Stuck here in Singapore and running out of activities to do with your family?
Embedded in the little red dot, there are many reclining spots you can visit with your loved ones to relax and make unforgettable memories at. If you have already been to the common attractions such as the Sea Aquarium or Singapore Zoo with your family and are looking for other ideas, this article is the one for you!
Below are a few activities which could enliven your family bonding time!
Unleash your inner Picassos @ Art Jamming cafés
At art jam cafés, families can engage in freestyle canvas painting with provided materials, while indulging in the cafes’ food and beverages! Being easy to pick up, art jamming is a popular activity suitable for people of all ages.
Exploring the creative side has also shown to have benefits for all age groups! For the senior generation, art has been proven to help folks relax, reduce depression and relieve anxieties or boredom! As for parents, being able to find a spot that can interest every family member is no mean feat. With art jamming cafés you can put those worries at bay! Savour a hot cup of latte while painting with your children. Parents who are worried of children having their eyes glued to electronic devices will find this activity beneficial too. For children, this experience could spark off their passion and love for the arts.
Here a few family-friendly art jamming places in Singapore:
Arteastiq @ Mandarin Gallery
Address: Mandarin Gallery, #04-14/15 333A Orchard Road, Singapore 238897
Opening Hours: Daily, 11am – 10pm
Contact: 6235 8705
Arteastiq @ Plaza Singapura
Address: 68 Orchard Rd #03-70/72, Plaza Singapura, Singapore 238839
Opening Hours: Daily, 11am – 10pm
Contact: 6336 0952
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Artefakts
Address: 90 Goodman Road Block O, #02-64 Goodman Arts Centre Singapore 439053
Opening Hours: Monday to Wednesday, Friday: 10AM - 7PM
Thursday: 2PM - 9.30PM
Friday: 7PM - 10PM
Saturday: 10AM - 4.30PM
Sunday: Closed
Contact: 8189 4281
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LionHeART Studio
Address: Havelock ll #03-08, Singapore 059763
Opening Hours: Daily except Monday: 10 AM - 8 PM
Contact: [email protected]
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Quick tips: Make sure to wear something you would not mind getting dirty. And also, do not worry if you are not artsy-fartsy! Art jamming is all about having fun so just indulge in this fun artistic expression activity with your family.
Get hands on @ Family Cooking or Baking Classes
Want to cook with your children, but worried it will mess up your kitchen at home? There are many studios in Singapore that offer parent-child cooking and baking lessons that will solve your problem! With specially curated dishes and recipes, the lessons allow you to bond with your children while developing culinary or baking skills in them since young.
Below are a few places which offer such classes:
Creative Culinaire
Address: 17 Eng Hoon St, Singapore 169767
Openings Hours: Monday to Sunday: 10AM - 6PM
Contact: 6324 1663
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Chantilly Culinary Studio
Address: 21 Simon Rd, Singapore 545907
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 9AM - 4PM
Saturday: 9AM - 6PM
Sunday: Closed
Contact: 6383 2313
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Palate Sensations Culinary School
Address: Chromos #01-03, 10 Biopolis Road, Singapore 138670
Opening Hours: By appointment only
Contact: 6478 9746
ToTT Suntec
Address: Temasek Blvd, #02-427 Singapore 038983
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday, Sunday: 11AM - 9PM
Friday and Saturday: 11AM - 9.30PM
Contact: 6238 1578
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Some classes do actually teach children the nutritional content behind each ingredient as well, so it’s a double benefit! Classes vary in price, depending on the dish or pastry to be cooked as well as the cooking/baking studio you visit so do look out for different workshops around which attracts you!
Don your aprons, adjust your chef hats, and prepare for a gastronomical adventure together!
Spend a day with small furry friends @ Cat Cafés/Dog Cafés!
If your children like cats and dogs and is constantly bugging you to get them a pet, why not consider bringing them to an animal café! Over there, kids can learn how to interact with animals and get up close with the furry friends! Singapore has several quality animal cafes that are safe and fun for your family to unwind!
A dog cafe available in Singapore is We are the Furballs (WTF).
Address: 201 Victoria Street, #07-07 Bugis+, Singapore 188067
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday, Sunday: 1PM - 10PM
Friday and Saturday: 12.30PM- 10.30PM
Contact: 6509 1186
A few of the cat cafes in Singapore include:
The Cat Café
Address: 241B Victoria Street, Singapore 188030
Opening Hours: Monday: 3PM - 10PM
Tuesday to Sunday: 10AM - 10PM
Contact: 6338 6815
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Neko No Niwa
Address: 54A Boat Quay (Level 2), Singapore 049843
Opening Hours: Monday: 11AM - 9PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday to Sunday: 11AM - 9PM
Contact: 6536 5319
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While playing with the furry friends, you can also enjoy some of the food the café offers! On a cautious note, some animal cafes may have an age requirement for kids to avoid any possible mishandling, so do check before heading down!
