The year-end break is spilling over with excitement and here’s why: we’ve combed the island to bring you our top 17 fantastic familyfriendly activities.
The year-end break is spilling over with excitement and here’s why: we’ve combed the island to bring you our top 17 fantastic familyfriendly activities.
Water Play
Jurong East Swimming Complex
21 Jurong East Street 31, tel: 6896-3566; www.myactivesg.com/facilities/jurong-east-swimmingcomplex
Price: 80 cents (weekdays)/ $1 (weekends) per child; $1.50 (weekdays)/$2 (weekends) per adult.
Arguably Singapore’s largest public pool with the most comprehensive water park facilities, this amazing playground promises to draw out your adventurous side. Three intertwining spiral water slides – ranging from 5.5m to 17.7m (that’s as high as a three-storey house!) in height – take centrestage. There’s also a wave pool that comes alive with the sound of music and gentle sprays of water from the rock caverns for 15min every hour. When you want to take it down a notch, enjoy a slow ride down the winding lazy river or relax in the jacuzzi area. Little ones will also enjoy splashing around in the kiddy pool.
Splash@KidsAmaze
Safra Punggol, 9 Sentul Crescent, tel: 6585-8710; www.safra.sg/enjoy/ family/splash-at-kidz-amaze.
Price: $20 per child (18 months to 13 years old); $5 per accompanying adult. Kids under 18 months old enter free. Family package for two adults and two kids: $40.
You can expect to spend hours at Singapore’s first indoor water playground. Spanning 24,000 sq ft and designed to a deep sea theme, this is where kids can splash away on play decks, challenge themselves to five slides, and try the themed splash pad. To promote bonding, parents are encouraged to join in the fun with their kids on the slides and at the main play structure.
Ar ts, Crafts, Imagination
Playeum
47 Malan Road, #01-21/22/23, tel: 6262-0750; www.playeum.com.
Price: $20 per child (12 months to 12 years old); free admission for one accompanying adult; $10 per additional adult.
This hotspot for creative learning is the first of its kind in Asia. Dedicated to producing learning opportunities for children, Playeum’s third exhibition, A World Full of Stories, provides unique environments and installations, within which children can create their own stories, as well as immerse themselves in stories from different cultures.
EatPlayLove Craft Cafe
#01-07 Aliwal Arts Centre, 28 Aliwal Street, tel: 6444-6400; www.eatplaylove.com.sg.
Price: $5 per hour on weekends and $5 per two hours on weekdays to work in the Craft Corner. Includes free art materials.
Tuck into Thai-Western favourites like pineapple rice, mac and cheese, and tom yam soup as your kids create little works of art with a variety of free materials at the Craft Corner. They will also love working with Shrink plastic, which allows them to draw, cut, bake and create their own one-of-a-kind masterpieces such as badges, pins, or keychains.
Thow Kwang Pottery Jungle
85 Lorong Tawas, tel: 6265-5808; www.thowkwang.com.sg.
Price: $35 per child/adult for a hands-on workshop (two hours) with one hand-building artwork; $50 per adult for workshop (three hours) with hand-building and using the potter’s wheel to create two artworks.
Take your little ones on a historical tour through Singapore’s oldest surviving brick-built, wood-firing Dragon Kiln that was erected in the 1940s. You also get to see a live demo at the potter’s wheel. Another option: take part in a hands-on pottery session with your child to create your own masterpiece.
Kidzania
#01-01/02 Palawan Kidz City, 31 Beach View, Sentosa, tel: 6653-6888; www.kidzania.com.sg.
Price: $25 per toddler (two to three years old); $58 per child (four to 17); $35 per adult (18 and above).
Combining role playing with real life, this educational theme park offers fun, interactive activities. Children get to work, learn and play in a kidsized city. They can also role play to be whoever they want to be – a surgeon, pilot, museum curator, pizza chef, journalist, fire fighter, ice cream maker, dentist, and even an actor at the theatre where parents can watch a show put on by the kids.
Teamwork
Trapped Escape Room Singapore
#02-20/21/22 *SCAPE, 2 Orchard Link, 6636-9722; www.trapped.sg.
Price: $28 per person; off peak rates are $22 per person on weekdays before 6pm, and $18 for students aged 21 and below.
Imagine being trapped in a room. To find your way out, you and your team (two to 10 people) have to solve puzzles, discover hidden clues, and uncover mysteries. Choose from different rooms and solve a puzzle to figure your way out as a family. The experience is guaranteed to come with lots of laughter and fun. Check the website for information on which rooms are suitable for younger children as some may have props and themes that may be too scary for them.
Mosh!
Palawan Kidz City, #03-01, 31 Beach View, Sentosa, tel: 6238-8296; www.mosh.com.sg.
Price: $22 per child (three to 12 years old); $28 per adult.
This state-of-the-art multimedia theme park uses technology from Japan to provide a unique play-to-learn experience, allowing participants to create imaginary worlds of their own in an immersive virtual environment. Children can let their imagination run wild by creating unique sea creatures, orchestrating fireworks, or even launching a jumbo jet.
Tag Team
#01-03 Parkland Green, 920 East Coast Parkway; #04-103 Downtown East E!Hub, tel: 6456-4036; www.tagteaminc.sg.
Price: From $13 per person.
Kids and parents can combine forces to engage in multi-weapon battles, where each team player uses his own weapon of choice from Tag Team’s laser series. Young ones will have a blast trying out the Laser Rifle, Laser Handgun, Laser Sword, Laser Bow and the Laser Glove.
