1 Be welcoming - from the car park attendant to the curator. Emphasise that the museum is family friendly in publicity and leaflets.
2 Be interactive and hands on - where kids can touch objects, and learn to know what they are allowed to handle, and what they aren't. 'I remember my first visit to the British Museum with my father at the age of eight. I was fascinated by the Rosetta Stone. I was thrilled to be able to touch it - it was uncovered at the time - and physically connect with history.' Neil MacGregor, director, British Museum.
3 Be pushchair accessible - with lifts where there are steps, automatic doors, and a place to store a pushchair for the whole or part of the visit. 'We'd taken a buggy to the Royal Academy, just in case my youngest ran out of steam. The exhibition was very crowded, and I ended up carrying Hannah. I tried several times to park the buggy in a quiet corner, out of the way. I was told I must keep the buggy with me. However, because everyone was wearing earphones no one could hear me when I said, "Excuse me". As a result, several people nearly fell over and then complained in loud voices that they didn't think buggies were allowed!' Kate O'Donnell, reader.
4 Give a hand to parents to help their children enjoy the museum. 'Museums should recognise the need to show parents how to engage their children, so things like trails and guides should be aimed at both adults and children. If parents don't know how to talk to their children about culture, a visit to a museum might be a disaster.' Bridget Mackenzie, reader.
5 Consult with children - not just adults and parents - about what they want.
6 Be height aware -making sure that objects and art are displayed low enough for a child to see, and that signage is at a child's height. Footstools should be provided to help. 'Get down to a child's height and see how much you can see of the average painting or sculpture! Sometimes it is just a reflection of the light!' Ronni Goddard, reader.
7 Have lots of different things to do - art carts, picture trails, interactive experiences, storytelling, dressing up - so parents don't have to do all the work.
8 Produce guides aimed at children, but also ones that children and adults can use together.
9 Provide proper, good-value food, highchairs, and unlimited tap water. 'Far too often, museum cafes don't offer decent food for children. It's either novelty lunchboxes with lame sandwiches and sugar-loaded drinks or the ubiquitous chicken nuggets. Child-sized portions of adult dishes would be helpful, but even simple snacks such as cheese on toast or a plain omelette would do.' Sharon Heal, deputy editor, Museums Journal.
10 Provide dedicated baby changing and breast-feeding facilities, and good toilets where you can take a pushchair.
11 Teach respect - help children to learn that there are objects they should not touch. 'I've been taking my daughter to museums since she was eight months old, so she has learnt how you behave. No running up and down, only touching those things that we're allowed to touch, that barriers are there to keep things safe rather than to duck under! She knows all these things are there for a reason.' Ceri Black, head of education, National Museums and Galleries of Wales.
12 Sell items in the shops that are not too expensive and not just junk, but things that children will want to treasure.
13 Have free entry where possible, or have family tickets and children's discounts. Children may only want to spend a short time in a museum, so paying a lot to get in puts many parents off. Issue special tickets to families with young children which allow re-entry, so they can go outside for a break or even come back the next day.
14 Provide some open space - inside and outside - where children can run about and let off steam.
15 Provide some quiet space, where children can reflect.
16 Make it clear to child-free visitors that the museum is family friendly. Have special times when children are less likely to be there. 'For those of you who hold the view that children should be seen and not heard, may I suggest you attend the late evenings which many galleries now offer, or become a member of your favourite gallery and attend the private views. If you do come into contact with mothers and young children, do try to be tolerant. Remember you were once a child and someone had to tolerate you.' Melissa Temple-Smith, reader.
17 Have dedicated family-friendly days, when extra activities are laid on for kids, and those who want to avoid the crowds can choose not to attend.
18 Provide a crèche for young children at major museums.
19 Attract all ages, from toddlers to teenagers, without offering separate facilities for each. It should be enjoyable for the whole family - parents and children. 'Adult visitors can more easily recall that sense of childhood curiosity when participating with children. We've made the conscious decision to run activities for children as much as possible in the public galleries rather than hidden away in a separate room. We never seem to get complaints from other visitors. On the contrary, most seem to enjoy the busy, excited atmosphere.' David Pearson, manager, Reading Museum.
20 Don't make presumptions about what children do and don't like. Some kids can appreciate fine art as well as finger painting. 'It's important that parents aren't forced into a decade of purdah and that "family outing" shouldn't be a euphemism for "kids' activity". You never know what children will like until you try it. The dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum have always left our girl cold, but Buddhas aroused far more enthusiasm, and if I do say so myself, she made a rather good copy of a Matisse nude at Tate Modern.' Sally Griffiths, reader.
