Family Guides
Strike a pose, hunt for details, and learn a fun fact or two! Learn more about a theme or idea as you look at works of art in The Met collection. See how different cultures show the same subject in art. Some of these guides are also available for free at the Information Desks, and from time to time we rotate the selection.
Don't forget: Sometimes we have to move works of art or even close galleries to renovate or prepare them for exhibitions. If you can't find something, ask a guard for help!
Family Fun at The Met
Welcome to The Met! Explore, learn, and have fun as a family during your visit. There’s lots to see and do—use the tips in this guide to get started. And search for details in an amazing illustration of the Museum—a favorite for all ages!
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore Arms and Armor: Fierce or Fancy?
Weapon or work of art, or both? For battle or just for show? Discover the art of Arms and Armor, find out fun facts, and use your imagination!
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore Asian Art: Good Guys and Bad Guys
Journey to Asia to discover powerful protectors and fierce figures and learn their stories. Are they good, bad, or both? You decide!
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore Asian Art: Journey to a Chinese Garden Court
Leave the hustle and bustle and explore the Astor Chinese Garden Court. Discover the beauty of nature around you—right within the Museum's walls.
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore The British Galleries: Make Yourself at Home
Make yourself at home in the British Galleries and find innovative, playful works of art made during the British Empire. Fancy a look? Off we go!
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore Egyptian Art: The Temple of Dendur
Discover the only ancient Egyptian temple in the United States! Use this guide to find out who built it and how it got here. Look closely at the temple and talk about what you see, think, and imagine with family and friends.
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Explore Islamic Art: Dazzling Details
Zoom in to explore amazing works of art as you learn about some of the many cultures that make up the Islamic world.
If you don't see this guide in the galleries or at the Information Desks, ask the Visitor Experience staff for help.
Animals All Around
Animals are everywhere in the Greek Galleries at The Met. Become an explorer and search for all kinds of creatures, big and small, as you learn why animals were important to the ancient Greeks.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Armaduras
El hecho de que una armadura sea funcional no significa que no pueda ser hermosa. Mientras exploran las galerías de Armas y Armaduras, observen los patrones y los diseños que usaban para decorar los equipos de batalla alrededor del mundo.
Lo sentimos, esta guía está fuera de impresión y no está disponible en los mostradores de información.
Childe Hassam
Experience snow-covered Union Square, stop to smell the flowers in a garden, and salute the flags of the world on Fifth Avenue as you learn about paintings by Childe Hassam, American Impressionist.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Creature Features
Fangs, claws, wings, and beaks! Look at three examples of imaginary creatures in the Museum.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Every Picture Tells a Story
Just as authors tell tales with words, artists use paint to describe scenes, characters, action, and conversations. Use this guide to look at paintings that tell stories.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Explore the African art Galleries
Explore works of art used in rituals and performances in four African countries, and find out what secret wisdom they reveal!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Gilbert Stuart: Making Faces
Who was Gilbert Stuart and what did he do? How did he get to know George Washington and so many other famous people? And what was his connection to the United States dollar bill?
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
The Harvesters
Join workers as they labor in the field during the harvest season and learn how Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicted their experience with nature.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
In and Out
Why do doors exist? There are many different types of doors and doorways. Take a walk around the Museum to find doors and doorways from many centuries and different parts of the world. Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Kings, Wings...and Other Things
Travel back in time to the ancient Near East to meet a powerful king and discover all kinds of creatures!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Let's Look at Stained Glass
What do you get when you mix bright colors, melted sand, and sunshine? Read about how stained-glass windows are created and learn more about two windows in the Museum.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Make Your Mark
Get out your pencils! Learn the basics of sketching by looking at works of art in The Met collection.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
NEW YORK SPECTACULAR Starring the Radio City Rockettes
They come to life on stage, now discover the originals at The Met! See five iconic works of art in the Museum's collection featured in the NEW YORK SPECTACULAR Starring the Radio City Rockettes™.
Sorry, this guide is not available at the Information Desks.
Once Upon a Time in Rome
Discover portraits, coins, wall paintings, animals, and more—all the way from ancient Rome. You might be surprised to find many objects that we still use today!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Explore Greek mythology at The Met! Follow Percy's footsteps to meet the characters who inspired Rick Riordan's book The Lightning Thief!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Pharaohs Sphinxes and Hippos
Ready to head to ancient Egypt? Use this guide to find sculptures of people and creatures as you explore the exhibition Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Shall We Dance
How does movement appear in a still work of art? Since ancient times, artists have depicted the art of dance.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Six Women Six Stories
Look at six female artists, their amazing works of art, and their fascinating stories!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Think Sphinx
Search for sphinxes in The Met's Egyptian galleries! Look closely to uncover the secrets of this part-human, part-lion creature.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
What Should I Wear Today?
Show your style as you explore the European Paintings and 19th- and Early 20th-Century galleries with fashions from The Costume Institute!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Young in America
Look and imagine in the American Wing! Use this guide to explore the galleries and discover what it once was like to be young in America.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Kids' Picks
What are kids' favorite things to see in the Museum? Take a look at what some of our young visitors picked!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Los favoritos de los niños
¿Qué prefieren ver los niños en el Museo? ¡Mire lo que escogieron algunos de nuestros visitantes jóvenes!
Lo sentimos, esta guía está fuera de impresión y no está disponible en los mostradores de información.
Mysterious Mummies
What's beneath the bandages of those mysterious mummies? We've got the scoop.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
The Art of Chess at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
See how chess has inspired artists from different times and cultures to create beautiful works of art. Take a look at just a few pieces in the Museum—an individual chess piece, a complete chess set, a painting of chess players, and a chess table.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Behind the Scenes at The Met
What really goes on at the Museum when it is closed? We've got the answers—and soon, you will, too.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
The Facts Issue
How many lightbulbs does the Museum order in a year? How many people visit the Museum in a day? Discover the answer to these and other questions in this issue of fun facts.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
The Garden Issue
The Museum blooms all over. Find out where and how in the garden issue.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
The "Mixed-Up Files" Issue
Calling all fans of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler—we've got an exclusive interview with the author, E. L. Konigsburg, plus a Mixed-Up Files tour at The Met!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
Weaving a Story at The Met
Learn the story behind one of the Museum's most beautiful tapestries. You can print out a fun activity, too!
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.
What is Art Conservation?
Detergent? Sponges? Brushes? How do people take care of the many different works of art at the Met? Check out this issue of MuseumKids for an introduction to how we preserve some of the objects in the Museum.
Sorry, this guide is out of print and not available at the Information Desks.