Anway, Andrew and Neal Mayer. “Shaping the Space: Designing for Kids.” (2010)

Most adult-focused exhibitions are designed around a topic whereas exhibitions for children are designed for someone. The chapter discusses how to design history exhibitions for children by focusing on their skills and strengths. Successful exhibitions will combine a child’s natural desire to explore, while respecting developmental and cognitive skills. Since the mid ’90s universal design, which incorporates design elements for all abilities, has become mainstream. When designing history exhibitions for children, it is important to incorporate elements that enable intergenerational learning. Just as empathy is important for historians when turning to the past, it is also important in exhibition design to think about the audience first. It is also very important to incorporate questions and answers into the design of a history exhibition for children. It is also essential to understand what kids already know, and what they want to know in order to ascertain what the visitor experience will be. The physical design of the space is also important and this ranges from choosing the materials, colours and textures of the space to the space itself and the historical theme. Understanding what assets the museum exhibition space possesses, and how they can be manipulated to better serve the museum visitor, is important. The author concludes the chapter with seven keys to designing successful exhibitions for children: believe in the competency of kids, design for different age abilities and interests, appeal to a range of senses, design for self-evident entrances and exits, showcase stories, be authentic, and design from the perspective of 1 meter high.