Children's Picture Books in Museum Education Practice: A Creative Project for the Bountiful Historical Museum

This research explores the benefits of using children's literature in museum education practices. Nine leaders of museums in Utah shared their knowledge about the importance of using children's picture books in museum education practices. The benefits include the influence of picture books in the cognitive development of the child, the influence of picture books in the construction of meaning in the younger visitors of the museums, the promotion of entertainment through children's picture books, the discovery of new emotions of a child, and the children's picture books as a resource to engage with family and community. This paper examines the role of picture books and the role of museum education in relation with the cognitive theory of Jean Piaget (Piaget, 2011). Also, it include the creation of a children's picture book for the Bountiful Historical Museum. The use of children's picture books in museum education practices was studied in order to fully understand how picture books influence the cognitive development of children.