Indoor games for kids

Kids just love play dough and messing about with colour pencils, crayons and paints. Let them create a storm! Puzzles are not only calming, they are good for brain development. Have lots of board games to help kids learn sportmanship and try to provide educational games for kids. Mommies can be creative in thinking up fun activities for kids at home. Even teaching kids cooking or baking is a learning experience.

Home Outdoor activities for kids

For things to do with toddlers, explore textures by playing with sand, water, corn flour, even cooked pasta. For older kids, how about exploring your own garden and catching animals to examine? Go on safari and pitch a kids' play tent. These are easy learning games for kids.

Art is also very therapeutic. You can even lay large sheets of mahjong paper outdoors and let them get creative!

Kids Learning Games

Educational games can be fun things to do with kids. ABC, math games, coloring pages and even origami for kids are good family activities.

Kids' Swimming

Swimming is an important life skill to learn for safety reasons. So get young kids used to water play.

Dress up games

Playing dress up is great kids' fun. Let your children dress up as robots, princesses, pirates or ballet dancers etc. You can let them use recycled things from around the house or create a kooky outfit from craft materials.

Gardening for kids

Letting kids learn about nature by planting seeds and observing plants and trees growing is sadly missing from modern urban life. Poking about and playing in gardens, learning about the animals you can find there lets children explore and free their minds (or maybe just terrorize the poor animals they find)...

Astronomy for Kids

Children love to know more about the great unknown - Outer space. Let them peep at the heavens through a telescope or like I did when I was a kid - lie on my parents' car with a pair of binoculars staring at the moon and imagining you see the lady on the moon.

Kids' Educational Games

Are your children National Geographic kids or Discovery kids? There is so much to learn and experience in the world. You can go to www.Starfall.com for kids' worksheets and other fun free things to do. Remember 'homework' isn't a dirty word to kids yet until we make it so.

Fun Places

The mainstay for most parents in Singapore is a visit to the Singapore Zoo or Night Safari, the Jurong Bird Park, the Jacob Ballas Children's Garden or Botanical Gardens.

How about out of the way Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for a change or hiking Singapore's many jungle trails? Just be careful not to get lost!

Science for Kids

Visit the Singapore Science Centre for great indoor and outdoor exhibits. Explore the Tree House or catch an Omni-Max movie.

Conduct experiments in your home or garden like creating a volcano. Every child wants to be a scientist!

Kids' Holiday Camps

Kids' Holiday Camps & Programmes are a great way to occupy children during the June and December holidays. Learn Team-building or new hobbies, even interesting subjects such as Space camps and Robotics are available.

Museums & Art Galleries

There are so many museums and art galleries to choose from in Singapore. Go to our National Museum, the Singapore Art Museum or the Asian Civilization Museum. Check when the Free Admission days are.

Free Kids Activities

Free Admission on certain days is available at several Museums in Singapore. The President's residence, the Istana is also open to the public on certain public holidays.

Plays for Children

There are many children's plays and kids' shows and musicals available. SSO performs for free at the Botanical Gardens occasionally. Kids above 6 years old can go for SSO concerts at the Esplanade. Tickets are available at Sistic outlets or online.

Free fun activities

There are Free shows at Shopping Centres during school holidays and Free fringe events during Arts festivals. This is kids' entertainment for cheap days out.

Catch a glimpse of the National Day Parade rehearsal from several venues around the floating platform in Marina Bay.

Kite Flying

On a day out with the kids, go Kite flying at the Marina Barrage, where the government has closed the mouth of the Singapore River to create an artificial reservoir. Explore the area and learn about renewable resources by visiting the mini solar farm. Have a picnic there and playing in the fountains is fun for kids too.

Gardens by the Bay

The newest attraction in Singapore will be amazing when the trees and plants mature in the park. Dragonfly Lake sits in the center of the park.

It is a short walk from the Marina Barrage and then across the bridge to Gardens by the Bay East. Bring bicycles or scooters for your kids.

