December’s a time of respite regardless of age. Whether you’re a working adult or a student who has spent hours hitting the books, we all deserve a break after a year’s worth of grind.
For wholesome things to do this December break with the fam, look at these kid-friendly workshops that can enrich the little ones’ year-end holidays with meaningful activities. Some even allow parents to tag along, turning sessions into invaluable quality time for the whole family.
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Toddlers as young as 2.5 years old can enrol for these baking workshops alongside their parents.
Image credit: @joshtruly via Instagra
Getting “arrowed” to host the upcoming Christmas get-together can be stressful, especially when you’re no Gordon Ramsey and are scouring the internet for easy Christmas recipes. However, things take a turn for the better when you’ve got a trusty sous chef who can cook up a storm.
Thanks to baking workshops conducted by Genius R Us, your child will impress your guests with some delightful confections. These workshops are happening every weekend throughout December, and each session will see participants whipping up festive goodies like Santa cupcakes, snowman macarons, and holiday apple pie.
All ingredients will be provided by the workshop, as well as an apron and full access to their cooking equipment like weighing scales and egg beaters. Of course, the kids can bring their creations back to share with the whole family, but do note that a top-up of $15 is required for a package holder to carry some bakes home.
Rates: From $80 for a 1.5-hour workshop
HomeTeamNS Balestier-JOM outlet
Address: 31 Ah Hood Road, #01-04, Singapore 329979
Opening hours: 8.30am-8.30pm, Daily (Closed on Wednesdays)
Contact: 8183 0563 | Genius R Us website
HomeTeamNS Khatib outlet
Address: 2 Yishun Walk, #04-06, Singapore 767944
Opening hours: 8.30am-8.30pm, Daily (Closed on Wednesdays)
Contact: 8183 0563 | Genius R Us website
With tech-related job prospects constantly on the rise, you’ll be hard-pressed to find parents who haven’t toyed with the idea of signing their kids up for extracurricular coding classes. If you’d like to nurture your child’s passion for coding, consider The Lab’s holiday programs.
Image credit: The Lab Singapore (Kinex) via Google Maps
They’ve got 3 different camps, each one catering to different age groups. Those between the ages of 5-7 and 8-10 will be introduced to Tynker, an educational programming platform which will give them a glimpse into the world of game design and development.
Image credit: @thelab.sg via Instagram
Don’t worry if you’re afraid of boring them with the intricacy of coding; The Lab’s workshops have gamified the learning process and kids can incorporate fun elements into their creations. Watch them breathe life into characters from Disney’s Cars, and tinker around with assets from Minecraft as they create their own game from the ground up.
Rates: From $200 for a 2-day workshop
Kinex outlet
Address: 11 Tanjong Katong Road #03-01/02, Singapore 437157
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun & school holidays 9am-6pm (Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays & PH)
Contact: 8488 7017 | The Lab website
Centrepoint outlet
Address: 176 Orchard Road #03-18/19, Singapore 238843
Opening hours: Wed-Fri 11am-7pm | Sat-Sun & school holidays 9am-6pm (Closed on Mondays, Tuesdays & PH)
Contact: 8824 4521 | The Lab website
Image credit: Animals & Us Academy via Facebook
If your little one has a soft spot for animals, then the A Day at the Vets Workshop by Animals & Us Academy will pique their interest. Catered to pet lovers aged 4-6, they’ll go behind the scenes at an operational vet clinic and learn from full-fledged veterinarians about their day-to-day routines and duties.
Besides being educated on the responsibilities of caring for a pet, the children will get hands-on experience interacting with veterinary equipment such as stethoscopes and microchip readers. They’ll even don cute lab coats and roleplay as vets by performing various tasks like reading x-ray films and preparing medication.
Rates: $58 for a 1.5-hour workshop
Address: Canopy Veterinary Centre, 1 Yuan Ching Road, #03-03, Singapore 618640
Contact: Animals & Us Academy website
You’ll get to add a cute lil’ figurine to accompany your plants in the terrariums.
Image credit: @thegreencapsule via Instagram
For those with a green thumb and a keen eye for minute details, The Green Capsule hosts terrarium-building workshops where you can decorate your self-sustaining garden enclosed within a glass container to bring home.
Dip your toes into the world of terrarium building with their Small Close Terrarium Workshop, or take it up a notch with the fancy Enchanted Sand Art Terrarium Workshop.
Image credit: @thegreencapsule via Instagram
They’ve got workshops to build terrariums of varying sizes, and the helpful facilitators will even impart valuable tips to care for your teeny plants. Parents can join in on the fun for this one, as you and your child create colourful sand layers and affix living plants and figurines to beautify your creations.
Rates: From $15 for a 1-hour workshop
Address: 107 North Bridge Road, #04-11, Singapore 179105
Opening hours: 11am-8pm, Daily
Contact: 6908 4087 | The Green Capsule website
Image credit: Saltt Workshop
There’s just something so gratifying about creating something tangible, say a chair, from scratch with your own two hands. And no, IKEA products don’t count, so head to Saltt Workshop to chase that sense of satisfaction.
