“They Ate Your Laundry!” Historical Thinking in Young History Museum Visitors

Abstract

To combat the spread of fake news, researchers and academics point to the importance of historical thinking. While generally researched in terms of formal education, historical thinking is also being considered in history museums. This research study examined the ways in which children demonstrate historical thinking in history museums’ hands-on spaces using Peter Seixas’ six historical thinking concepts, proposed in 2007. The researcher video recorded the interactions of 29 children between 8 and 12 years old in hands-on spaces in three history museums. Results showed that children engaged in multiple instances and various types of historical thinking. Manipulable objects yielded the most instances of historical thinking across the six concepts, suggesting they may provide the structures necessary for children to engage in historical thinking. These findings may be useful to researchers interested in children’s historical thinking, museum educators, and exhibit designers who may be considering these spaces for their own institutions.

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