IT WAS a rainy afternoon, but the weather hardly dampened the merry mood at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) Open House on Sunday.

In a large function room on the second floor, a sand-art activity was taking place. Children, some of them sporting face paint, flitted excitedly from one knee-high table to another.

Next door in a dance theatre, kids boogied to tribal beats with indigenous Dayak performers.

Two years ago, there probably wouldn’t have been such scenes. But, now, museums are stepping up efforts to be more kid-friendly.

With programmes such as children’s tours, art workshops and performances, museums are increasingly opening themselves up to the family market.

The National Heritage Board (NHB), which operates eight museums in Singapore, noted that under-12s accounted for 9 per cent of all museum visitors last year. It’s a segment the NHB has identified as one with big growth potential.

A Singapore Art Museum (SAM) spokesman noted that “on a national scale, there is an increasing demand for programmes that extend beyond regular school hours”, to provide children with educational offerings in the areas of athletics and visual and performing arts.

For Mr Danny Tan, 38 – a content manager with Pico Arts International and the father of two kids, Max, seven, and Sophie, five – exhibitions are playgrounds that inspire thought.

“Max has matured a lot in the past year and I am able to explain in more depth what the museum does. I can also ask questions which challenge him to think,” he said.
Best yet, the museums are
drawing those who might not necessarily be arts-inclined.

For housewife Chin Wei Lin, 40, nothing beats free admission and a fun excursion for her four young boys over a weekend.

“We visited the Singapore Philatelic Museum and the Peranakan Museum during their open houses,” she said on her Sunday visit to the ACM.

“It’s good exposure for the kids, and they can learn about history (from the exhibits),” she said.

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