Capturing young visitors' imagination: trails and audio guides for children

Providing a visit experience suited to young visitors is essential for museums and cultural sites. Thanks to trails designed specifically for different age groups and the use of innovative tools, children can discover cultural treasures in a playful and educational way — provided the right balance is struck between play and learning.

Trails tailored to every age

The needs of young visitors vary considerably depending on their age. To meet them, it is crucial to offer suitable trails:

• Pre-school (ages 3-5): short trails with simple stories and easy-to-understand words. The audio guides use fictional narratives, often carried by animated characters, and can include songs and fun sound effects to hold the attention of the youngest children.
• Primary school (ages 6-9): more complex narratives and more varied interactions, with educational games, interactive quizzes and riddles to solve, within longer and more detailed stories.
• Pre-teens (ages 10-12): more detailed information and intellectual challenges. This age group understands more abstract concepts and appreciates in-depth explanations of history, science or art, as well as expert interviews, short documentaries and puzzle games.
• Teenagers (ages 13 and up): an audio guide intended for adults may be appropriate, offering a gentle transition to more mature content, with discussions of the historical and cultural contexts of the exhibitions.

The importance of storytelling

A good story, well written and well performed, can captivate young minds and spark their enthusiasm. Audio guides and video guides must offer engaging narratives, performed by talented actors, to truly carry children away on an imaginary journey. This immersive storytelling allows them to connect emotionally with the stories and characters, making the visit memorable.

Technologies in the service of children

Video guides equipped with screens and smartphone applications play a crucial role in engaging young visitors. At the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, we pioneered the use of video guides with creative interfaces for children's programmes: exhibitions such as "Chagall connu et inconnu" and "Visions du futur" demonstrated the importance of imagery and playful interfaces, followed by ever more sophisticated programmes for Chenonceau and the town of Noyon.

Image recognition and augmented reality also deliver remarkable results: children, accustomed to the morphing effects and visual interactions of video games, see real-time transformations that capture their imagination.

Finally, the Audiopen is a device much loved by young visitors. Simple and playful, it makes it easy to move around thanks to an interactive visit map: by pointing the pen at an area, children trigger audio commentaries, stories or quizzes. It leaves a tangible souvenir of the visit — the map — and can also cater to the very young thanks to symbols, drawings and pictures for those who cannot yet read.

Play in the service of learning

Play is a central element of many children's projects, and "serious games" and "escape games" are enjoying growing success, particularly when designed for families. In the Audiopen, quizzes are especially popular: they require children to stay focused and aid memorisation, encouraging them to find the answers by interacting with the exhibitions.

Children's trail or family trail?

Family trails are particularly valued because they bring the generations closer together: parents explain more complex concepts, children ask questions and express their curiosity. Trails can be designed for this interaction, offering shared or parallel routes for different generations, allowing dialogue and shared memories.