Editors, Annie Reid and Emily Turner, check out what our national art collections have on offer.

If the choice was ours, we would both pick an art gallery over a museum for a rainy day. Our enthusiasm hasn’t been inherited by our children who are reluctant to ‘go and look at boring paintings’. There are some exceptions – kids always respond well to installations and ours joined the thousands of children who enjoyed the giant sun and more recently the slides in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern. The Serpentine Gallery is thought an acceptable venue too - sufficiently quick (there are only three rooms) and set in the middle of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, it can always be combined with a game of football or trip to feed the ducks.

However, as a general rule, the Science, Natural History and Imperial War Museums will always beat their art-stocked cousins to the shortlist. We needed to redress the balance and so last holidays picked 5 of the capital’s leading galleries and put their permanent collections to the test. We deliberately did not choose temporary exhibitions but, where on offer, we took advantage of the free kids’ activities.

Although not as overtly child friendly as many museums, the very lack of whizzy gadgetry and interactive displays makes the visiting experience less frenetic. Don’t be tempted to ‘do’ a whole gallery. The collections are vast – let your kids enjoy the fabulous space in which they are hung at their own pace; take part in a couple of activities and come back again another day. Don’t rush – part of the pleasure as a parent is that the tempo slows right down.

National Gallery
Trafalgar Square SW3
020 7747 288 (information),
020 7747 5891 (Education Dept)
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
10am–6pm, 9pm Weds
Permanent exhibition free

Location: dominating the now fully pedestrianised north side of Trafalgar Square, the imposing colonnades have been the subject of extensive renovation and redevelopment over the last five years. New entrance, much improved access between different parts of the buildings, revamped café and restaurant.

Collection: Western European art from 1250 to 1900 (when the national collection moves to Tate Modern). Botticelli, Rubens, Raphael, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Caneletto, Titian, van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne… the list is endless and impressive.

The Trail: We did the ‘Tell Me a Picture’ Audio trail: “two secret agents investigating some fishy going on in Trafalgar Square….” The tour is free but you leave a deposit and a donation is ‘suggested’. We had a headset each and I was given a list of the paintings that the trail covered – 21 in total arranged in chronological order. The ‘spy’ hook is not much more than a gimmick – there are two ‘agents’, one male, one female who are looking for clues in each painting to enable them to ‘crack’ it but there is no sense of continuity between the various pictures. This has the advantage that you can choose as many or few paintings to ‘do’ as you want.

Verdict: A hit. The banter between the two ‘agents’ was excellent and on several occasions my kids were laughing out loud. Most importantly, they really made them look at the pictures – they told them stories, background, made them question what the artist was trying to achieve, whether they liked it. My three (aged 5 to 8) were totally enthralled for well over an hour. Perfect for a group with different ages who you want to go round at the same pace. Great as a parent as you can enjoy the paintings yourself with minimal input. The lazy option!

Other free activities: Winged Things paper trail. Spot a range of heavenly creatures in paintings throughout the collection. Best with a group of similar aged kids so they are all finishing about the same time.

 

Pit Stops: the brasserie (run by Oliver Peyton) has a self service section and table service which is excellent but expensive. The highlight of the good children’s menu were the delicious ice creams with an array of toppings. Good shop.

National Portrait Gallery
St Martin’s Place WC2
020 7306 0055
www.npg.org.uk
Free

Location: Slightly squished in behind the National Gallery at the bottom of St Martin’s Lane although the new atrium has created a fantastic feeling of height.

Collection: portraits from Tudors to the present day. Many famous ones from history books – Henry VIII looking fat, Charles I with a pointy beard, Newton, Nelson, various plain kings and queens (Queen Anne in particular was not a looker), parliamentarians – up to the present day, which is a bit of a who’s who of arts/showbiz and monarchy. The children were much more interested in the historical portraits – C20th portraits didn’t grab them, much to my disappointment.

The Trail: We did the Tudors Activity back pack. Pick it up from the main desk. A chunky blue backpack, filled with plastic wallets each containing a different activity for use in the three Tudor galleries. We had a puzzle, some fabrics and some clothing/accessories to find.

The Verdict: some of the activities worked well. The children loved actually holding the hat, locket, quill that they had to find in the paintings and enjoyed dressing up as ‘Tudor’ portraits. There was a fun activity with a white mask which made them think about make up and beauty and how that has changed over time. Several of the activities were less successful however. Could do with a bit of a re-vamp. Timing: 30 minutes max.

Pit Stops: Rather cramped café in the basement next to the bookshop (small children’s section). A restaurant on the top floor has good views of London but is not particularly child friendly. There is nowhere for picnics. Small shop.

 

In the vicinity: If you don’t go into Trafalgar Square, you could head up to Covent Garden or there is a huge Hagen Daaz in Leicester Square.

Tate Modern
Bankside
SE1 9TG
020 7887 8888
www.tate.org.uk
Free entry

Location: Going across the no longer wobbly bridge (Blackfriars tube – district/circle line) is all part of the excitement. The building itself is overwhelming for an adult and children get an exaggerated sense of the proportion. Going home, we caught a boat to the north side of the Thames with a live commentary. You could also take the Tate boat across to Tate Britain.

