As the school holidays draw to an end, this summer has seen visitor numbers to our free permanent displays consistently above target at Young V&A. We got off to a rousing start in early August, celebrating National Play Day on the first Wednesday in August. This year’s event ran as part of the Power of Play programme, funded by the LEGO Foundation.
We were joined by a host of creative collaborators including Play Build Play CIC, Kingston School of Art, Play it Again and OITIJ-JO Collective. Led by our community partner, OITIJ-JO Collective, Desi Games presented a drop-in opportunity for families to play board games originating from Bangladesh, India and more (Carrom, Snakes and Ladders, Luco etc.). The Play Factory with Kingston School of Art provided an integrated showcase of playful projects from graduates from Foundation and BA Product and furniture, visual communication and Illustration Course. And outside in our garden, the Imagination Playground returned to Young V&A for outdoor construction play, using the Imagination Playground blocks and the Play Build Play kit commission provided hours of open-ended play for our visitors on the Town Square.
Creative Start
We know from our audience data that around 2/3 of child visits to Young V&A are by children aged 5 or younger. We want to continue to grow our expertise and programmes for young children, through peer learning and collaboration with new settings. On this basis, we have developed a new outreach programme utilising the prize fund from our wonderful 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year award.
As a legacy of this achievement, our commitment is to create more opportunities for young children to have quality experiences of creative education in communities beyond East London, through a project called Creative Start. This outreach project will support families with children in their early years to build creative confidence and to give young children and their families the creative start they deserve. Through partnership with early years settings (state-funded nursery schools, community playgroups, children and family hubs), we will support a Creative Start for children in their early years by facilitating collaboration with artists and offering tailored access to the museum’s inspiring and playful collection of incredible artefacts.
Building on practice that has been developed at Young V&A, we will enable early years educators and artists/designers, to co-create playful materials and ideas that can be used by families anywhere. We will work collaboratively with experts and local stakeholders to share the joy and creativity of Young V&A in new community settings. Our co-creation practice explores strategies that empower parents and educators to harness creativity and play in ways that contribute to the good start in life that all young children deserve. The project will take place as outreach in communities along the Thames Estuary and the Thames Gateway region. Activity will take place over two years, concluding by March 2027.
Why early years?
The evidence is irrefutable – the quality of a child’s first years makes an impact on outcomes in later life. Young V&A wants to use its unique collections, expertise and the legacy of winning the Art Fund Prize 2024 to enrich the quality of life for more young children in this critical developmental period. The V&A’s mission is to share creativity in all its forms for everyone and we can do this by working collaboratively with early years educators, parents/carers, artists and children themselves, to build confidence and appetite for learning that will benefit families and children for life.
And why at Young V&A?
The child-centred environment of Young V&A is the ideal setting to introduce young children and their caregivers to the possibilities of museums as a resource that supports their social confidence, quality family time and fosters an early love of curiosity, culture and creative expression. We want to share these opportunities with more children and families.
A focus on Thames Gateway will grow access to Young V&A into new geographical areas: the Thames Gateway region starts on the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets, where Young V&A is based, and extends through major transport links to the Kent and Essex coast via Liverpool Street and Stratford East) We want to build partnerships and relationships with new geographical areas that are practical to sustain. To date, the project has completed its R&D scoping and set up phase and consultation and engagement with project partners has concluded. Between July – December 2025 project delivery will take place in the 5 outreach locations and by January – March 2025, Year 1 of the project will be complete, and evaluation and reporting will be underway. But for now, it’s time to make the most of what remains of the school holidays!
