From water play to nature walks: 4 new activities for the March school holidays, including free ones
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Check out four new family-friendly places that opened in recent months, including places with free admission.
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – The March holidays are only a week long, but the break is still a good time to let the kids put aside schoolwork and take them out for some fun.
Together with my daughters aged six and 12, I check out four new family-friendly places that opened in recent months, including places with free admission.
Free: Mandai Boardwalk
The Mandai Boardwalk is a scenic 3.3km-long boardwalk along the perimeter of River Wonders and Singapore Zoo.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
What: A 3.3km-long boardwalk along the perimeter of River Wonders and Singapore Zoo with views of Upper Seletar Reservoir and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve
Where: 80 Mandai Lake Road
When: 7am to 7pm daily, last entry at 6pm
Admission: Free
Visitors get breathtaking views of Upper Seletar Reservoir and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
Fun factor: The Mandai Wildlife Reserve has plenty of fantastic attractions, but admission to the parks can be pretty pricey. Which is why the boardwalk, opened in January, is a wonderful addition that does not break the bank.
The views alone are worth making the trip all the way to Mandai, but I also like how quiet and serene the whole place is, a great respite from the daily urban grind.
Plus, you do not have to be in the zoos to see animals. The free-roaming ones we see include macaques, turtles, wild chicken, various birds, a little snake and a peacock straddling the fence of the zoo.
Remind the kids to keep a safe distance – these are wild animals, after all – and do not feed them.
The rest stops include Iora’s Nest, a lookout point with a weave-like design inspired by the nest of the common iora, the yellow and black bird found in Singapore.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
Hot tip: It takes about 1½ hours to walk the whole trail. If that is too much for the young ones, you can break it up by resting at several stops along the boardwalk.
Each rest stop is unique and inspired by local wildlife. Eagle’s Perch, for example, is named after the grey-headed fish eagle and features seats made out of logs.
The prettiest stop is Iora’s Nest, a lookout point with a woven design inspired by the nest of the common iora, a yellow and black bird found in Singapore.
There are two entrances – the Kingfisher entry near Singapore Zoo and the Tree Frog entry near River Wonders. If you are heading to Iora’s Nest, the quickest way is to enter via Tree Frog.
Wear a hat and plenty of sunscreen, although some parts of the walk are shaded by plants. The boardwalk is wheelchair-friendly, so you can also take along strollers for younger children.
Free: ArtScience Laboratory
The ArtScience Laboratory has a large blue Cubebot, a life-size version of the action figure toy made of foam that children can climb.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
What: A 320 sq m learning centre for all ages with activities and workshops centred on art, science and technology
Where: ArtScience Museum, Basement 2, 6 Bayfront Avenue
When: 11am to 7pm (Sundays to Thursdays), 11am to 9pm (Fridays and Saturdays)
Admission: Free entry. The activities and workshops are free for now, but some will be ticketed in the future
Kids can make a “hybrid friend” at the ArtScience Laboratory. This activity encourages participants to be imaginative by putting different body parts together to make a stick puppet.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
Fun factor: This is a new place to head to the next time you take the kids to the Marina Bay Sands area.
Located at the ArtScience Museum’s Basement 2, you can easily spend an hour or so learning new things and picking up new skills while having fun. The activities cover five themes – art, science, technology, environmentalism and mental wellness.
The first thing kids will go for is a large blue Cubebot-inspired cushion that is big enough for adults to lie on and kids to climb up. The Cubebot is a popular puzzle toy robot. There are other seats made out of foam as well.
I like that the staff are attentive and will guide you as you take part in the activities.
The ArtScience Laboratory activities include an eco bag-making workshop. The process involves cutting recycled banners from past exhibitions, punching holes and threading the sheets together.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
When I visit with my six-year-old, we join a workshop to make small, eco-friendly sling bags out of old Marina Bay Sands banners that advertised the integrated resort’s past programmes. These remind me of the famous Freitag bags made out of recycled tarps. There is cutting and sewing involved, so younger kids will need some guidance.
My daughter also gets to make a stick puppet based on the works of Australian contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini, whose art was on display at the museum from 2022 to 2023. Piccinini’s art, featuring strange, genetically modified creatures, look bizarre on the surface, but offer a lesson in empathy and co-existence.
