than a toy store. Add in cafés with cakes the size of their heads, the V&amp;A and Natural History Museum have outside space for burning off sugar, and the all-important snack stops, and you’ve nailed the perfect afternoon out.



INSIDER TIP: Grab a <a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/plus-kids?utm_medium=article&amp;utm_content=feature+kids_aloud&amp;utm_campaign=nap+2025+general&amp;utm_source=muddystilettos.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">National Art Pass</a>, it will save you money at all the museums mentioned above to truly make the most of the summer hols. With Kids Aloud, you’ll find welcoming, relaxed vibes all summer long. Expect more interactive tours, craft corners, storytime events, and – yes – less tutting from other grown-ups.



Now go forth and get cultural – jam hands and all.



<a href="https://www.artfund.org/national-art-pass/kids-aloud?utm_source=muddystilettos.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=nap+2025+general&amp;utm_content=feature+kids_aloud" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Discover more about Kids Aloud</a>

Kids Aloud: Why museums are brilliant for noisy, curious, can’t-sit-still kids

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