Planning a Trip to the US Holocaust Museum for Kids

Museums are generally thought to be places of pleasurable exploration, but a visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC is decidedly different.   It is a heavy and heart wrenching experience that is difficult for even adults, so is a trip the Holocaust Museum really appropriate for children?

Yes.  And no.  And it depends.

Is the Holocaust Museum Child Friendly?

Like most activities for children, so much depends upon their age, maturity level, and life experiences, and a visit to the Holocaust Museum is no different.  There are some additional layers of understanding and preparation involved in visiting a museum that bears witness to such a weighty time in world history.  Considering the unique nature of the museum ahead of time will help you to determine if the Holocaust Museum is suitable for your children.

The Museum is made up of two permanent exhibits that will be the focus of your visit.  The Holocaust spans three floors of the Museum building. It presents a narrative history using more than 900 artifacts, 70 video monitors, and four theaters that include historic film footage and eyewitness testimonies.  The museum recommends that this area be toured by visitors 11 and older.  Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story, an exhibition for children, presents the history of the Holocaust through the eyes of Daniel, a Jewish who recounts his experiences through pages of his diary.   The museum recommends that this area be toured by visitors 8 and older.

Photo Credit: US Holocaust Museum

Are the age suggestions accurate?

Whenever I see age suggestions or restrictions, I immediately start to question whether they are accurate and applicable to me.  Maybe it’s just the out of the box homeschooler in me, but I just don’t like it when other people make decisions about what is and is not appropriate for my family.   More often than not, I don’t agree with the age suggestions, but in the case of the US Holocaust Museum, I think they are right on the money.

You may make a different decision for your family, but consider both the space and the subject matter as you are choosing what age to take to the museum.

Photo Credit: US Holocaust Museum

Unique Considerations Children Visiting the Holocaust Museum

It’s a given that there may be some challenges when introducing the Holocaust to children that need to be treated tenderly.  What you may not know is that the Museum itself is highly unique.  There is a certain amount of grief and pain that people experience when visiting this museum, and quite often the grief is overwhelming and public.  More than just typical tourists, this is also a museum for which many people visit to pay homage to loved ones who were lost in the Holocaust, and often even survivors come to visit.  Because of these pilgrimages made by those who were intimately touched by the Holocaust, and to preserve the reverent nature of the exhibits, in general, a standard of solemnity is requested by the staff.   As delightful as children certainly can be, solemnity is not something they are capable for sustaining through an entire museum.  Out of respect for the other visitors, some of which may be paying tribute to a time in history that scarred them personally, please be sure your children will be able to be quiet and reserved.

Age Appropriate Ways to Prepare to Visit the US Holocaust Museum with Children

• Choose a picture book that introduces the Holocaust in age appropriate ways.  We liked Benno and the Night of Broken Glass  because it was gently told from the perspective of the cat.  The Harmonica is also a good choice, as it very closely mirrors the story children will encounter in the exhibit Daniel’s Story.
• If the concept of the Holocaust is new to your children, begin by discussing the injustice rather than the atrocities.  Ask kids to consider what it is like to be punished for something they did not do.  Then, ask them to think about what it would be like to be singled out because of a trait with which they were born.  For my kids, it was easy to ask them consider what it would be like to be forced to move from their home, wear a marking, or be forced into hard labor because they had red hair. 
• Pick up a family guide at the front desk for family friendly ways to explore and understand the museum exhibits.
• Find a way to further explore the learning after the museum visit.  My kids were quiet after the visit, but had more questions in later days.  We were able to discuss more about the Holocaust after they had processed the visit.
• Connect the experience from the museum to ways that kids can make a difference today. Talk about recognizing injustice and ways that kids can stand up to unfair treatment.

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