“Look what I made today!” and “Do you know who the Girl with a Pearl Earring* is? I do!" Those are typical words of so many children when they come home from our art classes. Visual arts are essential for the development of primary school children.
That’s why the Mauritshuis has set up a range of fun and educational teaching programs for primary education. We make children enthusiastic about art: viewing art, discovering special stories and, of course, making art themselves! The following is a list of all our options:
Tip: We also create tailor-made programs and we’re happy to think along with you about the content of our art weeks.
Groups 1 and 2
Maurits Mouse
Maurits Mouse lives at the Mauritshuis and invites the pupils to come visit him. They can admire Maurits Mouse’s favourite paintings with him. Afterwards, they get to work in the Art Workshop like real painters.
- Duration: 75 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €72 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch and English
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Groups 3 and 4
The world in a painting
In this lesson, the pupils discover that, although it was conceived by a painter, the world appears very real in a painting. Painters use their imagination to make their paintings as real and as beautiful as possible. During the workshop, the pupils will make a fantasy animal that could live inside a painting.
- Duration: 90 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €90 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch and English
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Groups 5 and 6
Guided tour of masterpieces
This tour combines viewing, talking and doing. The pupils view special paintings by famous painters, such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, with a museum teacher. There are hidden stories on the canvas, as well as in the back story that can be discussed in the group. The pupils are given short assignments that challenge them to explore and discover the art for themselves.
- Duration: 60 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €60 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch, English, French and German
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Get to work as an art doctor
Do you know what an art doctor (conservator) does? You will find out! They clean, study and repair art when it has become worn out. This is very important as the paintings in the Mauritshuis are often 400 years old and have been through a lot.
Woodworms, vanished eyelashes or just a really thick layer of dirt. Paintings change over time and get damaged. To preserve them well for the future, they need to be maintained. The people who do this work are called 'conservators'. They make paintings 'better' again just like a doctor.
Visit the Mauritshuis, put on a white jacket and become an art doctor yourself! Discover special stories about famous paintings and get to work as a restorer in the Art Workshop. During the workshop, you will first explore. You take a close look at a painting. Then you make your own tools: a very special cotton bud for example. You then use this to remove a layer of varnish from a painting. Finally, you get to repaint the painting, as real as possible or with lots of imagination.
- Duration: 90 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €90 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch and English
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Watching and being watched
This program is focused on portraits. The pupils, accompanied by a museum teacher, view famous portraits by renowned painters from the 17th century. After that, they get to work in the Art Workshop in another medium: photography. The pupils make portrait photos of each other and learn about the effects of standpoint, cropping, and composition.
- Duration: 90 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €90 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch and English
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Groups 7 and 8
Guided tour of masterpieces
This tour combines viewing, talking and doing. The pupils view special paintings by famous painters, such as Rembrandt and Vermeer, with a museum teacher. There are hidden stories on the canvas, as well as in the back story that can be discussed in the group. The pupils are given short assignments that challenge them to explore and discover the art for themselves.
- Duration: 60 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €60 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch, English, French and German
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Paint like Rembrandt
The pupils view a number of special paintings by Rembrandt and discover why he is still so famous. After that, they get to work by starting on a self-portrait in the Art Workshop. They learn how a portrait is constructed, what an under-drawing is, and how to paint in light and dark shades. The portrait can be developed further at school.
- Duration: 90 Minutes
- Number of pupils: Maximum 30. Each museum teacher can take up to 15 pupils. What happens if a group is bigger? We divide the group between two museum teachers.
- Cost: €90 per museum teacher, free entry for two supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Language: Dutch and English
Would you like to make a reservation? Or do you need more information? One of our employees would be happy to assist you at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
Would you like to take part in cultural education in The Hague? Please make your reservation at Cultuurschakel.nl.
Virtual Tours
You can also enjoy one of our online guided tours. We have digitally photographed the entire Mauritshuis. So now you can ‘walk’ through the Mauritshuis from the comfort of your home via your computer or tablet. This enables everyone in a group to participate in the tour from their own computer. In fact, these online tours offer you an even closer look at our works.
Special education
All our programs can be adapted for special education after due consultation. Please contact one of our employees at mail@mauritshuis.nl.
We charge the same rates for museum teachers in special education groups. To be able to ensure sufficient attention to everyone, we limit the groups to a maximum of 10 pupils per museum teacher.
Practical information
- Booking: Please be sure to book your tour at least three weeks in advance. That way, we will be able to arrange a tour guide or museum teacher in good time.
- Starting time: All programs can start daily between 10.30 and 16.30 hours (Monday between 13.30 and 16.30 hours).
- Payment: You will be required to pay for the tour at the box office in the museum before your visit. Would you prefer to pay by invoice? That’s possible. Please notify our planners in advance. From 1 September 2024 you can only pay cashless at our cash register. From that date payment is either via debit card, credit card or with your smartphone.
- Supervisors: We offer free entry for two teachers or supervisors with every 15 pupils. We also recommend bringing at least two teachers or supervisors per 15 pupils.
- Self-guided Tours: Would you like to guide your group yourself? You can do so with groups of up to 15 pupils. Please always let us know in advance when you would like to come by. That way, we can take your group into account when planning other tours. It’s important to make a reservation, as we will always give priority to reserved groups. Which means that you may have to wait.
- Changes and cancellations: Do you need to adjust or cancel your tour? Please do so at least five workdays in advance.