Collection: the UK’s national collection of ‘international modern art’, which means it picks upwhere the NationalGallerystops in 1900. Highlights include Rothkos, Hockney, Warhol and Miró. The most memorable painting for the children (aged 7 and 4) was Matisse’s Snail.

Start programmes: these run weekends (11am–5pm) and holidays (except Mon). Discuss with the Start team which of the eight activities suits your party. My 7 year old boy chose the detective one and was sent off to the two Surrealist galleries to find, amongst other things, an apple and feather and a bowler hat. Each activity lasts approximately half an hour – three is about the limit on one visit – and you are encouraged to go back to the Start team with your findings. There are also activities that you can continue at home.

The Verdict: Maybe we were lucky and had an exceptionally enthusiasatic member of Start, but he managed to inspire my, otherwise sceptical when it comes to art, 7-year-old who eagerly carried out the assignments. 7 is about the youngest age for the activities but if you have younger children in tow, they are given colouring pencils and colouring in to keep them occupied.

Other free activities: Pick up a pack of Tate Teasers at Reception, a series of activity trails made up of a booklet of six cards – each with a different activity.

Pit stop: Café 2 is the most suitable for families and was a highlight of the trip, with a great children’s menu, including spaghetti and meatballs, knickerbocker glory and fresh squeezed juices. I had excellent Moroccan chicken – overlooking the river.

 

In the vicinity: Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and St Paul’s north of the river. It is fun to soak up the atmosphere of the South Bank.

Tate Britain
Millbank
SW1P 4RG
020 7887 8888
www.tate.org.uk
10.00am-17.50pm. First Friday of each month, 18.00-22.00
Free entry

Location: on the Embankment between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges. Nearest Tube: Pimlico (Victoria Line).

The Collection: the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day. Don’t think that the arrival of Tate Modern means all the funky avant garde stuff has gone south of the river. Tate Modern is primarily ‘international’ art. Children will love the contemporary galleries with their huge scale sculptures and multi media installations. Favourite for my kids was the massive (though reducing) pile of oranges that they were encouraged to help themselves to. Don’t miss out on the earlier galleries though. Turners galore, plus Constable, Stubbs, Gainsborough and a wonderful collection of pre-Raphaelites.

The Trail: As with everything from the Tate, the Spot the Circle trail looks good. A fold out single piece of paper with photos of 30 different circles – detail shots taken from various paintings, sculptures and everyday objects around the gallery. The idea is you go round ticking off the ones you see.

The Verdict: a good idea that doesn’t really work in practice. The photos you are looking for are not in any particular order so you cannot use it as a ‘trail’ on which to base a visit. A couple of the pictures were on loan. If you did it in the order the pictures appear, it would take forever and you would have to have eagle eyes to spot a circle unless you were actively looking for it. Has been around for a bit – could do with a re-vamp.

Other free activities: The Art Trolley is available weekends and school holidays. Pick up a tray full of art materials and head for one of a selection of chosen galleries to create your own work of art. Good fun but you are in charge so don’t try and do it with too many kids and not enough adults.

Pit stops: The basement café (tiny lift, difficult to find if you have a buggy) is self service. Small tables if you are with a big group but the children’s packed lunch is perfect. Kids help themselves to a plain white paper bag and choose from delicious fresh sandwiches, fresh fruit, raw vegetables, home made biscuits, fresh juice. Not a carton or themed box in sight. Shop has good art-related books, toys and craft materials.

 

In the vicinity: Houses of Parliament, Lambeth Palace, Tate to Tate boat.

Dulwich Picture Gallery
Gallery Rd
SE21
020 8693 5254
www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Tues–Fri 10am–5pm; weekends and bank holidays 11am–5pm; closed Mon

Location: In the picturesque village of Dulwich, opposite Dulwich Park. Designed by Sir John Soane, the gallery was the first purpose built public gallery, which opened in 1811.

The Collection: The gallery houses one of the world’s most important collections of European old master paintings of the 1600s and 1700s, including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Gainsborough and Canaletto.

The Trail: Ask for the orange Gallery Activity Pack, with lots of different activities: studying paintings in detail, finding objects and answering questions writing captions to certain areas of the painting – this activity really explores whether children ‘get’ the painting. My 7-year-old boy was really into this. Another activity is to get the child to study a painting and then draw ‘what happens next’ – the one we tried was ‘Apollo and Daphne’ and you had to draw Daphne as she changed into a tree. There is also a crossword and activities exploring different painting techniques and use of colour.

The Verdict: Excellent trail in concept; it was a pity that a number of the paintings in the trail guide were on loan. Suitable for children aged 6+.

Other free activities: very popular and challenging holiday and half term workshops. After School Art Club for 10–13 year olds.

Pit stops: In house there is a café with good food but I think it is more fun to go to Pizza Express in the village – it is an especially nice one. Also the park has a great café.

In the vicinity: Dulwich Village is a really lovely place to hang out, not only in the park, where you can hire an assortment of bicycles including tandems, but the village has some lovely shops, including Tales on Moon Lane book shop.