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Their First

Free family activity ·

A picture hunt

Every painting in Their First Art was chosen because a small child can see what it is from across the room. The same eyes work on real pictures: on the walls at home, in picture books, and in a museum. No app is needed for any of this.

A picture hunt at home

Pick five things to hunt for. All five hang again and again on the app’s Art wall, so a child who has met them there may find them faster.

  1. Say one thing, not five: “Let’s find an animal.”
  2. Look at what is already around you: a print on the wall, a calendar, a book cover, a postcard on the fridge.
  3. Stand back first. Let your child point from across the room before walking up close.
  4. When they find it, say the word back, and stop while it is still a game.

A first museum visit: ten minutes, three pictures

At this age a short visit that ends happily beats a long one that ends in tears. Choose a gallery with paintings and plan for ten minutes of looking.

  1. Before you go, look at the museum’s collection online and pick three pictures with one big thing in them: an animal, a boat, a bright sky.
  2. Go straight to the first one. Stop far enough back that your child can see the whole picture.
  3. Look together, then walk a little closer for one detail.
  4. See the three, then leave, even if they want more. Wanting more is the best way to remember it.

Museums ask visitors not to touch the paintings. Hands in pockets, or holding yours, makes that easy.

What to say in front of a picture

Say very little, and leave time for an answer. Your child’s first word, even “dog” for a fox, is a fine answer.

What can you see?

Where is the cat? Can you point?

I see a big blue wave.

Name what is there rather than asking for the right answer. If they look away, the picture is finished for today.

Naming the maker, the way the app does

When a picture is all uncovered, the app says its name and who made it, in one short line. Read a museum label the same way: the picture’s name, then the maker.

The Milkmaid. Vermeer made it.

When the label says the painter is unknown, say where the people lived, as the app does:

The Geese. People in Egypt made it.

Then hang one of your child’s own drawings at their eye level and give it a label in the same words: its name, and “Sam made it.” Pictures are made by people, and now they are one of them.