Play spaces, museums and more: 9 June school holiday ideas to entertain kids

SINGAPORE – Who says the Asian Civilisations Museum is too serious for pre-schoolers? It has launched a welcoming and fun space for them, just in time for the June school holidays.

And if your older kids have been badgering you to buy a video game console, you may find a middle ground at Gamer’s Guild at Bugis+ mall. Take them to the new console e-sports centre, which is equipped with 50 Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation 5 units, and a library of 300 game titles.

Regardless of your children’s interests, you can find a variety of activities for the family to enjoy quality time together. Here are nine places to consider this mid-year school break.

1. Asian Civilisations Museum’s family-friendly space

Let your kids loose at the Asian Civilisations Museum’s (ACM) new family-friendly space ACM & Me on the ground floor. Inspired by the museum’s collection of artefacts, the area offers interactive activities such as Fantastic Creatures, which highlights five popular mythical creatures in Asian culture and their symbolic meanings.

Your children are encouraged to find depictions of these creatures within the museum.

For example, a Makara ornament – a water creature often portrayed with an elephant’s trunk, a crocodile’s body and a fish’s tail – can be found in the Ancestors and Rituals gallery on level 2. This creature is believed to be a guardian of rivers and seas.

But it may be hard to get your children to leave ACM & Me and explore the rest of the museum. Here, they can assemble imaginative creatures with colourful acrylic shapes. These creations can then be showcased on a screen using overhead projectors, commonly used in schools in the 1970s to 1990s.

Another fun experience is the Everyday Stories station, where children can learn an early animation technique. Silicone mats with illustrations – inspired by a circa 1785 Hong bowl in the museum’s Maritime Trade gallery – create a moving illusion when spun.

These mats depict scenes from the bowl, which you should take your kids to marvel at. The giant porcelain bowl measures 26cm in diameter and stands 15cm tall.

Where: Asian Civilisations Museum, 1 Empress Place
When: Saturdays to Thursdays, 10am to 7pm; Fridays, 10am to 9pm. ACM & Me is closed for cleaning from 12.30 to 2pm daily
Admission: Free for Singaporeans and permanent residents; $15 for foreigners from June 2
Info:

str.sg/RKVV

2. Children’s Season at the National Museum

A “mamak shop” has opened at the National Museum of Singapore, but you will not be able to buy snacks and drinks there. It serves as the backdrop of intergenerational artworks by pre-schoolers from My First Skool and seniors from St Luke’s Eldercare, who share their memories about the provision shops.

The showcase and a short film about the cultural significance of mamak shops are presented as part of Children’s Season at the museum in collaboration with children’s arts centre The Artground.

And what is a mamak shop without an HDB void deck? The reimagined space allows families to sit around and play old-school games such as five stones and pick-up sticks.

Complementing the

SG60 commemorative exhibition Once Upon A Tide,

this edition of Children’s Season also explores the impact of early and present-day migrants in shaping Singapore.

Kids can show their gratitude to migrant workers by creating thank-you cards, which will be distributed to them through social enterprise Migrant & Me’s network after the exhibition.

On weekends, your kids can interact with three actors – playing a samsui woman, rickshaw puller and iced-water seller – as they share stories on migration and life in early Singapore.

Where: National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road
When: Until June 29, 10am to 6pm daily; selected programmes run on weekends only
Admission: Free and ticketed programmes
Info:

go.gov.sg/nms-cs2025

3. Gamer’s Guild

Not ready to buy a video game console for your kids, despite them being on their best behaviour? Consider taking them to a gaming centre such as Gamer’s Guild, which opened at Bugis+ mall on May 30.

Billed as Singapore’s largest console e-sports store, it offers 50 Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 units.

Your kids can also experience realistic racing in a dedicated simulator room equipped with a racing wheel and reclining seat. The space offers nine private rooms and two live-streaming VIP rooms as well.

Even for gamers who already have their set-up at home, the centre’s growing library of 300 titles means they can try out the games before purchasing.

Gamer’s Guild is run by entertainment company Evo Amusement, which brought in the popular Pokemon Ga-Ole arcade game.

Children can enjoy a variety of games that also offer opportunities for parents to connect with them through friendly competition or teamwork. Kids who are nine years old and younger must be accompanied by an adult, while those aged 10 and above can play independently.

Where: 05-05 Bugis+, 201 Victoria Street
When: 11am to 9pm daily
Admission: As part of an opening promotion, members receive one hour of free play each day. The regular hourly fee is $10. Membership is free
Info:

instagram.com/gamersguildsg

4. Revamped SuperPark Singapore

SuperPark Singapore now features 34 activities, with 13 new additions designed for both children and adults to bounce, climb and slide to their hearts’ content.

The double-storey indoor activity park’s entrance has also been relocated from level 2 to 1, following a two-month renovation.

Among the new experiences is Airbag Donut Slide in the Adventure Area play zone. Riders between 30 and 120kg can hop on a round float and enjoy a soft yet thrilling descent.

At the Freestyle Hall, check out Basketball Jump, which allows you to bounce on a trampoline and use the extra height to execute dunks and shots.

Over at the Game Arena, compete against others on SuperRun interactive treadmills in races from 100m to 5km, or enjoy a leisurely run through a virtual park.

SuperPark originated in Finland in 2012 and its Singapore outpost opened in 2018.

After its recent makeover, the park has eight party rooms and its first on-site cafe Super Recharge, which serves hot dogs, pizzas and slushies.

Where: SuperPark Singapore, 01-488 Suntec City Tower 2, 3 Temasek Boulevard
When: 9am to 9pm daily during school and public holidays. For opening hours outside of these periods, refer to its website
Admission: From $25.90 for non-members who are at least 1m tall, half-price for kids under 1m, free for infants below age one
Info:

superpark.com.sg

5. Miffy’s birthday celebration at Changi Airport

Miffy’s 70th birthday celebration continues at Changi Airport Terminal 3 (T3), culminating in a party on her actual birthday on June 21. The event will feature a cake-cutting ceremony and dance by the beloved bunny character and her friend Boris Bear.