Nature Lovers
Gallop Stables
100 Turf Club Road, tel: 6463-6012; www.gallopstable.com.
Price: $70 per session (45min) for group weekday horseriding classes for adults and kids aged seven years and above; $75 per session (30min) for private junior lessons for kids aged four to six; $45 for a pony trail ride (20min) for kids aged three and above; $10 for a three-round pony ride in a pen.
Fancy feeding a donkey? Then a visit to Horsecity to meet and be charmed by Prince, Gallop Stables’ friendly resident donkey, is a must! Little ones will also love the fun pony rides here. This public riding school accepts children aged seven and older for group horseriding classes. Younger kids need to sign up for private lessons. Best of all? There are no membership fees involved.
Qian Hu Fish Farm Trading
71 Jalan Lekar, Sungei Tengah, tel: 6766-7087; www.qianhufish.com.
Price: $6 per child for Long Kang Fishing (30min); $5 per child aged 12 and below, and $10 per adult for a Fish Spa session (30min).
Children can learn about unique fishes from Singapore’s largest ornamental fish importer and exporter, or try Long Kang Fishing, a fun activity from the good ol’ kampong days when kids used to catch fishes in canals and streams. At the Fish Spa, Garra Rufa, also called doctor fish and nibble fish, help make your feet smoother and softer again. We’d ask you to relax, but you and the kids may be too fascinated by the fish swimming between your toes and nibbling away at all that dead, hard skin to do that!
The Great Outdoors
Insight N Access
8 Wilton Close, tel: 9777-0022; www.facebook.com/Insightandaccess.
Price: $500 for Camp Create (five to eight years old, Dec 12-14), $700 for Camp Explore (seven to 12, Dec 19-23). Register by Nov 30 and quote “SIMPLYHER” to enjoy $50 off! Call for updated schedules.
The inclusive Resilience Camp Series by social enterprise Insight N Access, encourages learning through exploration. Little campers participate in outdoor activities, including team-building games and hikes along Singapore’s Green Corridor. They’ll also pick up practical life skills along the way by learning to cook their meals, pitching tents, and camping under the stars.
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin (via bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal), tel: 6545-2305; www.nparks.gov.sg.
Price: $3 per boat trip; add $2 if you’re bringing your own bicycle.
Step back in time and explore the last of Singapore’s remaining kampongs on this rustic island. While you’re there, hire a van from the jetty to Chek Jawa Wetlands (open 8.30am-6pm), where you might spot resident creatures like hermit crabs and mudskippers when the tide is low. Stroll on the boardwalk along the coast and mangrove swamps or climb the 21-metre tall Jejawi Tower for panoramic views before spending a night at the resort just off the main village.
Indoor Sports
Katapult
#01-11 Orto, 81 Lorong Chencharu, tel: 6754-5188; www.katapult.com.sg.
Price: $15 per hour (Mon-Thur, full day; Fri until 5pm); $11 per hour for students (weekdays, before 5pm).
A whole new level of fun awaits you at this amazing indoor trampoline park that also offers slacklining, slam dunk, dodgeball, wall running, and free falling. Children below seven can enjoy the 60min Kid Jump. Older kids can sign up for an eightweek long Gymkour class, which combines the art of trampolining and parkour, to take their flips and somersaults to the next level.
iFly Singapore
#01-01 43 Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa, tel: 6571-0000; www.iflysingapore.com.
Price: $119 for The Challenge and $199 for The Adventure per person. Book online two days in advance for super off-peak rates of $89 and $169 respectively. This applies to Mon/Tue/Thu, 10am- 12pm; Mon-Sun, 8-9.30pm. Not valid on public holidays.
Here’s your chance to do something amazing with the kids (they must be at least seven years old) by defying gravity at Singapore’s only indoor skydiving facility. Under the watchful eye of professionals, you and your kids can skydive solo in the world’s first largest themed wind tunnel for indoor skydiving that is almost five storeys high. The Challenge includes two skydives and The Adventure, four.
Brazilian Cultural Centre
100 Turf Club Road, tel: 6465-8887.
Price: $160 for four regular lessons; $500 for the five-day SCA Nike Junior Capoeira Camp (or pro-rated at $100 per day). Call for updated December camp schedules.
A Brazilian martial art that incorporates self-defence, acrobatics, music and percussion, folklore dance (maculele) and culture, Capoeira is a sport kids seem to take quite naturally to. Classes are split into two: three to five year olds, and six to 12. During this month’s SCA Nike Junior Capoeira Camps, participants are introduced to a wide variety of activities, including acrobatics, self-defence, Muay Thai, soccer, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, percussion and obstacle courses.
Urban
Ski #01-46/47/48/49 Millenia Walk, 9 Raffles Boulevard, tel: 6238-0575; www.urbanski.com.sg.
Price: $130 per session for Kids Club Ranger members (four to eight years old) and $80 per session for Kids Club Explorer Members (nine to 13). Check the website for updated rates for December ski clinics.
Who says you have to travel overseas to ski? Enrol your kids in Urban Ski’s school holiday ski clinics, and watch as they fall in love with the sport. Better yet, learn to ski as a family. It’s hassle-free as all equipment, boots, poles and helmets are provided, and there is no need to wear thick, cumbersome winter jackets. If your kids are aged four and older, and have mastered skiing basics, they can also participate in Saturday morning play-and-learn sessions.
KIDDET APP ALERT
This free one-stop platform (from App Store and Google Play) lets you search for and book classes while enjoying good deals. With over 100 participating partners offering a myriad of fun activities and enrichment classes for kids, Kiddet provides a consolidated solution for parents looking to keep their children’s developmental and entertainment needs covered. From now until March 31, 2017, Kiddet will be selecting one Kiddet Kaptain per month to receive a full one-month “scholarship” to classes offered on the app. Visit www.kiddet.com for details.
