Abstract

In this article, we reflect on the nature of young children’s experiences of viewing art in a museum setting by examining the scholarly literature of the last three decades. We take as a starting point, Martha Taunton’s 1982 literature review. Since then, social constructivist theory and practice, as seen in Falk and Dierking’s Contextual Model of Learning (2000), has allowed research to move into the museum and to become more child-centric. While attention has been given to the logistic and organisational aspects of children’s visits to museums; to educational outcomes and developmental milestones, very little is known about the features and impact of the aesthetic experience itself on young children. By applying Csikszentmihályi’s theory of ‘flow’ to young children’s art appreciation, we can at last begin to expand our view of aesthetic experiences in early childhood.