It’s the time of the year again for a round-up of all the fun and exciting activities for kids to do during the school holiday. Without further ado, let’s go!

Celebrate December at Esplanade

Spread the festive cheer and celebrate this jolly season at Esplanade with free music performances, interactive storytelling sessions, puppetry programmes, and DIY craft activities all through the month! I’m eyeing the storytelling sessions and craft activities with 3puffsinapod.

From 1 to 8, 12 to 31 December 2016
More info here.

All-star Nick Jr. Christmas at City Square Mall

All-star Nick Jr. Wonderland
Date: 18 November 2016 to 1 January 2017
Time: 12pm to 10pm daily
Venue: L1 City Green (Outdoor Park)
Be delighted by activities such as a Blaze and the Monster Machines obstacle course, a Shimmer and Shine dress-up palace, life-sized PAW Patrol vehicle displays, a giant Team Umizoomi 1-2-3 Plink Game and more! With a minimum spend of $40*, shoppers can redeem a Wonderland Pass at the L2 Customer Service Counter. Activities are suitable for ages 3 and above.

Snowfall Playtime
Date: 18 November 2016 – 1 January 2017
Time: 8pm & 9pm daily (Subject to weather conditions)
Venue: L1 City Green (Outdoor Park)
Have loads of fun with enchanting snowfall to complete your magical Christmas! Snowfall Playtime sessions will be happening twice daily at City Green.

Nick Jr. – A Present for Santa ‘Live’ On Stage
Date: 3 to 18 December 2016 (except on Mondays)
Time: 2pm & 7pm on weekdays (except on Mondays), 1pm, 4pm & 7pm on weekends
Venue: L1 Atrium
Join Dora and her friend Boots who are on a journey together with PAW Patrol’s Chase and Marshall, and for the first time in Asia, Bubble Guppies’ Gil and Molly to deliver a Christmas present to Santa in the North Pole!

Nick Jr. All-star Meet & Greet!
Date: 3 to 18 December 2016 (except on Mondays)
Time/Schedule:
Weekdays (except Mondays)
Weekends
2.45pm: Dora and Boots
1.45pm: Chase, Marshall, Gil and Molly
7.45pm: Chase and Marshall, Gil and Molly
4.45pm: Dora and Boots
7.45pm: Chase, Marshall, Gil and Molly
Venue: Basement 2 (Near Travelators)
Bring along your camera to snap a picture with your favourite Nick Jr. characters for a memory you can keep for a long time to come. Dora and Boots, Chase and Marshall, along with Gil and Molly will be at City Square Mall Basement 2 to say hello and pose for a photo with you! With a minimum spend of $50*, shoppers can redeem a Meet & Greet pass 1 hour before each live show, limited to 50 passes per session.

5. Christmas Carolling and Roving Santa Appearances
a) Christmas Carolling by the Emmanuel Choir from the Church of St Bernadette
Date: 17 & 18 December 2016
Time: 8pm to 8.45pm
Venue: L1 Atrium
b) Roving Santa and Santarina
Date: 10, 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25 December 2016
Time: 6pm to 7pm and 8pm to 9pm
For more details on the activities and promotions, visit https://citysquaremall.com.sg/ or check out City Square Mall’s Facebook page.

Collecting Magic From Stamps to Wand – Harry Potter Themed Exhibit at Singapore Philatelic Museum

Photo courtesy of Singapore Philatelic Museum

Be spellbound by beautiful Harry Potter stamps from all over the world as well as movie memorabilia and collectables from private collectors. On display are the first licensed Harry Potter stamps, First Day Covers, postcards, special cancellations, unusual stamp labels, limited edition books and DVDs, prop replicas, movie posters, toys and more.

Address: 23-B Coleman Street, Singapore 179807
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm
Admission Fee:
Free for Singapore Citizens & Permanent Residents
$8 for Adult
$6 for Child (3 – 12 years old)
Free admission for all on Open House Days: New Year’s Day, Chinese New Year, National Day, Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and Christmas Day.

For more information, go here.

Zoo-rassic Park at Singapore Zoo

Encounter the T-rex, Spinosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and other pre-historic creatures around Singapore Zoo and River Safari.

Dino Meet-and-greet
10 am, 11.30 am and 1 pm (30 mins only)
Meet a T-rex and friends as they roam around the park

Fossil Finding Fun
10 am to 4 pm
Become a palaeontologist and search for dinosaur fossils

Dino-themed Crafts
10 am to 4 pm
Take part in crafts that include dino clothes pegs and masks.

Zoo-rassic Park Activities at River Safari

Extinction Escapees Trail
10 am to 4 pm
Learn about the River Safari residents who have prehistoric origins similar to the dinosaurs.

