Entertain and encourage learning at home with these virtual museum tours

Create a fun at-home learning environment by taking your kids on one of these informative virtual museum tours.

Due to concern surrounding the spread of COVID-19, schools around the world are shutting down, major family events are being cancelled and people are being urged to follow strict health and safety precautions. As a result of these rapid changes, your family may find yourselves stuck at home for a period of time and struggling to find ways to entertain your kids in a meaningful way. Combine education with entertainment by taking your kids on an immersive virtual tour of the most famous museums in the world. That way, you and your kids can gain knowledge about art, history and science from the comfort of your couch.

British Museum, London

Best for: Kids who need a more interactive experience

If your kids have ever wanted to see a real-life mummy, look no further than the British Museum. On the Museum of the World tour, you can browse through a number of exhibits by century, continent and category while listening to the accompanying easy-to-listen-to audio (which gives viewers a backstory to each piece). The self-navigation adds an element of fun and there are all sorts of interesting objects to discover, from a Barclays bank check to a papyrus poem from ancient Egypt.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Best for: Little ones with a creative flair

Anyone lucky enough to have visited this museum knows how incredible it is to see so many works by Van Gogh – one of the most infoluential figures in the history of Western art – all in one place. Since you can’t jet off to Amsterdam right now, enjoy perusing this extensive collection on a virtual tour through the museum’s ground, first, second and third floor. Home to over 200 paintings, 500 drawings and more than 750 letters of Van Gogh’s, this one is for little artists in the making or parents who just love a starry night.

Tip: For those who wish to learn more, view the online exhibit ‘Which Books Did Vincent Van Gogh Read’ and ‘Vincent Van Gogh’s Love Life.’ After the online exhibit and virtual tour, you and the kids will certainly be Van Gogh experts.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Best for: Mini time travellers

NYC’s Met has an entire section of its website dedicated to little learners called MetKids. The online-only experience features a time machine where you can uncover objects and artwork by time period, idea or location. In addition, it offers videos, an interactive map and a ‘Big Ideas’ search tool allowing kids to look into topics such as inventions, battles or fashion – and see all the relevant artefacts.

The Louvre, Paris

Best for: Kids obsessed with ancient Egypt

The Louvre is considered the world’s greatest art museum, visited by millions of tourists in person each year. Although it may be temporarily closed, you can still access it’s many treasures online through a selection of virtual tours based on its permanent collections – explore Egyptian antiquities, the remains of the Louvre’s moat (which dates back to 1190) and go on a search for the iconic Mona Lisa. The tour is super easy to navigate, with an expandable mini-map that lets you click on the exhibits you would most like to view.

Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

Best for: Kids who love to read

If you have a little girl who wishes she had the magic fingers of Matilda or a young man who envied the adventures of James and his friends inside the giant peach, then this is the perfect activity for you. Start the day off with a virtual tour of the museum, diving into the fantastical world of the author, before spending the afternoon reading through a couple of chapters of The BFG or watching one of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie adaptations. Let’s be honest, we all need a little bit of escapism right now!

Guggenheim Museum, New York

Best for: Littles one with an appreciation for cool architecture

Google’s street view feature has now made it possible to view not only the outside world, but the inside as well. Use this extraordinary feature to go on a 360-degree tour of the distinguished Guggenheim Museum. The innovative building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, showcases more than 120 outstanding works of art that span from the Impressionist period through to the Contemporary era. No doubt the highlight for little ones will be the chance to virtually make their way up the famous spiral staircase.

Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Best for: Mini-me Impressionists

Located in the heart of Paris, this museum was set up in the former Orsay Railway Station and displays a vast collection of art from 1848 to 1914. On the virtual tour, visitors can take a stroll through the intricate hallways, perusing works from numerous famous French artists, including Monet, Gaugin and Van Gogh. Kids especially will love the Impressionist art, which is known for having colour and movement (so littles can understand how the artist actually painted the work), and depicting everyday life (a great way for them to relate to the pieces). With so much to take in, it’s kind of nice to be able to soak it all up without the crowds.

Natural History Museum, London

Best for: Kids with a thirst for knowledge

Beloved by tourists and locals alike, the Natural History Museum in London houses hundreds and thousands of treasures (but may be better known to your kids for its feature in the Paddington movie). You can enjoy much of what it has to offer in its interactive online guide, such as seeing the emperor penguin eggs brought home by some of the first Antarctic expeditions to taking a peek at some of the oldest human skeletons ever found. This one is a great choice for all ages, with just the right mix of info and intrigue!

National Gallery of Art, London

Best for: Art lovers

You can now explore London’s National Gallery of Art’s offerings online from anywhere on Earth. Take a digital tour of 18 gallery rooms bursting with artworks by Titian, Veronese, Holbein and more.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Best for: Ancient sculptures

If you’re in the mood for more art, the Uffizi Gallery in Florence houses the extraordinary art collection of the de’ Medicis and the most famous masterpieces of all time. Now you can get your fix of Da Vinci and Michelangelo with a virtual tour.

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC

Best for: Dinosaur lovers

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC invites you and the kids to view its amazing exhibits on a 360-degree virtual tour past dinosaurs, the Hall of Mammals, Insect Zoo and more.

This article is a Holidays with Kids digital exclusive. Be the first to see more exclusive online content by subscribing to the enewsletter here.

Keep reading:

• Top 10 museums and art galleries in Australia
• The six best museums in Canberra for kids
• Tick off your bucket list from the couch with these virtual tours