The bunny’s birthday celebration at T3, which began in March with a garden theme, has been updated to a beach party theme from May 30, featuring new photo spots and play zones.

You and your kids can now hop on to Miffy’s Beach Party Bounce, an inflatable playground with 2m-tall slides that plunge into a giant ball pit and swings.

Spend at least $50 in a receipt at participating outlets in the public areas of Terminals 1 to 4, or $80 for supermarket purchases, to get 30-minute play passes at $5 each and buy a celebration pass to attend the birthday bash on June 21. Each celebration pass costs $14.90 and includes an instant photo print with Miffy and Boris, a slice of cake and a goodie bag with more than $65 worth of Miffy merchandise.

Cannot make it to the party? Catch the duo’s free shows on June 7, 14 and 28, at 2 and 5pm, at T3 basement 2’s St3ps.

Created in 1955 by Dutch artist and author Dick Bruna, Miffy is the star of a series of picture books which have reportedly sold more than 85 million copies and been translated into more than 50 languages.

Where: Changi Airport Terminal 3, 65 Airport Boulevard
When: Until July 13, various timings
Admission: Free; separate charges and redemptions apply for selected activities
Info:

str.sg/BZeU

6. U-Camp holiday workshops

Enrol your children in a diverse range of school holiday workshops at special prices. UOL Malls – comprising Kinex, United Square and Velocity@Novena Square – have teamed up with their tenants to run U-Camp holiday workshops, offering more than 20 experiences for toddlers to teenagers.

Redeem two workshop passes when you spend at least $60 at the malls, then pay a separate fee directly to each enrichment provider. Up to 80 per cent of the trial classes are priced at $10 a person a session while others cost $20.

At Kinex, for instance, your children can paint sneakers at MurcyArt Gallery and design games at The Lab.

Over at United Square, they can join a Brazilian jiu-jitsu class at The Gentle Art Academy or basketball clinic at KOTC Basketball.

At Velocity, your kids can experience muay thai at Fight Zone or pick up a new sport with Pickleball Academy.

Where: Kinex, 11 Tanjong Katong Road; United Square, 101 Thomson Road; and Velocity@Novena Square, 238 Thomson Road
When: Until July 6, various timings
Admission: Spend at least $60 at the malls to redeem two workshop passes. An additional fee of $10 or $20 a person applies
Info: Go to

upopp.com.sg

or the respective malls’ websites

7. Parent-child baking classes

Bake and bond with your children at RedMan Baking Studio’s school holiday workshops. In the Animal-Themed Madeleines class, learn to make classic French madeleines and decorate eight pieces with adorable animal designs before taking them home.

Another option is the Cake Push Pops course, where you and your child can bake sponge cake and assemble six servings in playful push-up containers.

These two-hour hands-on classes are designed for a parent and a child between six and 12 years old. Teens can register independently.

Where: Five RedMan outlets, including 02-26 Pasir Ris Mall, 7 Pasir Ris Central, and B1-14 The Star Vista, 1 Vista Exchange Green
When: June 6 to 29, various timings
Admission: $48 for a parent and a child aged six to 12
Info:

str.sg/DTs6

8. Adventures With Andi musical

Catch the musical adaptation of What Ants Do, a four-book children’s series (2022 to 2024) written by Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Sun Xueling and illustrated by artist Josef Lee.

Recommended for families with children aged two to 12, the 90-minute stage show follows Andi the ant and his friends, who face the daunting task of rebuilding their homes after a forest fire. Despite their varied strengths and skills, they must learn to collaborate and overcome obstacles to create a new haven.

The interactive musical parallels the development of Singapore’s public housing after the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire. Your kids are encouraged to work together with the performers and learn about resilience, teamwork and the importance of belonging. For example, balloons, symbolising rocks, will be released into the audience who can help move them towards the stage.

The page-to-stage performance debuted in 2023. Presented by local theatre company How Drama, this new edition incorporates the story from What Ants Do On Fiery Days, the fourth book in the series.

Director and co-writer Melissa Sim says: “We want families to leave the theatre with a strong sense of togetherness and that we can overcome anything, if we put our minds together and stay united.”

Where: Drama Centre Theatre, 03-01 National Library, 100 Victoria Street
When: June 6, 11.30am; June 7 and 8, 11.30am and 2pm
Admission: $30 and $35
Info:

str.sg/zKZV

9. Stitch-themed activities at VivoCity

Stitch, with his mischievous grin and bright eyes, cuts an arresting figure at VivoCity’s Outdoor Plaza. Take pictures with the towering 4.5m statue there and head inside the mall to hunt for two smaller photo spots.

Also known as Experiment 626, the blue alien is enjoying his time in the spotlight, with Lilo & Stitch now showing in cinemas. It is a live-action remake of the 2002 animated classic of the same name.

Try your hand at carnival games for $10 each and stand a chance to win plushies of the lovable character.

Your little ones can also hop aboard the Mini Express Train adorned with Stitch graphics. Enjoy a free ride by signing up for the mall’s Kids Club and spending $100 or more at participating stores.

And shop the collectibles at lifestyle store Miniso’s first Stitch-themed pop-up in Singapore. Exclusively available at Vivocity’s Central Court is the Stitch Vinyl Plush Blind Box ($30.90), featuring the alien in a soft, fluffy onesie.

Where: VivoCity, 1 HarbourFront Walk
When: Until June 29, various timings
Admission: Free; separate charges apply for carnival games
Info:

vivocity.com.sg