Go around the world with these 5 indoor playgrounds in Singapore

Although travel restrictions have put many vacation plans on hold, Singapore has plenty of fun-filled options to satisfy both adults and kids alike this school holiday. Outdoor activities are an ideal way to help them break a sweat, but if you prefer a more comfortable afternoon where you can seek shelter from the hot tropical weather, indoor playgrounds are your answer. Below, our list of indoor playgrounds that not only exhaust, engage and entertain your children, they’ll also make them (and you) feel like you’ve been transported somewhere else, at least for a while.

Taking up a whopping 18,000sqft of space (nearly four NBA basketball courts) at Marina Square, this edutainment playground is Singapore’s largest indoor playground in a shopping mall and is the company’s first venture into Southeast Asia. What’s unique about this place is the 11 original characters conceptualised by its in-house team. These include Dr Chen, Chichi the chick, Pepe the pig and Eli the elephant. Each character has its own distinct personality, hobbies and profession to expose children to diversity and debunk social stigmas (for example, Eli the elephant can run very fast). Kids get to engage in interactive play in 18 play zones with different learning objectives, such as an indoor driving school, ball pits and slides, a supermarket and bakery role play zone as well as a music room, with the aim to develop kids’ self-confidence, motor and arithmetic skills, and more.

This stalwart in Great World City recently completed a major facelift in 2019 and now has a new arctic theme: Think ice, snow and arctic animals set in a blue-and-white-hued atmosphere. The space boasts brighter and more spacious play areas, spanking new trampolines, a massive interactive video wall and a new toddler play area. If you’re looking for some thrills, its old four-tier blue slide – the highest indoor wave slide in Singapore – is still there, along with an inhouse bistro.

Managed by the same company, both playgrounds are fronted by characters from two South Korean animated series – Pororo the Little Penguin and Tayo the Little Bus respectively. Both are about 10,000sqft and feature a mixture of sensory play, indoor play gyms and more. At the five-year-old Pororo Park in Marina Square, kiddos can dive into a shark-themed ball pool, get digging in a pit filled with Hinoki wood, hang out at Pororo’s house, play pretend at a supermarket and hop onto the Pororo Express Train. Meanwhile at the two-year-old Tayo Station at E!Hub in Downtown East, the little ones can zip around the Tayo’s Road Circuit that’s filled with fun pitstops such as a gas pump kiosk, garage and car wash. They can also jump to their heart’s content at the bouncy garage, clamour around a three-storey playground or jump into a ball pit.

The four-year-old Safari-themed playground at Annex@Furama allows children to scale a “volcano”, cross suspension bridges, slide their way down, build a house with bricks and jump on trampolines. True to its theme, you can find murals of safari animals such as elephants, giraffes, rhinos and lions all over its walls, and animated characters decked in explorer garb. For an extra fee, your little ones can complete a rope adventure course which will put their balance, coordination and motor skills to the test.

The first indoor playground in Singapore with a local theme, this playground pays homage to Singapore’s Peranakan culture and sports bright colours and imagery that’s unique to its heritage. Kids and adults alike will be thrilled by tributes to familiar icons, such as the famed dragon playground that houses a winding tube slide and paintings of the watermelon and pelican playgrounds. Standouts include a multi-slide for families, a foam ball shooting arena, futsal pitch and interactive trampoline.

Please check the establishments’ respective websites for opening hours as well as booking and seating requirements before visiting, and remember to adhere to safe-distancing measures while out and about.

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