Ignite the creative side and enrich their knowledge @ ArtScience Museum
The ArtScience museum features many cool and exciting exhibitions for the whole family to enjoy! They include the highly commented one, Future World, which is delightfully a permanent exhibition!
The Future World is broadly described to be ‘Singapore’s largest digital playground’ and ‘an intersection between art, science, technology and culture’. Compared to the usual exhibitions you may find to be more historical based, the ArtScience museum’s ones are more interactive and fantasy-centric.
Check out the ‘Crystal Universe’ here where over 170,000 LED lights have been installed to give visitors the illusion of moving stars in space. The ‘Universe of Water Particles’ is a two-story waterfall which will definitely fascinate you. It is also probably useful to know that Future World is organised into four themed sections – Nature, Town, Park and Space. In ‘Town’ and ‘Park’, children get to engage in drawing activities with crayons! At Sketch Town, they can watch their creation turn from 2D to 3D as their doodles get scanned and appear live into a virtual 3D townscape.
Another area children can have fun drawing is the Sketch Aquarium!
An exhibition in collaboration with the National Geographic, that is currently ongoing is ‘Planet or Plastic?’ which will run till 28 March 2021. By displaying 70 powerful images taken by famous photographers, it will allow us to understand how the use of plastic has increased tremendously in the past century. One of them is shown below:
These pictures portray the urgency of the need to mitigate plastic waste and seeks to convey the message to visitors to reduce their use of plastic. Additionally at the end of the exhibition, visitors can pledge to go green and reduce their carbon footprint! This exhibition will be a great way to teach your children to start going environmentally friendly!
Quick Tip: As part of COVID measures, there are limits to the people allowed inside at once. There are also timed entries, so if you wish to go there, do book your tickets online early! Each guest can buy up to 5 tickets per purchase.
Address: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore
Opening Hours: Daily: 10am - 7pm (Last Admission at 6pm)
Contact: 6688 8888
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Bring your little scientists to have fun @ The Science Centre
Science Centre is your one stop location for fun-filled educational family activities that can ignite your child’s interest in the Science. There is a whole list of things you can do here but two main highlights for families are the exhibitions and KidsSTOP area.
Exhibitions:
THE MIND’S EYE Exhibition - Things to see may not always be the way they appear!
The Unexpected Dinner showcases how the use of strategically located mirrors can reflect the background, and hence create an illusion of empty space that hides where the rest of the person’s body will be! Children will be surprised and attracted to see this!
The Giant Chair shows how our visual system can depend on shortcuts, to overlook details in favour of the big picture! By placing the camera lens behind a ‘peephole’, children will be able to observe how two separated chairs can miraculously align!
MOONSHOT 50 - Blast off on an experiential journey to the moon and space!
In this exhibition, you will be able to see precious moon rock samples collected by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin themselves during the Apollo 11 mission! How cool is that!
Additionally, over here you will get to learn how Snoopy and Peanut were involved in NASA’s space journey and Snoopy became the safety mascot for Apollo expeditions in the end.
KidsSTOP:
Another popular attraction of the Science Centre for children is KidsSTOP. Due to COVID measures, there could be changes in the timings stated below so parents do check before going!
Over there, activities such as the Everyday Science (Nature Exhibit) allow children to discover science concepts behinds phenomena of commonly found objects! For instance, they can discover how gravity causes items to directly fall to the ground! Note that this is only available every Saturday and Sunday, from 10.30am – 3pm!
Another activity is Playmaker (PlayMaker Studio) which involve materials such as themed maps, coding cards and even storybooks! However, note that this is only available every Tuesday and Thursday from 10.30am and 3pm.
Address: 15 Science Centre Rd, Singapore 609081
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday: Closed, Friday to Sunday: 10AM - 5PM
Contact: +65 6425 2500
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Get in touch with nature @ Kranji Marshes
As the largest freshwater marshland in Singapore, Kranji Marshes is divided into two areas: the public space which is open to everyone, and the core conservation space which grants access for those on guided walks only. Though the public area spans only around 1km, the things you can do and see here is definitely worth a family trip!
The marshlands offer a large variety of flora and fauna - home to almost 170 species of birds, 54 species of butterflies and 33 species of dragonflies! Families with avid bird watchers will be happy to know there are two lookout shelters - Moorhen Blind and Swamphen Hide constructed specially to be bird-watching havens.
Apart from bird-watching, the Raptor Tower is a landmark of the marshlands where you can expect a bird’s eye view of the surrounding areas. Be prepared for a picturesque scenery where you can snap pictures with your family which will look awesome even without any filters!
Families can also take the chance to enrich themselves through information shelters. There are two located along the main trail: the Weaver Shelter and Woodpecker Shelter. They provide interesting facts about each of the respective animals!
In this paradise away from the city, the nature reserve is the ideal recreation spot for the whole family to see wildlife up close and get breaths of fresh air amidst the hustling and bustling.