The staff will provide all the necessary personal protective equipment for the kids and ensure that they don it properly, so you can rest easy knowing that they are in safe hands.
Image credit: @saltt.workshop via Instagram
They specialise in introducing kids to the world of woodworking, with easy-to-follow classes conducted in a safe environment. Children can have a crack at simple projects like building a functional stool, while teenagers can opt for more advanced designs like copper lamps and wooden briefcases.
Rates: From $120 for a 3.5-hour Build a Stool workshop
Address: Kawah Building, 9 Ubi Link, #02-06, Singapore 408549
Opening hours: Mon-Wed 10.30am-6.30pm | Fri-Sat 10am-6pm | Sun 10am-5pm (Closed on Thursdays)
Contact: 9855 4475 | Saltt Workshop website
Sewing is one of the most underrated skills to possess. This writer wishes he had picked it up earlier to save himself countless trips to the resident tailor to fix disproportionate clothes.
Thankfully, Crafty Whizz Studio’s sewing workshops go far beyond learning how to mend loose buttons. Instead, kids are taught how to operate a sewing machine, and once they’ve got a couple of essential stitches under their belt, they can try their hand at fashioning clothes and other accessories.
Image credit: @crafty_whizz_studio via Instagram
These include skirts, pyjama pants, and kimono jackets, all made from their preferred fabrics. Aspiring dressmakers can also work on other designs, like tote bags, pillows, and can even create plushies of their favourite animals.
Rates: $99.90 for a 4-hour workshop
Address: 81 Joo Chiat Road, Singapore 427725
Opening hours: 10am-8pm, Daily (Closed on Mondays)
Contact: 9101 8203 | Crafty Whizz Studio website
Image credit: @objectifscentre via Instagram
Catching a kid fiddling with their smartphones for hours on end is a common sight nowadays. Instead of encouraging mindless scrolling on TikTok, you can challenge them to put their creativity to the test with the OBJECTIFS JUNIOR filmmaking workshops.
It’s run by Objectifs, a visual arts space dedicated to film and photography. It aims to nurture the next generation of creatives here in Singapore, through workshops like their school holiday camps.
The kids will learn tips on creating a compelling narrative through storyboarding and supplement their videos with creative costumes and props.
Image credit: @objectifscentre via Instagram
They’ve already conducted a few of these workshops last month. But if you’re still keen, Objectifs will be running a Pokémon Animation Workshop in December, in which budding filmmakers will use their smartphones to experiment with techniques such as pixilation to produce stop-motion animated sequences of their favourite characters from Pokémon.
Rates: $180 for a 2-day workshop
Address: 155 Middle Road, Singapore 188977
Opening hours: Tue-Sat 12pm-7pm | Sun 12pm-4pm (Closed on Mondays & PH)
Contact: 6336 2957 | Objectifs website
If your kids constantly ask to tag along for grocery runs, they’ll love the Marketplace Marvels holiday camp by NTUC. The 3-day affair aims to educate children about Singapore’s food story, and how our country ensures a steady supply of food through practices like sustainable farming.
Image credit: NTUC
Highlights of the camp include travelling to a local hypermarket to learn about where daily necessities like groceries and toiletries come from, and how they find their way onto the shelves of supermarkets. The trip to an urban farm is also something to look forward to, as the children will get first-hand experience harvesting fresh vegetables.
Rates: $356.40 for a 3-day camp
Address: 229 Mountbatten Road, #02-08 Mountbatten Square, Singapore 398007
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-6pm (Closed on Saturdays, Sundays & PH)
Contact: 9821 1830 | NTUC First Campus website
If your little Picasso at home can’t get enough of those measly 1-day-long art jamming sessions, sign them up for ARThaus’ lengthy 5 Days Go Big! Big Canvas Workshops.
Image credit: ARThaus Singapore via Facebook
Kids will be guided to paint on sprawling canvases that measure 24” x 30”, and they can choose between a couple of themes to work on. These include painting pictures of their beloved pets or dainty flowers. The more imaginative can opt for the open category, where in-house artists will assist them with conceiving an original masterpiece.
The only thing you have to bring along is an image reference if you’d like; the rest of the materials will be provided by the workshop, such as paint, paintbrushes and aprons. Extra canvases can also be purchased at the studio upon request.
ARThaus is also pretty flexible with their bookings, as they allow you to break these workshops up to be used over the full length of the holidays. You can rest assured that you’ll be able to fit these art sessions between your travel plans this December.
Rates: From $377 for a 5-day workshop
Address: 901A Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 589619
Contact: 9023 0458 | ARThaus website
We get that the December holidays are for some much-needed R&R, but sometimes the young ones just want to try something new and fun. So, consider signing the little one up for any one of these interesting kid-friendly workshops; it might just spark a burgeoning, lifelong interest in a new hobby they’d thank you for in years to come.
For more kid-friendly things to do:
Cover image adapted from: Animals & Us Academy via Facebook, @saltt.workshop via Instagram, Reddit
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