Admit it – family bonding sessions almost always end up at Adventure Cove or Universal Studios Singapore with the actual bonding taking place during the crazy long queues for each ride. For your next family outing, don’t settle for the same old rides and familiar sights – 2016 has seen the openings of many super cool and family-friendly places!
Travel to the far ends of Singapore or stay in town, you can get some good, wholesome family fun if you know which places to hit up. Time with your kids is precious and short, so we’ve shortlisted 11 of the best activities to do with your little ones!
I don’t think any kid can ever resist the sticky, chewy and sweet nyonya snacks, especially when these morsels can be such fun – the delightful squirt of gula melaka when you bite into ondeh ondeh, or the hands-on fun of peeling off and eating the layers of lapis sagu separately. Get them involved in the process of making their favourite nyonya treats at the Cooking Art Studio as part of the upcoming Singapore Food Festival!
Just like how rainbow cakes are all the rage now, nyonya kuehs were the ‘in’ thing in our parents’ time. Don’t turn to online tutorials for help – the making of these traditional desserts are best learnt from the pros who are doing their part to keep this Singaporean legacy alive.
With professionals to help you along, you’ll be shown the ropes of making Singapore’s heritage desserts. Being able to actually eat the result of their hard work will make this a more exciting activity for your kids than PlayDoh.
Learning Journeys by Cooking Art Industries
Opening Hours: 16, 23, 30 July & 6 August (Saturdays)
Admission Fee: $30 per pax
Note: Bread making/cake decoration workshop (Insider’s Kitchen Tour by Sembawang Confectionery) is also held on 17, 24, 31 July & 7 August (Sundays). Price: $25 per pax.
Opened in April 2016, KidZania is an interactive world run by kids, for kids. Accompany your child as he tries various jobs such as a firefighter, chef, or candy designer, to earn KidZos (the currency in KidZania).
Learning about independence, managing their own finances and work, KidZania is a fun platform for children to learn about growing up and cultivate the necessary values. In a world where they are trusted make their own choices like adults, the children will never want to leave.
You’ll be able to save KidZos for future visits too!
Address: Palawan Kidz City, 31 Beach View #01-01/02, Singapore 098008 (Opposite Port of Lost Wonder)
Opening Hours: Sundays to Thursdays: 10am to 5pm | Fridays, Saturdays, School holidays, eve of and Public Holidays: 10am to 8pm
Admission Fee: For walk-in admission Infants (under 2 years old) Free | Toddlers aged 2-3 S$25 | Kids aged 4-17 S$58 | Adults aged 18-59 S$35 | Senior Citizens (aged 60 & above) S$25
Bring your kids back to their grandparents’ time during the 1950s Street of Singapore event coming up in July! Held at Chinatown Food Street, the shophouse-lined streets will be filled with music from the past, street hawkers, buskers and costumed entertainers.
Enjoy a taste of Singapore’s history; local cuisine such as Kok Kok Mee and everyone’s forgotten favourite, Ice Ball, will be served at prices ranging from $0.50 to $2.00! Get ready for a major throwback session, and experience a bit of life in the days just before the modern Singapore you see today.
The 50 Cents Fest!
Address: Chinatown Food Street, 7 Smith Street, Singapore 058921
Opening Hours: 3pm – 11pm on 30th July, 11am – 11pm on 31st July
Admission Fee: Free entry; pay for purchases
Imagine this, but full of picnickers! Source
Picnic minus the sweat and sweltering heat – is that even possible? Be part of the indoor picnic at ION Orchard in July, where you can redeem a free picnic basket (worth more than $100) at B4 ION Station, with a minimum spending of $50 from ION’s F&B outlets! Do be quick – they’re limited to the first 100 redemptions per day!
At the picnic, there will also be photo booths, special local celebrity appearances and even chefs from restaurants who will be whipping up dishes inspired by a particular theme or ingredient. Other food outlets at the Food Hall will be offering local cuisine with a twist as well, so don’t miss out this opportunity to sample all our familiar dishes with a unique flavour.
ION Orchard Culinary Creations 2016: Picnic Garden
Opening Hours: 15 – 17 July, 10am – 10pm | Picnic basket collection: 11am – 1pm, 6pm – 8pm
Besides being Singapore’s largest indoor trampoline park, the newly opened BOUNCE also boasts an X-Park, where you can step into the shoes of a ninja warrior and try out the adventure challenge course.
Ranging from beginner to expert route, kids measuring over 125cm can pick their preferred difficulty. This isn’t an ordinary trampoline park where you can only bounce – you can parkour over obstacles, and put your agility, balance and strength to the test in the X-Park challenge!
Address: Cathay Cineleisure #09-01, 8 Grange Rd, Singapore 239695
Opening Hours: Sun – Thu 10am – 10pm | Fri – Sat 10am – 12am
Contact: 6816 2879
Website
If your kids love the ArtScience Museum, they would love this too. Located in Sentosa, MOSH allows kids to be immersed in the digital space and take part in their interactive games.
Within MOSH, there are 5 attractions for the kids to explore, all offering different activities for them to try out. There’ll be lots of colouring, doodling, paper plane folding and other activities to keep your child occupied for the entire afternoon. Your kid decides what goes up the exhibition walls – they can scan their drawings and see them appear on the big screens!
