Van Gogh at Primary Schools

Bedroom poem

Group activity, in a circle: making up eleven-word poems about a painting by Vincent.

Two rediscovered paintings: colouring pictures

Two colouring pictures of the Van Gogh paintings stolen in 2002, which were rediscovered 14 years later. No specific assignment.

StoryZoo Van Gogh Museum E5: 'Self-portraits, landscapes and still lifes'

StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper visit the Van Gogh Museum. In this episode, they take a good look at different kinds of paintings: self-portraits, landscapes and still lifes.

StoryZoo Van Gogh Museum E4: 'Painting indoors and outdoors'

StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper visit the Van Gogh Museum. In this episode, they investigate paintings that Vincent made indoors and paintings that he made outdoors.

StoryZoo Van Gogh Museum E3: 'Colours'

StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper visit the Van Gogh Museum. In this episode, they take a good look at Vincent van Gogh’s use of colours.

StoryZoo Van Gogh Museum E2: 'Autumn'

StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper visit the Van Gogh Museum. In this episode, they discover that Vincent van Gogh loved painting outdoors, even in autumn.

StoryZoo Van Gogh Museum E1: 'The artist: Vincent van Gogh'

StoryZoo characters Bax, Toby and Pepper visit the Van Gogh Museum. They learn all about the famous Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh.

Before Vincent became an artist

A brief description of Vincent's life before he decided to become an artist, with a short quiz at the end.

9 to 12

Art and design, Geography, History

Vincent van Gogh - my story

A short film about Vincent van Gogh, for use as an introduction to other lessons about the artist and his work.

11 to 15

Vincent becomes an artist

A short film about the start of Vincent van Gogh's career as an artist, for use as an introduction to other lessons about the artist and his work.

10 to 12

Who was Van Gogh?

A short film about Vincent van Gogh, for use as an introduction to other lessons about the artist and his work.

10 to 12

Who was Vincent van Gogh?

A short film about Vincent van Gogh, for use as an introduction to other lessons about the artist and his work.

7 to 10

75 min

Vincent’s Japanese examples

The pupils use Japanese prints as inspiration for new work of their own, just as Vincent Van Gogh did. They can do this lesson (with video) on their own.

Van Gogh and Japan quiz

Vincent van Gogh was inspired by Japanese prints. Through a video and six quiz questions about representation and design, the pupils explore what Vincent learned from Japanese prints.

The yellow, green, pink, blue house?

The pupils paint their own versions of Vincent's yellow house – but they can use any colours they like.

Vincent XL

Using a grid drawing made by Vincent van Gogh, the class will enlarge an image of a Japanese figure.

The rediscovered sea view

After learning about Van Gogh's View of the Sea at Scheveningen, the students will draw or paint 'sea views' of their own.

Painting the outdoors indoors

Working indoors, the class will paint a subject from the outdoors – just as Vincent van Gogh often did.

How many sunflowers?

This brief lesson about the number of sunflowers in Vincent van Gogh's most famous painting is easy to combine with other lessons or activities.

The rediscovered church

By studying the painting of a church in Nuenen, the class will find out how Vincent van Gogh created the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface. They will learn about proportions and do arithmetic and measurement exercises based on the painting.

A portrait without a face

This lesson is about a stolen art work that was rediscovered. It focuses on the question: can a painting of a building also be a kind of portrait?

Vincent's collection

After a brief introduction to Vincent's collection of prints, the class will write museum-style labels for objects they have collected.

7 to 11

Art and design, English

20 min

A painting in eleven words

The students write eleven-word poems based on paintings by Vincent van Gogh.

7 to 12

Art and design, English

15 min

Find the five differences: The Bedroom

In this brief game, the class will take a close look at Vincent van Gogh's painting 'The Bedroom' and then find the differences in five modified versions.

Find the five differences: The Yellow House (2)

In this brief game, the class will take a close look at Vincent van Gogh's painting 'The Yellow House' and then find the differences in five modified versions. Set 2.

A haiku for Van Gogh

The students will write their own haikus, short poems of 17 syllables at most, inspired by Vincent van Gogh paintings.

10, 11

Art and design, English, Language Arts

60 min

Potato eaters in colour

Each student will make a 'colour version' of one of Vincent's most famous paintings, 'The Potato Eaters'.

Vincent's letters

After a brief introduction to the letters between Vincent and his brother Theo, the students write letters about their own art works.

8 to 11

Art and design, Handwriting

30 min

Zoom in

Students discover a painting, starting with the details. During the class discussion, more and more of the painting is revealed. This is based on the Zoom In routine developed by Project Zero, Harvard.

Do you know Vincent?

A short presentation about Vincent van Gogh, for use as an introduction to other lessons about the artist or his work.

7 to 12

Art and design, Geography, History

90 min