I’ve always touted Singapore as an extremely kid-friendly place to live. Indeed, the mere presence of clean and inviting nursing rooms in every mall, the abundance of indoor play areas for children, and the emphasis placed upon providing educational and social learnings for children here is commendable.
Recently, while flipping through the vast collection of photos amassed on my iPhone from the last three years, I realized I’ve done my fair share of exploring places and exposing my kids to different experiences around town. This virtual trip down memory lane inspired me to put these experiences “down on paper” as a blog post – essentially, my own personal list of go-to places around town for my children. If it happens to spark ideas of places to go for my readers or benefits families making plans to visit Singapore, then all the better!
Note: The list I made below is by no means exhaustive and is in no specific order. Do note that it doesn’t include indoor or outdoor playareas, which is a list in and of itself.
So here goes…
1. ArtScience Museum: This is probably amongst my son’s favorite places to visit. “Future World” is a permanent exhibit that provides an immersive high-tech, interactive experience for children. I know that sounds pretty abstract but trust me when I say that it is worth taking your child there for an incredible experience into a world of art-meets-science. A recent exhibit called “Treasures of the Natural World” borrows artifacts from the Natural History Museum in London to take you on a journey back into the era of Charles Darwin and his study of Galapagos turtles and when dodo birds.
2. McRitchie Reservoir: Outdoor exploration is such an important part of play. I have always enjoyed bringing Krishnav here ever since he was 2 years old. The monkeys which roam freely (caution: never bring food in front of these creatures who won’t think twice before snatching your bag of chips), the open green space, and the view of the reservoir are all so refreshing. You can even do short treks with the kids, including the McRitchie Treetop Walk, a well-known freestanding suspension bridge between the two highest points in the Central Catchment.
3. Visit the Central Fire Station on Hill Street: Every Saturday between 9-11am, the Central Fire Station on Hill Street holds an open house for kids to come visit their premises. What a treat for the little ones who get to climb and sit inside fire trucks and ambulances and do pretend play! The friendly firefighters here also give a tour of their facilities and a demo on how they respond to emergencies, including use of their giant fire hose to put out fires!
4. Visit Little India and its temples: Regardless of whether your child is Indian or not, a visit to Little India is sure to provide an immersive cultural experience for your child. On a regular day, you can take your child to one of the temples which are rich in eye-catching works of art and carvings depicting scenes form Hindu mythology. During the Hindu festivals, such as Diwali or Pongal, festive street stalls pop up in certain areas and the entire length of Serangoon Road is decorated with lights and colorful banners.
5. Singapore Flyer: Admittedly, it’s a somewhat costly ride, but I believe everyone should do it at least once during their time in Singapore. After all, it’s an integral part of the skyline. Why not experience it up close? You get an incredible view of the ocean below and the view of downtown Singapore. The kids quite like the experience of it.
6. Gardens by the Bay: This place is a must-visit for any local or tourist. For kids, it’s a gold mine of activities to do! Let’s see…there is the water sprinkler park, the outdoor kids play area in the sand, a mini Cactus Garden and aquarium, the magnificent Super Groves and the Domes (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest). What’s not to love?
7. Marina Barrage: Just a short walk down from Gardens by the Bay is a little hilltop and one of my favorite corners of Singapore. Arguably the southwestern-most point of the island, Marina Barrage provides a view of the sea on one side and a view of the Singapore skyline on the other. We love coming here for picnics and kite-flying. Invariably, there is someone ever willing to help us out as we often fumble and struggle to get our kites up!
8. Biking along the East Coast: Rent a bike from one of the many locations (Greenland Park is one of them) and cruise around with your little one on the back. I love bringing my son (and friends visiting from out-of-town) for a reasonably active and fun outing. Something about the view of the palm trees lining the streets, the beach, and families hanging out here really makes me happy!
9. Murals, anybody?: I’m a huge fan of artist Yip Yew Chong’s murals and have taken Krishnav to see the ones on Everton Road (known as the Everton Murals) and Tiong Bahru. He has a lot more murals in other locations which you can find out about here and I personally have written about them here. It’s a great way to expose the kids to art that tells stories and to ignite conversation on what they see and think…for free!
10. Kid-friendly animal farms around Singapore? Yes, it actually exists. I’ve actually written a whole article on this topic and you can read all about it here on Sassy Mama!
The remaining 10 items on this list will be continued in part II of this series...Stay tuned!
Recently, while flipping through the vast collection of photos amassed on my iPhone from the last three years, I realized I’ve done my fair share of exploring places and exposing my kids to different experiences around town. This virtual trip down memory lane inspired me to put these experiences “down on paper” as a blog post – essentially, my own personal list of go-to places around town for my children. If it happens to spark ideas of places to go for my readers or benefits families making plans to visit Singapore, then all the better!
Note: The list I made below is by no means exhaustive and is in no specific order. Do note that it doesn’t include indoor or outdoor playareas, which is a list in and of itself.
So here goes…
1. ArtScience Museum: This is probably amongst my son’s favorite places to visit. “Future World” is a permanent exhibit that provides an immersive high-tech, interactive experience for children. I know that sounds pretty abstract but trust me when I say that it is worth taking your child there for an incredible experience into a world of art-meets-science. A recent exhibit called “Treasures of the Natural World” borrows artifacts from the Natural History Museum in London to take you on a journey back into the era of Charles Darwin and his study of Galapagos turtles and when dodo birds.
3. Visit the Central Fire Station on Hill Street: Every Saturday between 9-11am, the Central Fire Station on Hill Street holds an open house for kids to come visit their premises. What a treat for the little ones who get to climb and sit inside fire trucks and ambulances and do pretend play! The friendly firefighters here also give a tour of their facilities and a demo on how they respond to emergencies, including use of their giant fire hose to put out fires!
5. Singapore Flyer: Admittedly, it’s a somewhat costly ride, but I believe everyone should do it at least once during their time in Singapore. After all, it’s an integral part of the skyline. Why not experience it up close? You get an incredible view of the ocean below and the view of downtown Singapore. The kids quite like the experience of it.
6. Gardens by the Bay: This place is a must-visit for any local or tourist. For kids, it’s a gold mine of activities to do! Let’s see…there is the water sprinkler park, the outdoor kids play area in the sand, a mini Cactus Garden and aquarium, the magnificent Super Groves and the Domes (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest). What’s not to love?
8. Biking along the East Coast: Rent a bike from one of the many locations (Greenland Park is one of them) and cruise around with your little one on the back. I love bringing my son (and friends visiting from out-of-town) for a reasonably active and fun outing. Something about the view of the palm trees lining the streets, the beach, and families hanging out here really makes me happy!
9. Murals, anybody?: I’m a huge fan of artist Yip Yew Chong’s murals and have taken Krishnav to see the ones on Everton Road (known as the Everton Murals) and Tiong Bahru. He has a lot more murals in other locations which you can find out about here and I personally have written about them here. It’s a great way to expose the kids to art that tells stories and to ignite conversation on what they see and think…for free!
10. Kid-friendly animal farms around Singapore? Yes, it actually exists. I’ve actually written a whole article on this topic and you can read all about it here on Sassy Mama!
The remaining 10 items on this list will be continued in part II of this series...Stay tuned!
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