Whether you’re going on an overseas trip or not, the airport is the place to be this school holiday. The Terminal 3 departure hall at Changi Airport has been transformed into a Harry Potter site, with life-sized setups inspired by the books and movies and illustrations that are exclusive to Singapore. Play games at Diagon Alley to win limited edition prizes, try on robes, cast some spells and, of course, take as many photos as you can. If you’re in transit, there’s also a special Fantastic Beasts photo op, plus a merchandise store filled with Harry Potter goodies. Watch our video above for more!

When: Until mid-Feb 2019
Where: Various locations at Changi Airport
Entry: Free admission (except for the Terminal 1 transit booth)
Go here for more information.

Have a merry time with a bevy of family-oriented yuletide activities at KidZania Singapore, a large kid-sized indoor playground. There are two exciting events to watch out for, Wishing Stars and Christmas Night Out featuring exciting things like a thrilling inflatable playground with a four-metre slide, a Christmas bazaar, a parade, craft activities and a dazzling daily light show.

When: Nov 19 – Dec 31, 10am – 6pm (Day), 6pm – 10pm (Night)
Where: KidZania Singapore, Palawan Kidz City, 31 Beach View #01-01/02
Entry: Free admission to Wishing Stars event and Christmas Night Out, regular admission charges (from $25) apply for day activities at KidZania Singapore. 
Go here for more information. 

Enjoy a wintry holiday without paying for a plane ticket at Singapore’s very own Snow City, where you can look forward to daily snow fall experiences, a snow blizzard (at 11am, 2pm and 4pm) as well as acapella carolling to put you in the festive mood. 

On 24 and 25 December, little ones can meet and greet famous fairytale characters Hansel and Gretel, as well as Santa Claus at 3pm, where there will also be an interactive storytelling session. 

When: Until Dec 31 (from 10am to 6 pm)
Where: Snow City Singapore, 21 Jurong Town Hall Road
Entry: $12 per child, $15 per adult (for a 1-hour snow play session, for Singaporeans & PRs); $18 per child, $25 per adult (for a 2-hour snow play session)
Go here for more information.

Take a break from Pokemon Go and hop on down to AMK Hub, Jurong Point and Thomson Plaza for some festive Pokemon-themed fun. You won’t want to miss Singapore’s first life-sized Pokemon installation, as well as a themed Christmas tree for true fans. Besides carnival games, DIY gift-making workshops and special edition merchandise to collect like tumblers and plushes, kids can also get the chance to meet and greet beloved character Pikachu on selected dates at the malls. There will even be Eevee and Pikachu dance parades on selected Fridays and weekends in December! 

When: Nov 16 – Dec 26
Where: AMK Hub, Jurong Point and Thomson Plaza
Entry: Free admission, fees apply for carnival games
Visit Jurong Point and AMK Hub‘s websites for more information. 

Take the kids to the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay, where more than 40 beloved Disney characters like Mickey Mouse and Dumbo are displayed in adorably stackable Tsum Tsum form. It’s part of the “Poinsettia Wishes Featuring Disney Tsum Tsum” floral display. Every scene is sure to delight both young and the young at heart, and is a great place for family Christmas photos too. 

When: Nov 2 – Jan 6
Where: Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay
Entry: 9am – 9pm, admission charge applies
Go here for more information.

Do you have a budding MasterChef in your home? Treat them to a Junior Chef cooking class at ToTT. Suitable for ages 5 to 12, ToTT runs cooking classes where parents and kids can work together in a hands-on class to cook dishes like takoyaki, Harajuku crepes, confetti cupcakes, cookies and chocolate log cakes — all things the little ones will enjoy eating too. They will learn to prepare at least three dishes per class, using the state-of-the-art tools and equipment that ToTT is famed for. The kids go home with recipe print-outs and an apron. Classes are held on weekdays and weekends, at their Century Square and Suntec outlets.

When: For a full schedule, take a look here.
Where: ToTT @ Century Square is at #02-14, 2 Tampines Central 5, tel: 6219 7077; ToTT @ Suntec is at #02-427, 3 Temasek Blvd, tel: 6238 1578.
Go here for more information.

Instead of wallet-draining activities, teach your kids to spend their time giving back to society and in turn they will learn to value what they have. The month-long school holidays are a good time to explore volunteer work. The Food Bank Singapore is an organisation that collects unused and unwanted food from homes and organisations, and donates it to the needy. Get involved by adopting a bank box as a family, and collect unwanted food items from within your neighbourhood, friends and community. Food Bank also recruits junior volunteers who join the Food Bank Singapore Junior’s Club. The kids will be involved in collection and donation drives, food sorting and more. The experience and learning will be priceless. 

Where: The Food Bank Singapore is at #01-02/04, Tanjong Pagar Distripark, 39 Keppel Road, tel: 6831 5395.
Entry: Register here.
Go here for more information.

School holidays are a great way to get your kids out of their comfort zone. Organised by the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), a Zoo Camp will be a fabulous, immersive learning experience for the young ones. These one- and three-day camps are incredibly hands-on programmes where you can either learn how to be a Zookeeper and take care of wild animals, or be a Zoo Explorer and experience intimate animal encounters. There is even a chance to camp overnight at the zoo along with your kids, and enjoy a behind-the-scenes view of the animals in their natural night-time habitat. 

When: Click here for camp dates, prices and age-appropriate activities.
Where: Wildlife Reserves Singapore’s parks are at 80 Mandai Lake Road, tel: 6269 3411.
Go here for more information.

