Abu Dhabi: Following an extended period of closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s beloved Children’s Museum is set to reopen next week.

Opening to young visitors on June 18, the museum will also feature a dedicated exhibition where children will be able to identify and explore emotions through artwork and immersive experience, the museum said in a statement on Wednesday.

Emotions!: The New Art Adventure exhibition will feature 10 artworks and multiple interactive stations. It will be geared towards children aged four to 10 years.

The years between four and 10 are regarded as formative for a child’s development. ‘Emotions!’ will therefore encourage children to engage with their feelings through play and learning, and its educational games and experiences helping children to learn empathy, openly express emotion, let go of unpleasant feelings, and understand that all emotions are acceptable.

The Children’s Museum, an ongoing exhibition platform in Louvre Abu Dhabi geared towards children, closed temporarily along with the rest of the museum in March 2020 as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19. The rest of the museum reopened three months later, but the Children’s Museum remained shut.

“Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Children’s Museum is a haven of discovery, learning, and stimulation and we are thrilled to see it reopen its doors to children and their families. This important exhibition uses art as a catalyst for young ones to healthily connect with, and express, their feelings,” said Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman at the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi.

“There has been much talk about how the events of the past 15 months have impacted children’s emotional and social development, so it is timely that we are reopening the Children’s Museum with a well-thought-out exhibition that supports these critical elements. With free entry for children, it also represents an excellent value day out for families,” said Manuel Rabaté, Louvre Abu Dhabi director.

Entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi is free of charge for visitors aged 18 and under. Families need only purchase museum admission tickets for accompanying adults for the whole family to access all Louvre Abu Dhabi galleries and exhibitions, and access to the Children’s Museum is included in the cost of admission.

To ensure the safety of all visitors, most Children’s Museum activities are touchless and material-sharing in activities is not allowed. Capacity limits and social distancing in all Children’s Museum spaces will be implement, and regular sanitising stations will be available.