I’ve worked in museums and the arts for fifteen years. Once I discovered that I did not want to be a “professional” artist (I’m still an artist, I’m just a quiet one who paints for fun, not funds), I knew I wanted to work with art somehow and have been lucky enough to do so for all of my adult life. As a result, I am determined that my kids will grow up with an appreciation for culture. For museums, theater, music, art, and all that good stuff. However, this is not as easy as I anticipated. Apparently I produce children who are incapable of being still. From a very early age both my kids have resisted baby carriers, strollers, highchairs… you name it. If it restrains them from their whirlwind of insanity in any way, they don’t want it. They don’t like to stay in one place. They like to MOVE: quickly, noisily, nonstop, and generally with flailing arms. Not really what you want near you when enjoying a Symphony performance, for example. But I am on a mission.

Here are my tips if you would like to try and introduce your kids to cultural experiences without overloading the stress on you.

Disclaimer: Part of my job involves managing ARTitorium on Broadway in downtown Idaho Falls. This is a great place for your kids to experience a wide variety of art-making activities in a space designed just for them. But this article is not about art-based activities for kids, it’s about introducing them to grown-up arts participation in appropriate and low-stress ways.

• ART. Kids often perceive art museums and galleries as boring. Museums have often not helped themselves in this area, with long drawn-out docent tours and strict rules on behavior that do not encourage you to visit with small children. BUT this is changing in many places. Check online before you go – many museums have family days, with extra activities that are perfect for kids. Otherwise, they might offer backpack explorer kits or scavenger hunts to help little visitors be more engaged with their experience. Here in town, The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho has a great kids area and always has a scavenger hunt for their current exhibition. I did it with my three-year-old and it actually got him looking at and commenting on the paintings. WIN.

• THEATER. Musical theater is a perfect way to encourage restless kids to engage with a full show and get them accustomed to the theater experience. Before you go to the show, do your homework and check with the theater to find out the length of the show, whether or not there will be an intermission, and if it is appropriate for children. Find the soundtrack and listen to it with your kids. Talk about going to see it. Get them excited. Sing with them. If there’s a movie, watch it. Get a seat on an outside aisle so you can escape if you need to. Bring snacks for intermission. There are so many great local theater groups in town that you do not have to spend a fortune on tickets, so if you have to leave before it’s over – no big deal. One of my son’s first theater experiences was Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat performed by Rexburg Community Theatre and it was incredible. Spectacle shows are also great at keeping kids engaged, but they are usually much more expensive. Maybe save those until you’ve had some practice with the local groups!

• MUSIC. Ah, the Symphony. The most challenging experience for little ones in my view. The Idaho Falls Symphony often does presentations that are appropriate for younger audiences (Peter and the Wolf is the best – coming in March!) and they usually offer their wonderful “Petting Zoo” before family-friendly shows, during which kids can try their hand at different instruments and talk to the musicians. They also kick off their season with a Symphony in the Park at Freeman Park every September, which is the perfect opportunity to experience classical music in a completely no-pressure environment. For other types of music, the Idaho Falls Arts Council’s free River Concert series during the summer is a great place to bring your kids.

Overall, don’t expect your kids to behave perfectly the first time. Or the second or the third. All of these experiences come with their own rules and expected behaviors, and it is going to take practice for your little ones to learn what is appropriate and what is not. Try and find low-stress opportunities to show and to teach, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself or on them to have an amazing experience every time. Just get out there, give it a try, and leave if you need to. Schools offer so little in art, music, and drama these days that it’s down to us to make sure our kids don’t miss out entirely. I’m going to attempt Idaho Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker this December, and then the Symphony’s Peter and the Wolf in the spring with my son. Join me! I’ll bring the fruit snacks.