Visiting with Kids

Photograph of balloon with silhouettes of kids playing

Deflation of Patricia Piccinini's Skywhale, 2013, gift of anonymous donor 2019, donated through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program © Patricia Piccinini

Photograph of young person sitting on stool wearing virtual reality headset

Before

  • Find out about exhibitions that might interest you and your family
  • Talk to your children about what they might see and involve them in planning their visit to the Gallery.
  • Explain that we don't touch the art because it shows respect for the artist and will help protect the art for centuries to come.
  • Check out the What’s On calendar for more information on our range of free programs for kids of all ages to enjoy with their families.
Photograph of family sitting and weaving materials in the gallery

During

  • Walk slowly and hold hands to stay together
  • Follow your children’s lead and let them guide you to the works of art they are most interested in
  • Break up your visit with some fresh air, a rest or a snack in the Sculpture Garden
  • If you have a question, please ask our friendly Visitor Experience staff on the ground level near the main entrance.
Photograph of a family group crouching in the garden beds of the Sculpture Garden

Tips

  • Ask questions
  • What can you see?
  • What does it make you think about?
  • How does it make you feel?
  • Is there anything here that surprises you?
  • Play ‘I Spy’!

Related

Collection

Art Across Australia

hot air balloon sculptures flying over The Grampians mountain range

The national collection is for all Australians and is shared in communities across Australia and the world through touring exhibitions.

Art and Dementia
Making It

A series of online creative workshops for people living with dementia and their care partners.

Art & Artists

A bright landscape and the word Bounty is projected onto the exterior of a large concrete building at night

Explore the National Gallery’s collection of over 155,000 works, created by more than 15,000 artists.

Exhibition

Jordan Wolfson: Body Sculpture

Past Exhibition

9 Dec 2023 – 28 Jul 2024

Body Sculpture is an ambitious new animatronic sculpture commissioned for the National Gallery’s collection.

Wheelchair Accessible
Essay

Helen Frankenthaler and the influence of Japanese art and culture

colourful painting

Anja Loughhead explores Helen Frankenthaler's relationship with First Generation abstractionists, as well as Japanese art and philosophy.

Read Time: 20 minutes
Photo Essay

Growing a Sculpture Garden

For the 40th anniversary, we share the history and highlights of the iconic Sculpture Garden.

Read Time: 10 minutes
Feature

'Let’s build the Sculpture Garden from the plants up'
An interview with Kingsley Dixon

For Kingsley Dixon, helping develop the brief for the National Sculpture Garden Design Competition was a chance to embed biodiversity from the start.

Read Time: 14 minutes
Q&A

Don't Leave Me This Way
Art in the Age of AIDS

Wide gallery space, white walls featuring a plinth in the centre with bright, glittering mardi gras costumes and behind it a poster wall

Exhibition curator, Dr Ted Gott, reflects on 'Don’t Leave Me This Way: Art in the Age of AIDS' which opened at the National Gallery in November 1994.

Read Time: 23 minutes
Collection Display

Asian Art

Upcoming

From Oct 2025

Asian Art highlights recent acquisitions by artists from across Asia and the Asian diaspora in a range of media. On display from Oct 2025.

Video

Kids and Families experience the NGA's Hyper Real exhibition

A video still of a family looking at a sculpture in an exhibition

Published 01 March 2018