Dino-themed Crafts
10 am to 4 pm
Make a dino finger puppet, scratch art or clay keychain to take home.

From 26 Nov to 18 December 2016
Dino-mite admission combo for entry to both the Singapore Zoo and River Safari:
Adult: $39 per adult (U.P. $63)
Child: $25 (U.P. $42)
Local residents only

For more information on Zoo-rassic Park here.

Open a Door to Israel at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre

Open a Door to Israel, a unique multi-sensory installation curated by the Embassy of Israel, is making its debut in Singapore. Making its only Southeast Asian stop, the virtual exhibition invites the public to discover and interact with nine themed doors that tell stories of life in Israel using cutting-edge technology.

From 9 to 23 December 2016
Address: Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre, Hall C 1 Bayfront Ave, Singapore 018971
Free admission
For more information, go here.

Holiday Programmes at KidsSTOP

A whole lot of fun activities and experiments for our young Science wizards!

Various times and dates from 22 November to 8 December 2016
For details and registration, go here.

Marvel’s AVENGERS S.T.A.T.I.O.N at Science Centre Singapore

Set within the high tech environment of the Avengers’ training facility, become a “recruit” at with the Avengers’ S.T.A.T.I.O.N. (Scientific Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network). Meet the Marvel Avengers, including Iron Man and the Hulk, through props, costumes, holograms and interactive stations.

29 October 2016 to 5 March 2017
Science Centre Singapore (SCS), Annex Hall
10 am – 6 pm
Tickets from $18 to $30 on SISTIC

This is a standalone exhibition. Tickets exclude admission to the SCS and visitors are not required to top up the admission fee.

Merry Nex’Mas with Sesame Street at nex

Sesame Street Live!
Location: nex Atrium, Level 1
1-11 December 2016
Tuesday to Thursday : 1pm & 7pm
Friday to Sunday : 1pm, 4pm & 7pm
(no show on Monday, 5 December)

Live show is free. For meet & greet and photo taking, you can redeem a photo pass with S$30 spent per receipt.
(Each pass admits a family of four. Limited to 30 passes per session.)

Tea Party
1 December, 6-8 December 2016
Tuesday to Thursday : 4pm

You can redeem a Tea Party pass with S$50 spent per receipt.
(Each pass admits one child aged 4-12 years old. Limited to 30 passes per session. Passes are available one hour before each session at Atrium, Level 1 and are limited to one pass per shopper/NRIC per day.)

Gingerbread House Decorating Workshop at Shangri-La Hotel

Conducted by Area Executive Pastry Chef Hervé Potus, parents and children are invited to explore their culinary creativity and craft their own confectionary masterpiece by personalising gingerbread houses with frosting, cookies and candy. The two-hour workshop includes festive light refreshments, and each child may also bring home their completed gingerbread house and a mini chef’s toque and apron as a festive memento.

The Line Shop, B1, Shangri-La Hotel
Every Saturday and Sunday from 3 to 18 December, 3:30pm to 5:30pm
$98nett per child (aged three to 12 years of age), accompanied by up to two adults
For enquiries or to make a booking, call 6213 4398 or email dining.sls@shangri-la.com

Christmas Wonderland at Gardens By The Bay

Glittering lights and festive song return to Gardens by the Bay in this year’s edition of Christmas Wonderland. Promising to be the biggest yet, the highlight of this year’s light sculptures is the 19.7 metre tall Spalliera Castel del Monte. Festive experiences include a Hi-5 themed house, Ice Palace, Magical Forest, carnival rides and a two-storey Glass House where visitors can enjoy a festival dining option by Harry’s.

2 December 2016 to 1 January 2017
Blizzard Time at Christmas Wonderland 2016: 8 pm, 9 pm and 10 pm daily.
Admission fee:
$4 (2 to 8 December), $6 (9 to 15 December) and $8 (15 Dec to 1 Jan) per person.
Each paying adult can bring in up to three children under 0.9 metres for free.
Children above 0.9 metres require a ticket

Tickets can only be purchased online, here.

Merry Medley at Flower Dome, Gardens By The Bay

Now until 5 Jan 2017; 9am – 9pm
Admission charges apply.

The festivity continues at night as the Flower Dome takes on a magical glow, basking in the radiance of Italian Luminarie lights. Well-loved stalwarts of the season like poinsettias, amaryllis and Christmas roses grace charming yuletide scenes, while majestic conifer trees of different kinds fill the air with their woody, evergreen scent.

For more details, visit here.