To keep your hyperactive young ones actively engaged, look no further than the gymnastics camps at The Yard. Their two locations (Dempsey and Jurong) will run five-day intensive three-hour-long camps which are a mix of fun and training across various ages. Choose from single-activity camps and multi-activity camps and expect them to dabble in Gymnastics, Trampoline, Parkour, Ninja and Freestyle programmes. The camps see kids going from drills to skills, strength to strength, with continuously monitored progress and challenges. Camps run from Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm. All five-day campers will receive a goody bag and a certificate of completion. 

When: Dec 17 to 21
Where: The Yard is at 10 Science Centre Road, tel: 6816 8022 and 72 Loewen Road, Dempsey Hill, tel: 6914 9660.
Entry: $380 per child
Go here for more information.

In a pre-digital age, we remember spending our school holidays amidst books and make-believe. Encourage your kids to be book lovers by making regular visits to the public libraries. Queenstown Public Library, Central Public Library and the Tampines Regional Library are among the several that have a children’s section, complete with height-appropriate shelves, reading nooks and areas dedicated to toddlers, school-aged kids and even teens. The libraries regularly hold storytelling sessions and reading-related activities, so get involved.

Go here for a full list of libraries and events.

For budding photographers, the Peranakan Museum allows them a glimpse into one of Singapore’s most vibrant and colourful, living subcultures — the Peranakan community — and early photography in South-east Asia. The exhibit Amek Gambar: Peranakans and Photography runs till Feb 3. Spread across a few levels, families can navigate the exhibit via a free activity trail booklet in the form of their personal photography album along with a foldable paper Mini TLR camera. Kids will learn about photography in a fun, engaging and interactive way, including how selfies and wefies were taken in the past. At the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) If you time your visit accordingly (3pm from Mondays to Thursdays and on Saturdays, and 1.30pm and 3pm on Fridays) kids four years and older can participate in a storytelling hunt to discover and learn more about fantastical folktales and stories from ACM’s collections at Let’s Explore! Learn more about what’s on at ACM here.

Peranakan Museum is at 39 Armenian Street, tel: 6332 7591 . Go here for more information. 

Asian Civilisations Museum is at 1 Empress Place, tel: 6332 7798. Go here for more information. 

This November, treat your kids to a sleepover like none other. At the Singapore Philatelic Museum, the Overnight Adventure with The Little Prince is a one-night-only experience where 7- to 12-year-olds get to delve into The Little Prince world through philately, activities, games and competition. They will visit The Little Prince In The Dark tactile exhibition and then go to sleep in the company of their friends and the museum’s exciting exhibits. All they need to bring is a sleeping bag, jacket, pyjamas, change of clothing and toiletries. They will be provided with dinner, supper, breakfast and tons of fun and laughter.

When: Nov 29 – 30 (from 6pm)
Where: Singapore Philatelic Museum is at 23-B Coleman Street, tel: 6337 3888.
Entry: $110/child
Go here for more information.

Our Tampines Gallery is organising tons of arty-crafty activities for the young ones. No need to register, just walk in with your kids to try your hand at making a traditional game like Five Stones, or make you own works of art with paper craft. You will be learning from seniors from the Tampines area, and they will teach you old-school games and crafts that came before today’s internet games and online world. It’ll be an insightful and fun experience for your kiddos. 

When: Every Sat from Nov 10- Dec 15 (2pm to 5pm)
Where: Our Tampines Gallery is at Level 2 (inside Tampines Regional Library), Our Tampines Hub, 1 Tampines Walk.
Go here for more information.

Take the kids to see Building History: Monuments in Bricks & Blocks, which will be displayed at the Sengkang Public Library all through November. Little LEGO enthusiasts will get a thrill out of seeing eight Singapore National Monuments recreated as LEGO models. From the National Museum of Singapore to Jurong Town Hall and Sultan Mosque, your kiddos will get to learn more about the history and significance of the monuments while observing their unique architecture, colours, and features in miniature block versions. The exhibition will move to Choa Chu Kang Public Library (from Dec 1 to Dec 30) after that. 

When: Until Dec 30
Where: Sengkang Public Library is at #03-28 and #04-19, Compass One, 1 Sengkang Square, tel: 6332 3255. Choa Chu Kang Public Library is at #04-01/02, Lot One Shoppers’ Mall, 21 Choa Chu Kang Avenue 4, tel: 6332 3255.
Entry: Free
Go here for more information.

A visit to Gardens by the Bay is always fun for its conservatories, supertrees, abundance of flora and excellent Children’s Garden and waterplay. However, come November, they are going the extra mile to make learning fun for school-aged kids. Garden Troopers 2018 is being held over three Saturdays in November.

On Friday, Nov 23, 7- to 9-year-olds can participate in Green Encounters! where they become junior horticulturists and unearth fun facts, go on scavenger hunts and build their own mini gardens. Prices begin at $60 per child. Go here for more information.

Gardens by the Bay is at 18 Marina Gardens Drive, tel: 6420 6848. 

It’s never too early to start practicing yoga, and while you can introduce this to your kids via exercises at home and YouTube tutorials, there is nothing better than working with an experienced practitioner. Sophie at So Yoga runs kids classes at various locations and her classes are suitable for kids between 6- and 9-years-old. Best of all, they are affordably priced at $20. She also runs family yoga classes on occasion (there is one on Nov 17 at Kate Porter Yoga Studio), which is a great way to bond with the kids over a restorative practice.

Entry: $20 per class
Enquire about class timings at locations here. 

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