Address: 31 Beach View #03-01, Palawan Kidz City, Singapore 098008
Opening Hours: 10am – 9 pm
Admission Fee: For full list of prices and promotions, click here
Contact: 6238 8296
Website
Even if your kid is no fan of Bob the Builder, operating a machine could still tickle their interest! With the whole get up provided, your child can step into the shoes of a construction worker and tinker safely with the machinery – miniature ones, of course.
There are various stations with different games, in which hand-eye coordination will be put to the test while having fun knocking things down, or scooping blocks up from sand. Addicts of the claw machine at arcades – you’ll be glad to know that they have something similar here, except you’re using a digger for real!
And while you’re in the East, don’t forget to check out these other 19 unknown things to do there!
Address: Raintree Cove, 1020 East Coast Parkway #01-04, Singapore 449878
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm
Website
I never really tried out the games at Timezone when I was a kid because there was other stuff I’d rather spend my money on (ie. FOOD). But Timezone has revamped its outlet at Vivocity, introducing new games I’d gladly sacrifice my next Krispy Kreme for.
Besides the usual arcade games like Stackers and the claw machine, Timezone at Vivocity has a mini bowling alley and bumper car station within its compound. #Mindblown? Arcades aren’t anachronisms stuck in time any more.
Parents, be sure to keep a tight grip on your wallets. The kids, and maybe even yourself, will go crazy here at Timezone. Pretend to be James Bond at the laser maze, or throw yourself into the world of Star Wars – the number of games here is infinite.
Click here to read more about our adventures in Timezone!
Address: 1 Harbour Front Walk, #03-03 VivoCity, 098585
Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm
Contact: 6376 9658
Website
If you and your animal-loving kiddos are loyal friends of the Zoo already, you may want to try a change of scenery for once. Bring the entire brood to meet the critters, kampung style. This is as up-close an encounter as it gets – many of the animals at The Animal Resort roam free, so you can even pet the pets here!
At $2 for 3 packs of pet food, you can purchase some animal feed for the guinea pigs, rabbits and horses. Housing over 11 different types of birds, you can expect to get up-close with Singapore’s most exotic species such as Marabou Stork and the Cassowary.
Although the farm isn’t at a convenient location, admission is free and the travel is completely worth the novel experience.
Click here to read more about our Kampung Zoo adventure!
Address: 81 Seletar West Farmway 5, Singapore 798061
Opening Hours: 10am-6pm daily (except CNY Eve & CNY)
Contact: 6482 1160
Website
Few know about the existence of Playeum but this large indoor playground for children at Gillman Barracks offers many opportunities for your kids’ creative juices to flow within this interactive world.
From now till 30 October 2016, the theme at Playeum will be Hideaways – Creating with Nature, where kids will learn more about the environment around them through play. Other multidisciplinary activities are also offered, such as art, dance and stop-motion.
Address: Blk 47, Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, #01-23, Singapore 109444
Contact: 6262 0750
Website
We all know how rain can dampen moods and ruin plans, but that doesn’t always have to be the case! Take your kids out to Punggol SAFRA’s new indoor water playground where they can have splashing good fun come rain or shine.
Equipped with large slides and water sprayers, Punggol SAFRA’s Splash @ Amaze is an exciting alternative to the boring ol’ pool. Operating in 4-hour blocks, do click here to check when the slots are at Splash @ Amaze, so you don’t miss out on a minute of fun! Do note that only children aged 18 months to 13 years old are allowed, with accompanying adults.
Address: 9 Sentul Cres, Singapore 828654
Opening Hours: Mon – Thu 10am – 8pm | Fri – Sun & PH & School Holidays 10am – 9pm
Contact: 6585 8718
Website
It’s time to remove that iPad from the clutches of your little ones and take them out for some family fun. It could be learning a new skill, checking out a new playground or getting some exercise, these new and fun-filled activities will guarantee a unique experience for you and your kids.
Coming up in July is the annual Singapore Food Festival, with a line-up of exciting events including The 50 Cents Fest! and the Learning Journeys workshops mentioned earlier. This festival is an opportunity for you to bond with your kiddos over a mutual love for local food, both traditional and contemporary.
STREAT 2015
From 15 to 31 July 2016, various events will be open for the public to join in the Singapore Food Festival fun. The festival’s signature event, STREAT, back for the second year in a row, will feature a carefully curated selection of hawkers and chefs.
This year, international celebrity chef and judge on Masterchef Asia, Susur Lee, will be collaborating with our star chefs of local restaurants to run a pop-up restaurant, offering a 5-course dinner menu which brings both traditional and modern interpretations of Singapore’s street food to your table. In addition, an all-star cast of hawkers will be at this year’s STREAT, serving up innovative local dishes and cocktails, as well as classics from the past.
Break away from your usual routine and be part of this year’s food festival! Packed with many events to choose from and new dishes to try out, this festival isn’t one to be missed. You can expect your tummy to be filled with only the best of Singapore cuisine in the month of July; even the fussiest of kids will be satisfied.
Find out more about Singapore Food Festival 2016 here!
This post was brought to you by the Singapore Food Festival 2016.
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