Rail Corridor
near Rifle Range Road

I just recently discovered this peaceful area where you can see snakes (nearly stepped on one), monitor lizards, plenty of monkeys and wild life. It provides a relaxing and eye-opening look at urban Singapore for kids. If your child is up to it, you can walk the 10km jungle trail that leads from Rifle Range Road to MacRitchie Reservoir.

Playground Games

There are playgrounds in almost every estate in Singapore or you can go to the big ones in West Coast Park or Bishan Park where kids can also explore and catch fish in the streams that meander through the park. Go scootering or roller-blading at East Coast Park and you can play on the beach too.

Farms

Kids can visit Goat farms, Fish farms, Vegetable farms and even Frog farms situated in Kranji to learn where the food they eat comes from.

There are also places to go with kids where they can go fishing for drain fish. It is great fun for kids but be prepared to get wet, catching the fish for the younger ones.

Parks, Reservoirs & Bridges

Visit our Parks and Reservoirs like MacRitchie Reservoir with its suspension bridge, or admire the Hort Park before trying the 4km walk from the Alexandra Arches to the Henderson Waves.

Sentosa

Sentosa Island, accessable by car, train or simply by walking is chock full of attractions. Go to Universal Studios, take a Skyline Luge ride or just hang out at the beach.

Bukit Timah Hill

Bukit Timah Hill at 165m is the tallest point in Singapore. It is a fun walk, not too much for the young ones. Remember to wear proper shoes for walking up the hill and slap on your mosquito patch.

Nearby Islands

Visit Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin for a walk on the wild side in Singapore. Other islands nearby : Canoe to Coney Island (for older kids) or take a ferry to Sisters Island.

Indoor Play Areas

Indoor play centers like GoGo Bambini, Amazonia and Fidgets allow kids to expend their energy in an enjoyable and exciting way.

Sports & Kids Runs

There are so many races available for children and adults, even triathlons for kids. Spend a healthy morning exercising and bonding with your child.

Mother & Baby Fairs

Stock up on all the essentials needed for your motherhood maternity needs and new baby at Mother & Baby Fairs which happen every month or so. You can also find lots of educational materials located all in one venue for convenience.

Book Fairs

There is always a Book Fair going on somewhere in Singapore. Get books at steep discounts and there are sometimes even activities available to entertain the kids at the big fairs.

Library activities for kids

There are Public libraries in almost every estate in Singapore. Take advantage of the great selection of reading and video materials available. Each child and adult is entitled to borrow 6 books for 3 weeks. Some libraries even have story telling and other activities during weekends.

Learn a new Skill

Let your child learn something new that is totally unrelated to school work. There is no pressure or stress.

Perhaps Mommy can teach something you just learned to your child. Expand their horizons by introducing concepts from your work or hobbies.

Keeping a Pet

Looking after a pet is a great way to teach responsibility to children. Delegate simple tasks that the child can carry out. Adopt a pet if possible to save an animal.

Charity

Only by serving others do we learn to truly love. Do our little bit to teach kids humility by caring for others.

A Walk on the other Side

So many Singaporean children have never even taken a bus or Singapore MRT train, nor eaten in a hawker centre or gone to a wet market. Maybe you can try waking up at 4 am and visiting the Fish wholesale market at Fishery Port Road for an eye-popping experience.

Experience Simple Wonders

When did you last wake up early to show your kids the morning dew and catch the sunrise? Show your child mushrooms growing on damp soil. Plant seeds and watch them sprout. Observe tadpoles developing into frogs over time or introduce your child to the simple pleasure of catching small fish.

Car Rides

Why waste the time when your child is effectively captive in the car. Play educational kids' games that involve counting or spelling. Pick a topic to give your child a crash course in. Listen to BBC radio for world news or Chinese radio for exposure to Mandarin.

Dream time

Dream time was the time when Aboriginal Gods in Australia created the world. Sometimes, we just need to let kids be kids. Give children free time to do whatever they want, within reason. Be it writing, drawing, pure play or just day-dreaming, let them release their creative juices in the freedom of not having to follow any adult's instructions.