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Top 10 Things to Do with Kids in Singapore

The best days out with kids in Singapore, from Mandai and the new Singapore Oceanarium to free playgrounds and snow in Jurong, with honest tips on heat, queues and what's worth paying for.

Updated 30 October 2026 6 min read We may earn from links on this page

Photo: KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Singapore is one of the easiest cities in the world to do with kids: safe, clean, air-conditioned and full of things built for them. The hard part is the heat and the school-holiday crowds, so this list says when to go as well as where.

A family rule: one big outing a day, done in the morning, with lunch somewhere cool. Push for two and somebody (possibly you) will melt down by 3pm.

Mandai: the Zoo, Bird Paradise and friends

The entrance to Bird Paradise at Mandai
Photo: Justanothersgwikieditor, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mandai Wildlife Reserve is the big one, and it's grown. Alongside Singapore Zoo, the Night Safari, River Wonders and Bird Paradise, the newer parks are now called Rainforest Wild Adventure, and Mandai finished its ten-year makeover with a grand opening in May 2026. There's also a new indoor attraction, Exploria, for when it pours.

Insider tipPick one or two parks per visit, not all of them. The Zoo in the morning plus the Night Safari after an afternoon nap is the classic combo, and combo tickets save money.

Skip it ifYour kids are too young to walk far and you don't want to push a stroller in the heat. The parks are big.

Where Mandai Lake Road (shuttle from Khatib MRT)
Best time Opening time, before it gets hot

Mandai tickets on Klook →

Singapore Oceanarium, Sentosa

A manta ray at Sentosa's former S.E.A. Aquarium
Photo: KimonBerlin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Singapore Oceanarium opened at Resorts World Sentosa in 2025, replacing the old S.E.A. Aquarium with something bigger. It's almost entirely indoors, so it's perfect for hot or wet days, and you can easily spend three hours there.

Insider tipBook a timed entry online and go on a weekday morning. Afternoons in the school holidays get crowded around the big tanks.

Skip it ifYour kids don't sit still for fish. It's a look-and-learn day, not a ride day.

Where Resorts World Sentosa
Time needed About 3 hours

Oceanarium tickets on Klook →

Universal Studios Singapore

The Universal Studios globe on Sentosa
Photo: Moheen Reeyad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The obvious big day out, and now with Minion Land, which makes it better than ever for younger kids. Older kids will head straight for Transformers and the coasters.

Insider tipCheck height limits for each ride before you go, so nobody gets their heart set on something they can't ride.

Skip it ifYour kids are under four. A lot of the park will be wasted on them, at full ticket price.

Where Resorts World Sentosa
Best time Weekdays outside school holidays

See tickets on Klook →

Gardens by the Bay: the Children's Garden and the domes

The Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Far East Organization Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay has water play, treehouses and trails, and it's free. Add the Cloud Forest dome, with its indoor waterfall, for a cool hour in the afternoon.

Insider tipPack a change of clothes and a towel. The water play is the highlight, and nobody comes out dry.

Skip it ifYou go on a Monday. The Children's Garden usually closes for maintenance one day a week, so check before you go.

Where Gardens by the Bay (Bayfront or Gardens by the Bay MRT)
Cost Children's Garden free; domes paid

Gardens by the Bay tickets on Klook →

Science Centre Singapore and KidsSTOP

Science Centre Singapore in Jurong East
Photo: saeru, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hands-on exhibits, a planetarium and KidsSTOP, a separate science play area for children aged 8 and under. It's one of the best-value full days indoors.

Insider tipKidsSTOP runs on timed sessions, so book ahead in the school holidays.

Skip it ifYour kids are teenagers who've outgrown press-the-button exhibits.

Where Jurong East (Jurong East MRT)
Good for Ages 3–12, rainy days

Science Centre tickets on Klook →

Snow City

The Snow City building in Jurong East
Photo: Actuall7, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Real snow, at −5°C, in Jurong East. There's a snow play area and a big ice slide, and they lend you jackets and boots. For kids who've never seen snow, it's magic.

Insider tipBring long socks and gloves of your own. The loaned boots are much comfier with proper socks.

Skip it ifYou've just come back from a ski trip. It's a small hall, not a mountain.

Where Jurong East, next to the Science Centre
Combine with The Science Centre on the same day

Snow City tickets on Klook →

Children's Museum Singapore

The Armenian Street building that now houses the Children's Museum
Photo: Elisa.rolle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A small, playful museum for young kids in a pretty colonial building on Armenian Street (it used to be the Philatelic Museum). Exhibits are hands-on, and the scale is just right for little legs.

Insider tipEntry is by timed slots, so book online before you go. Combine it with lunch around the corner at Fort Canning or Bras Basah.

Skip it ifYour kids are over ten. It's pitched at younger children.

Where 23-B Coleman Street, near Armenian Street (City Hall MRT)
Good for Ages 2–8

Jewel Changi Airport

The Rain Vortex inside Jewel Changi Airport
Photo: Mike Peel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Free to walk around, air-conditioned, and the Rain Vortex waterfall is hypnotic even for toddlers. Canopy Park on the top level has paid extras like nets, mazes and a slide.

Insider tipTime a visit for the evening light-and-sound show on the waterfall, and let the kids burn off energy in Canopy Park first.

Skip it ifYou live far west. It's a long ride for a mall, unless you're flying anyway.

Where Changi Airport (Changi Airport MRT)
Cost Free; Canopy Park paid

Canopy Park tickets on Klook →

Sentosa's beaches and Skypark

Siloso Beach on Sentosa
Photo: Grayswoodsurrey, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Palawan Beach is the family beach, with calm water and a suspension bridge to a tiny island. Sentosa's Skypark reopened in June 2026 with new giant dry slides, Skyslides, for older kids who want a thrill.

Insider tipGo in the morning or after 4pm. The midday sun on the sand is brutal for small kids.

Skip it ifYou want clear water. Singapore's sea views come with container ships.

Where Sentosa (Sentosa Express from VivoCity)
Bring Sunscreen, hats, spare clothes

See tickets on Klook →

Jacob Ballas Children's Garden

Singapore Botanic Gardens
Photo: Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Inside the Singapore Botanic Gardens, this free garden is just for children (accompanied by adults) under 12, with a treehouse, water play, a little farm and a maze. It's the best free morning out in Singapore for young kids.

Insider tipEnter from the Bukit Timah side near Botanic Gardens MRT, which is much closer than the main gate.

Skip it ifYour kids are over 12. They won't be allowed in on their own.

Where Singapore Botanic Gardens, Bukit Timah side (Botanic Gardens MRT)
Cost Free

Making it easier

  • Rain plan: keep one indoor option in your back pocket. Our guide to things to do when it rains has ten.
  • School holidays: book timed tickets ahead, and go on weekdays wherever you can.
  • Getting around: the MRT is stroller-friendly, with lifts at every station.
  • Festive season? See Christmas in Singapore.

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