Fitzwilliam Museum's family drop-in lets toddlers roam among priceless ceramics

The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge hosts a monthly family-friendly drop-in where young children can freely explore galleries filled with priceless ceramics and antiquities. The session, developed from nearly a decade of research by Kate Noble and Nicola Wallis, is child-led and loosely structured, with activities like coloring, building blocks, and musical instruments placed among the displays. Deputy director Michael Corley notes that children often engage deeply with artworks when given freedom to play. The museum is committed to welcoming young children, placing objects at child level and providing collection-rooted activities, arguing that children are interested in the same art as adults. The drop-in aims to build parental confidence in museum visits.