At the risk of sounding old, kids these days are spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment – and I’m not just talking about the hundreds of game apps they can download into their iPads. Back in the day, we mostly made do with free playgrounds at shopping malls and parks.
But young ‘uns have it good with indoor playgrounds like Kiztopia. The one at Marina Square is its flagship outlet with 18 themed zones comprising AR games, bouncy castles, and ball pits – everything a hyperactive child could dream of.
Kiztopia has 18 themed zones, many of which are centered around 10 original animal characters. You’ll find life-sized figures of these cuddly animal friends all around that are ready to be posed with for a cute keepsake.
Older and more adventurous children will have a field day scuttling through the Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course.
It starts off with a bouldering wall, followed by spinning poles and wobbly planks. It’s more challenging than it looks and we found ourselves falling over a couple of times – but rest assured that your little one will be well-protected thanks to the soft mats.
Who knew that indoor playgrounds could get so high-tech? At Kiztopia, there are a couple of AR games projected onto walls. The gameplay is simple – you’ll need to use your body and props such as basketballs to interact with video elements to score points.
Of course, no playground is complete without a slide, and there are a whole bunch of ‘em here to whizz down – including a pair of thrilling 2-storey spiral ones.
Some of the slides end in a ball pit, while others will have you landing flat on your bum on a mat. But don’t worry, the fall won’t hurt if you keep your arms and elbows away from the sides to prevent any friction burns.
You have to work for it though – many of the slides require you to scale maze-like climbing structures which come with a fair deal of obstacles.
Both the spiral and straight slides throughout the premises are pretty darn fast – even the shorter ones – so we suggest that toddlers are accompanied by an adult.
The beauty of a child’s imagination is that there really are no limits, and there are various role play stations here to fuel that while helping in the development of motor skills.
For the foodie kids, there’s a kitchen where you can play “masak masak” or pretend to have afternoon tea. Some of the food items are put together with velcro, which allow you to “cut” through them realistically.
What really wowed us was the mini grocery store with super life-like toy vegetables. There are also toy cash registers complete with fake money in them.
Aspiring princesses will love dolling up in the dressing room with beautiful gowns and vanity tables. Young men aren’t left out either, with superhero costumes for well-loved characters such as The Hulk, Captain America, and Thor.
If the large ball pit where the 2-storey slides are located is too overwhelmingly rowdy for your tot, take heart in the fact that there’s a smaller one further off from all the action. It comes with its own toddler-safe slides, and a scaled-down version of Ninja Warrior’s Floating Steps obstacle.
Next to it is a sand pit, although instead of actual sand, it’s filled with brown plastic granules for the sake of cleanliness. There are buckets and shovels for digging, as well as toy trucks which you can fill and push along.
Remember those battery operated car rides we used to enjoy as kids? Those have long disappeared from our neighbourhoods, but the younger generation can still enjoy them here. Apart from that there are other smaller cars you can push with your feet.
Pro tip: If your mini-me has gotten a little tired, stifle those impending whines by popping him onto the train ride. As it is fully automated, no work is required on their part, giving both them and you a short period of rest. Phew.
A carnival favourite, the bouncy castle here will give kids unbridled joy as they jump around and try to keep their balance. There’s even a short slide on the inflatable structure itself.
If you’ve got spare change, there are also claw machines available for you to try your luck in winning stuffed toys.
Kiztopia is the perfect venue to host a kid’s birthday party, and there are function rooms which you can rent to facilitate that. Both rooms are brightly lit, each coming with a TV, cheery posters of the characters on the walls, as well as building blocks and colouring sheets on the tables.
For larger events, you can rent both rooms and have the partition in the middle pushed aside.
We’re no parenting experts, but if even we childless young adults in our mid-20s had fun at Kiztopia, then we bet your kids will too.
This wonderland of slides, games, and obstacles is suitable for those 12 years and below, and what’s great is that the different zones within cater to children of various ages – so you can let your older ones run free while you supervise the tots as they frolic in the milder areas.
Check out these other articles for more ideas on things to do with your kid in Singapore:
Photography by Huy Pham
A portion of this content may contain referral links to products. Our opinions remain our own.
Original article published on 10th June 2019. Last updated by Raewyn Koh on 22nd March 2023.
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