Future World at ArtScience Museum

Photo credit

Featuring 15 works by award-winning Japanese art collective teamLab, Future World is constantly updated with new works over the years. Highlight pieces include ‘Crystal Universe’, where you can enter a room filled with over 170,000 LED lights that change colours, and ‘Universe of Water Particles’ – an 8-metre-tall digital waterfall whose water particles tumble down logs in accordance with the laws of physics.

Opening hours: Daily 10am-7pm (last admission at 6pm)
Admission fee: $7-$17
For more info, click here.

My Little Pony Musical at Resorts World Theatre

The Equestria Girls from My Little Pony have three movies under their razzle dazzle belts, and now they’ll be heading to Singapore as part of their musical world tour. Follow the band as they defeat the forces of evil and learn about the importance of friendship. Rainbow Rocks is written by West End playwright Hugh Osbourne and features music from award-winning Jamie Neale.

24 November 2016: 5:30pm
26 and 27 November 2016: 11:00am, 2:30pm 5:30pm
Ticket price: $48-$148
For more info, go here.

Cooking class at Mooks Thai Bistro

Does your child have a burning passion for cooking? Sign your kid up for this hands-on cooking workshop this coming school holiday. Chef Rimkhong will demonstrate the steps of preparing a couple of simple Thai dishes.

19 Nov, 26 Nov, 03 Dec, 10 Dec, and 17 Dec (Saturdays)
Open to children aged 5-14 years old.
Address: 35 Smith Street, Chinatown Singapore 058948
To register, please click the following link.

A World Full of Stories at Playeum’s Children’s Centre for Creativity

Photography by Richard Kearns

Combining the fundamental facets of stories with play and specifically designed for children aged 1-12, the exhibition offers a series of interactive and open-ended spaces for young minds to feed their creative imagination through role play, storymaking, illustration, writing, drama and puppetry.

Address: Blk 47, Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, #01-23, Singapore 109444
15 November 2016 – 30 April 2017
Tues – Sun: 10am – 6pm (Closed on Mondays)
Admission fee: $22 per child (1-12)
Accompanying adult: Free
Additional accompanying adult: $10

Christmas Fun and Discovery with Hi-5

Hi-5, the award-winning children’s musical group from Australia, will be in town this month for two heart-pumping shows featuring the full cast and their talking puppet mascots, Chatter Box and Jup Jup. With the band’s catchy tunes, energetic dance moves and delightful stories, children aged between two and eight years can look forward to a vibrant mix of investigations, imagination and adventure.

Craftholic at Raffles City

Craftholic Workshops
25 – 27 November, 2 – 4 December & 9 – 11 December 2016
4pm: Craftholic 3D gift card-making
5pm: Craftholic hairband making
Limited to 50 pax per session, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pokémon at Changi Airport

18 Nov 2016 – 20 Feb 2017

Pikachu Meet & Greet
18 Nov 2016 – 1 Jan 2017 (Sat & Sun only)
*NO Meet & Greet on 3 Dec 2016
6pm & 8pm
T3 Departure Hall

Nakiri Face Painting
18 Nov 2016 – 20 Feb 2017
T2 Central Hoarding (Public area) and
T3 Opposite Row 11, Departure Hall (only available until 8 Jan 2017)

Pokemon Z-moves
18 Nov 2016 – 20 Feb 2017
T1 Transit Central Piazza
T2 Central Hoarding (Public area) and
T3 Opposite Row 11, Departure Hall (only available until 8 Jan 2017)

Musical and Lights Show
Weekdays: 2pm, 6pm, 7pm and 8pm
Weekends: 2pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm and 8pm
T3 Departure Hall

My Carnival of Surprises at AMK Hub

18 November 2016 to 1 January 2017

Christmas Carnival Rides
Get into motion whatever your age. You don’t have to be a kid to scream your head off on the swinging ship or pose on the horse carousel. What’s more, every Monday, from 12 to 6pm, shoppers can ride for free!
• Horse carousels, Santa’s train, swinging ship, motorised car rides, L1 Main Entrance
• Classic fun-fair game booths, L4 (25 November 2016 – 1 January 2017)

Snow and Bubble Shows (25 November – 25 December 2016)
When the sun sets, get ready to enjoy a spectacular winter wonderland as the snow falls specially for photo moments at the L1 Main Entrance.
Mon – Thu, 8pm to 8:30pm and on Fri – Sun, 6pm – 6:30pm and 8pm – 8:30pm.

Happy Christmas Party Troopers (19 November – 25 December 2016, weekends)
It’s not Christmas without a glimpse of Santa and his team, so look out for musical interludes featuring Santa and his sidekicks in the mall.

This is a working list. I’ll be adding to it as I come across new fun events this school holiday! Do bookmark this page for easy reference!

Happy holidays!!