Museum Monkeys - Activities for Under 5's at York Museums Trust

Museum Monkeys: Under 5s Activities

Please note all upcoming Museum Monkey events are cancelled due to Coronavirus. Find out more here.

York Museums Trust provides a range of activities and events for children under 5 to help them engage with the collections and exhibitions.

We currently offer two types of Museum Monkeys sessions – Museum Baby for under 2s and Early Years Explorers for ages 2-5. All sessions run during local school term times.

Sessions are now FREE! Museum admission applies for adults. (Free admission for under 5s) Booking Essential

Get 12 months unlimited access to York Art Gallery, York Castle Museum and Yorkshire Museum with a YMT Card.

Sessions run term time only.

Early Year Explorers (2-5 years old)

10.00am – 11.00am on Thursdays

Activities for children aged two to five years old which include songs, stories, games and craft activities. Sessions are based on familiar preschool play areas, which are enhanced to help children learn about the museum’ collections and exhibitions through play. Sessions are a mixture of free flow and adult led activities which all relate to the Early Years curriculum.

Early Year Explorers

York Castle Museum

Highway Robber

5^th March

Make a cardboard Tricorn hat, listen to the Highway Rat story and do the Dick Turpin trail around the museum.

Costume & Shoes

12^th March

Try on the costumes, explore the Shaping the Body exhibition and listen to the story of The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe.

*Cancelled* Traditional Nursery rhymes

*Cancelled* 19^th March

Decorate the dish to run away, with the spoon, knock Humpty Dumpty off the wall, and wash the spider down the spout.

Old fashioned wash day

26^th March

Wash the clothes in soapy water and listen to the Victorian wash day story.

Traditional Celebrations

2^nd April

Make paper bunting, play pin the tail on the donkey and listen to the party story.

Museum Baby (under two years old) Fridays, 10am – 11am

Special baby sessions linked to exhibitions, including songs and sensory activities for babies and their carers. Sessions are a mixture of free flow and adult led activities which all relate to the early years Curriculum. A perfect introduction to museums!

Museum Baby

York Art Gallery

Wood

28^th February

Make a bark rubbing & play with the bark textured blocks.

Cloth

6^th March

Discover the different texture cloth, play with rag dolls and make a den with the fabrics.

Fur & Feathers

13th March

Play in the fur feely area and make a feather collage.

Clay