Kids can use Lego blocks to build a carbon using different coloured bricks that represent protons, neutrons and electrons at the ArtScience Laboratory.
ST PHOTO: TARYN NG
The activities are both tactile and digital. Using an iPad and playing Quick, Draw!, an interactive drawing game built with machine learning, my daughter learns how artificial intelligence gathers knowledge.
She also gets basic lessons in particle physics by using Lego blocks to assemble protons, neutrons and various elements.
Hot tip: Before you head down, go to the ArtScience Museum website ( str.sg/LpYQ
Ticketed: Splashtopia
Splashtopia is a pop-up waterplay area at Sentosa’s Palawan Green with 10 massive inflatable playgrounds.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
What: The second edition of playground chain Kiztopia’s pop-up inflatable water park that made its debut in Sentosa in 2024
Where: Palawan Green, Sentosa
When: Until March 31, 2 to 7pm (Mondays to Thursdays), 9.30am to 8pm (Fridays to Sundays, and on the eves of public holidays, public holidays and school holidays)
Admission: From $23 for a single ticket for those aged two years and above. There are discounts, ranging from 10 to 20 per cent, for DBS and POSB cardholders. Go to str.sg/GQmb
Fun factor: Splashtopia is back, and it is even bigger than the one held a year ago.
There are now 10 giant inflatables, compared with nine in 2024. These are based on Kiztopia characters called Kiztopia Friends, who must battle pirates and a giant purple octopus, Dr Octo.
There are slides galore, a water football field, floating rafts, plenty of obstacle courses and an arena for water gun battles.
The 2025 edition of Splashtopia features 10 inflatable playgrounds based on Kiztopia characters.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
Hot tip: Play sessions are limited to three hours during the school holidays, from Fridays to Sundays, eves of public holidays and public holidays.
If you want to play longer, go after the March holidays – from Mondays to Thursdays, you can stay as long as you want.
There are changing rooms, but if you need a post-play shower – which is highly recommended for hygiene reasons – you have to exit the park and head for one of the public showers located at the beaches nearby.
Kids below the height of 1.2m require supervision, so the adults accompanying them have to be prepared to get wet.
If the kids are hungry, there is a food truck by home-grown eatery Nosh, selling fare such as fish and chips. There is also a gift shop that sells water play-linked toys such as water guns and bubble guns, and children’s clothes.
Free: Keppel Coastal Trail
The Keppel Coastal Trail is a new outdoors trail and coastal beach forest habitat at Labrador Nature Park.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
What: A 340m-long trail in Labrador Nature Park that passes through part of a restored coastal forest located between Labrador Nature Reserve and the sea, and has a play area
Where: Labrador Nature Park, 91 Labrador Villa Road
When: 24 hours
Admission: Free
Fun factor: If you have not been to Labrador Nature Park in a while, now is the time to make a return.
Walk along a new 250m-long rustic path that cuts through part of a restored coastal forest. Look out for swales, which are natural drainage solutions for the trail. Let the kids know that the design for these swales incorporate input from young people from the National Parks Board’s (NParks) Youth Stewards for Nature programme.
There is a sand play area with a playground and a small maze.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
There is a sandy open space with a playground and a small maze that children can spend some time playing around in.
Go up a 90m-long boardwalk that is 1.5m off the ground. It provides unblocked views of the sea off the southern coast of Singapore. It is also wheelchair- and stroller-friendly.
The trail has around 100 species of trees and shrubs, including native coastal species that are meant to be a shelter and source of food for animals such as birds and butterflies. The kids can learn about the park’s biodiversity by reading several signs around the area.
If it is your first time at Labrador Nature Park, you should explore the rest of the coastal area. It has a few photo-worthy spots, such as the bright red Berlayer Beacon, which was used as a visual aid for ships in the mid-20th century. There is also another playground with swings, seesaws and sand play.
The trail includes a rustic path that cuts through part of a restored coastal forest.
ST PHOTO: EDDINO ABDUL HADI
Hot tip: If you are driving or taking a cab or private-hire car, alight at Labrador Park Car Park C, which is close to the trail. If you take the train, Labrador Park MRT station is 20 minutes away on foot.
Head down in the late afternoon to get a view of the sunset over the water. There are also barbecue pits which you can reserve by applying for a permit at NPark’s website ( str.sg/K63A