Address: 11 Neo Tiew Lane 2 Singapore 718814
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday: 7AM - 7PM
Phone: 6794 1401
Teach your children to ride the wheels @ East Coast Park
Being one of the busiest parks in Singapore, East Coast Park is a popular location for family outings. Out of the various activities you could enjoy there, a fun activity for families with kids especially is cycling! It is a useful skill which is supposedly easier to pick up at a young age! With the relatively flat and well-maintained landscape terrains marked with cycling tracks and walking pavements throughout the park, it makes it safe for children to either learn or have fun cycling!
For cycling, the highlight would be the 5.4-hectare Cyclist Park which cater to all bicycle skill levels. The new cool and challenging paths can give you and your child some thrill!
Besides, the Cyclist Park has a beautiful nature play garden featuring mini obstacle courses for the little kids.
Bike rental shops are conveniently located in the park, with affordable rates so do not worry if you do not have your own equipment! Below are a few rental shops where you can find kids’ bikes, regular bikes, mountain bikes, tandem bikes, family bikes:
- Bike Stop/Coastline Leisure (East Coast Park Area B1)
- Bike Stop/Coastline Leisure (East Coast Park Carpark E2)
- GoCycling (East Coast Park Area G1)
- GoCycling (East Coast Park Car Park 4)
- Khcycle (East Coast Park, Cyclist Park)
- Lifestyle Bike (Marine Parade, 5 mins from ECP via underpass)
Address: Along East Coast Parkway and East Coast Park Service Road, Singapore 455486
Opening Hours: Open 24 hours
Relish the views of the city skyline with a picnic @ Marina Barrage
With the vast green lawn overlooking the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands, the beautiful scenery will naturally lighten the hearts of all. Get ready to immerse yourself in different activities when you are here; from kite-flying, to family photoshoots or enjoying homemade meal-preps and snacks. Water fountains, which may enliven the children for a mini splash, can be found underneath the barrage as well! You could also take this time to chit-chat and have a family catchup!
Quick tip: Check the weather forecast before going to make sure it is a rain-free day! To avoid the afternoon heat, you might want to come in the mornings – 10am or evenings – 4pm.
Address: 8 Marina Gardens Dr, Singapore 018951
Opening Hours: Open 24 hours
‘Seaze’ the seafood through prawning/fishing @ ORTO
Want to feel the adrenaline rush and thrill of catching your own fish/prawn, and simultaneously have fun as a family? At ORTO, you can enjoy the best of both worlds where there is the fishing and prawning facilities!
The prawning facility there is the largest in Singapore, with a total of 10 ponds containing mainly big head prawns and yabbies. There are even electric grills there for you to grill your catches at no extra cost! For those without any equipment, do not fret as all baits and rods will be provided.
As for fishing, ORTO features a huge fishing pond which caters to both families as well as fishing pros. Check out how huge the fishes you may be able to catch could be in the picture below!
Below are the pricing rates for the Fishing Paradise:
Fishing and prawning might not be easy, especially on the first try so if you do not get anything do not be dismayed! The main point is your family is sure to have fun, the catch is just a bonus!
Address: #01-09 81 Lorong Chencharu, 769198
Opening Hours: Open 24 hours
Contact: 6257 8858
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Zoom zoom through the tracks @ Go-Karting spots
Many might think go-karting is an activity that is fun to do only in other countries, Singapore actually has many go-kart tracks that can allow you to experience as much thrill and gratification too.
At every go-kart place, safety briefings will be provided so as long as you and your love ones stay within the guidelines, go-karting is safe! You will be taught how to wear the equipment as well.
Below are just three go-karting places out of the many others you can visit with your family:
Kartright Speedway
Address: 511 Upper Jurong Road Arena Country Club, Singapore 638366
Opening Hours:
Contact: 652653303
Maximum Drift
The track there is 750m long and 7m wide which is said to be slightly challenging for some. Single fun karts are available for rent there but parents who wish to ride with their children, there are double karts as well! With the 200-metre-long track at Maximum Drift, children as young as 5 years old can have a go at go-karting!
Address: ORTO 81 Lorong Chencharu, #01-09, Singapore 769198
Opening Hours: Monday to Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday to Friday: 3PM - 9PM
Saturday to Sunday: 10AM - 9PM
Contact: 9299 3911
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The Karting Arena
The electric karting circuit at The Karting Area is 500-metre long, and consists of 9 turns that have sweeping corners, a hairpin and chicane. However, reviews have mentioned that it is easily manoeuvrable for children or adults who have never done go-karting before though!
Address: @ 200 Turf Club Rd #01-01B The Grandstand, 287994
Opening Hours: Monday to Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday to Friday: 1PM - 8.30PM,
Saturday: 10AM - 9PM
Sunday: 10AM - 10PM
Contact: 9627 6771
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Quick Tip: For safety reasons, height and age restrictions do apply! Parents do be sure to check the restrictions for each place before heading down!
Head down to these fun family-friendly activity spots to unwind with your loved ones today!
