Zigging and zooming all over the place: Young children’s meaning making and movement in the museum

Abstract

This article draws attention to the walking and running of young children as a key element of their multimodal communicative practices. In addition, the article argues that the walking and running of young children can be seen as a place-making activity, acknowledging the power of young children to create meaning in their world. Drawing on ethnographic data from ongoing research with young children and their families in museums, I present some examples of ways in which young children move during museum visits as a powerful, intentional and communicative practice. Focusing on young children’s perspectives of the museum as a place of primary importance enables us to understand the walking and running of young children in the context of their communicative practices in an embodied, emplaced and experienced world.