The short answer: for most children in the Netherlands, one class on the free Wednesday afternoon plus one or two short classes on other weekdays works best. Keep the weekend moskee class if your child enjoys it, and use the online one-to-one class for what a group cannot give: enough time reading aloud to a teacher who corrects every letter. Choose a fixed time in Dutch time and keep classes going through the holidays.
This guide is for Muslim parents in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Arnhem, Almere and towns across the Netherlands.
The Dutch school week, and why Wednesday matters
At most *basisscholen*, children finish early on Wednesday, often around 12:15 or 12:30. On the other days school usually ends between about 2pm and 3:15pm, depending on whether the school runs a *continurooster* (a short lunch and an earlier finish) or a traditional day with a longer break. Some schools also give the youngest groups Friday afternoon off.
That free Wednesday afternoon is the most valuable slot of the week. After lunch and a short break, a child is rested and there is nothing waiting. If you only protect one Quran class, make it this one.
Slots that suit most families in the Netherlands
| Child | Classes a week | Suggested time (Dutch time) |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 or 2 (age 4 to 6), starting the Qaida | 2 | Wednesday around 2pm, plus one weekday after school |
| Group 3 to 8 (age 6 to 12) | 2 or 3 | Wednesday afternoon, plus one or two days around 4 or 4:30pm |
| Secondary school (*middelbare school*) | 3 | Days with an early finish, or early evening after homework |
| Two or three siblings | 2 or 3 each | Back to back on Wednesday and one other day |
Secondary school timetables in the Netherlands can change several times a year. When the new *rooster* arrives, move the Quran slot straight away rather than letting it lapse.
Weekend moskee classes and online lessons together
Many children in the Netherlands go to Quran lessons at the moskee on Saturday or Sunday. That is worth keeping: it gives them friends, community and a sense that learning the Quran is normal. The limit is reading time. In a group of fifteen or twenty children, each child may read aloud to the teacher for only a few minutes, and mistakes can go unnoticed for weeks.
In a one-to-one online class your child reads for most of the 30 minutes. Many families keep the moskee at the weekend and add two short online classes during the week, so the child is heard reading four or five times rather than once.
If your child already learns at the moskee, tell the teacher in the free trial which book and page they are on. The teacher will check their reading and start from where they really are, so the two do not pull in different directions.
Holidays that move by region
Dutch school holidays are split into three regions, north, middle and south, so the spring and summer holidays fall at different times depending on where you live. There is usually a week in autumn (*herfstvakantie*), two weeks at Christmas, a week in February (*voorjaarsvakantie*), a break around the end of April (*meivakantie*) and six weeks in summer.
- Keep classes going through the short breaks. Without homework, a one-week holiday is often the easiest time to read.
- Use the six summer weeks well. Add a class a week, finish a stage of the Noorani Qaida, or start learning short surahs.
- Travelling to family abroad? Many families visit Morocco, Turkey, Pakistan or Suriname in the summer. An online class can usually continue from there if you tell the teacher the local time in advance.
Time zones and the clock change
The Netherlands uses Central European Time, with clock changes on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October. With Online Quran Lessons, classes run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you choose the time in Dutch time, so a class at 2pm on Wednesday in Rotterdam stays at 2pm all year.
The language question
Our teachers teach in English, with Urdu on request. We do not teach in Dutch, and we say so before you book. Children in the Netherlands usually start learning English at primary school, and many older children speak it confidently. Younger children at the Qaida stage often manage with simple English too, because much of the lesson is repeating sounds after the teacher.
If your child speaks only Dutch at home and at school, sit with them for the free trial classes and see how they get on before you pay. Our parent's guide to online Quran classes in Europe covers the language question in more detail.
Fees in euro
Plans are one-to-one, 30 minutes a class, paid monthly: €28 for 1 class a week, €36 for 2, €45 for 3, €50 for 4 and €55 for 5 a month. There is no registration fee, siblings get a 10% family discount, and you can pay by card, PayPal, Wise or bank transfer. The pricing page shows the current fees.
Getting started
Protect Wednesday afternoon, add one or two short weekday classes, keep the moskee if your child enjoys it, and do not stop for the holidays. Read more about online Quran classes in the Netherlands, and when you are ready, book 3 free trial classes. No card is needed.
