Children thrive when curiosity > fatigue and narrative anchors abstract history.

1. Age-Bracket Learning Styles

Age	Focus	Technique
4–6	Shapes & animals (sheep, gulls)	Spot the spiral stairs / count buttresses
7–9	Basic medieval life	Role-play a scribe in the scriptorium
10–12	Tides & engineering	Mini experiment: stick height vs rising water (safe zone)
13+	Spiritual + architectural synthesis	Vault analysis + symbolism discussion

2. 2.5-Hour Family Flow (Sample)

Causeway gamified walk (“find first view of spire”).
Village ascent with micro-stop at viewpoints every 5–7 minutes.
Abbey highlight tour: nave echo test, cloister quiet game (who can notice 3 carvings?).
Tide observation from rampart.
Snack + restroom break (use mid-route facilities before exit).

Story tokens: assign each child an abbey function (cook, mason, monk) to reference at stops.
Drawing challenge: cloister column capital memory sketch later.
Tide speed estimation: count minutes until water reaches a landmark (always at safe distance!).

Alternate active exploration (stairs) with reflective pauses (cloister benches / terrace rail).
Hydration reminder before longer ascent segment.

“Quiet voices help everyone hear history” > generic shushing—gives purpose to respect.

Mont-Saint-Michel becomes a living classroom: tides as science lab, cloister as mindfulness zone, ascent as storytelling ladder.