Maracas in hand, my little boy wanders freely through the treasure room | Art and design

Ohh, for the days of the baby sleeping in the cradle. It must have pissed off the more experienced parents when I started singing about how easy it was uniqueit was bringing my child to a museum or museum. Now he is a small child who can change direction like a squirrel and is taken by the word “no”. And I’m starting to wonder: should we stick to shows and events that target kids?

I’m not a joiner, and the idea of ​​play-alongs and singalongs is enough to send me running. And yet, here I am, parking the stroller, untying my son and walking him, nervously, into the “family entrance” of the place. Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

Five stars, crying! Or if he could, riding on a horse, glittering with silver armor. I slowly coax him into the next gallery – Art of the Near East – where we find a couple of parents and children and several smiling staff. I brace myself, waiting for instructions, but it is clear that these events – free to attend; there’s no need to read – it’s child-led and relaxed (no relaxation, no organized fun). There is a table with pencils and paper. Big, squashy cushions and striped carpets. Books and binders, musical instruments and colorful fabrics, which children are allowed to play with, or not.

When I think of children’s sections in museums, I see a walled off area with art and adults appreciating it. Special areas where children can be noisy and run and show their interest. Not so at Fitzwilliam. On the floor of the house are gleaming cabinets filled with ceramics, pottery, glass and metal. The space we’re in opens up to another, and another, and another, each with floor-to-ceiling displays. With a maraca in each hand, my son wanders freely between the rooms, enjoying the ceramic dogs, horses, deer.

“We’re absolutely committed to welcoming young children, but we recognize that museums aren’t built for them, they’re built for adults,” says Kate Noble, assistant professor of museum engagement. That’s why they pay attention to putting things at the children’s level and offering services that are focused on the collection. There are markers for children to create tiles under the guidance of those on display (free writing is also encouraged) and foam blocks that match the decorative patterns.

“Part of our argument is that you don’t really need to have a special show for kids, because kids really enjoy the same art that adults enjoy,” says Noble. “They can see it and understand it in different ways, and obviously there are some things that are easier to explain to them.”

Kneeling before the carp-like nareni – “shaki!” my son screams – it occurs to me that I might not have seen this amazing place (or the salt pork crayfish beside it) if it weren’t for him. If he hadn’t been shaking his maracas on the plate drawer, I wouldn’t have picked up the smelly bunnies in the middle of the plate.

Michael Corley, associate director of education and public programs, tells me that he recently saw a child looking at a picture while playing with a trolley full of supplies for families to use at the museum. “I think that’s the longest I’ve ever seen anyone in a museum looking at a painting,” he said. I don’t think we would have done that.

To my surprise, we – and I mean we – are having so much fun at the download that I forget about my plan to rush out early and see the ancient Egyptian exhibit upstairs. When we got off the high ground, I’m glad we made the effort. The staff here are friendly, too: a woman looks at my son and asks to show him a dog on a 3,300-year-old papaya tree. There are tomb paintings and cases of women. It is beautiful and fascinating. But the feeling of freedom in basements is difficult, and it wasn’t long before my son had the carrier. When he refers to our trip as “done everything”, I am with him.

The monthly family breakdown was born out of research that Noble and former colleague Nicola Wallis have been conducting for almost a decade. “If you weren’t brought to a museum as a child, it can be scary to do that as a parent, when you’re learning about your child and how to interact with them in public,” says Noble. “This section is the first word to be in the museum with your child.

Don’t expect to find us on kid-only forums from now on, but this has made me feel comfortable with them. Oh, and if I had one complaint, it would be that the entrance is dangerously close to the shop. You try to drive the squirrel away from the brightly colored books and toys and crayons.

Three other children-oriented sections within the museum

Toddle Tours at MK Gallery, Milton Keynes

Mini Masterpieces at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London