6 indoor family activities for hazy and rainy days

Don’t let the haze or rain ruin your family day. From museum excursions to art classes, here’s a list of activities you can do indoors with your kids for the coming weekend.

By Hong Xinying

Sembawang Public Library. Image: National Library Board of Singapore/ Facebook

With the haze still showing no signs of letting up, most families will probably opt to spend weekends at home until the smog goes away.

Before your school-going kids get too glued to their iPad or laptop screens, why not take them to these locations for indoor activities, where exposure to the haze and its pollutants can be minimal.

Even so, remember to check the PSI readings at the National Environmental Agency (NEA) website regularly to tailor your plans for the day according to the current haze conditions.

Here’s a list of some indoor activity options to consider. These activities are also great alternatives for rainy days.

Reading at libraries

Cost: Free.

Encourage your kids to read by visiting the public libraries during this hazy period. There are over 20 public library locations islandwide, where your kids will be able to browse a wide range of children’s literature as well as non-fiction reads and magazines.

On top of that, the young ones may even get to attend storytelling sessions and art workshops at some of the local public libraries. Check the Go Library page for the full schedule of daily and weekly events to get the most out of your library visit.

The libraries’ opening hours may also be affected by the haze, so check the National Library Board’s official Facebook page for more updates.

Museum-hopping and visits to the Science Centre

Cost: Free for Singaporeans and permanent residents at select locations including the Singapore Art Museum and Discovery Centre. Some of the special exhibitions and attractions however, may be ticketed separately.

Make your outing a learning experience with the kids by visiting the museums in the city. While the outdoor sections of some attractions (including the Science Centre Singapore) may be closed due to the haze, there’s still plenty to explore indoors.

Marvel at the large dinosaur fossils and other animal specimens with the kids at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (entry prices range from $9 per child), or explore the interactive exhibits together with your kids at the Science Centre Singapore (from $4 per child on weekends) and Discovery Centre (free admission for Singaporeans and permanent residents).

Another bonus for families: Most local museums provide kid-friendly activity sheets and interactive exhibits tailored according to the ongoing exhibitions.

The Singapore Art Museum (SAM) for instance, has a permanent section called The Learning Gallery that has been created to cater to younger visitors. Admission to SAM is free for Singaporeans and permanent residents.

Indoor sports

Cost: From $12 an hour on Mondays at the trampoline park; from $16 per person for a day pass (excludes equipment rental) at Kinetics Climbing; from $6 per laser tag mission for non-members at HomeTeamNS Bukit Batok.

You’ll be surprised at the variety of indoor sports you can try in Singapore.

Head to indoor trampoline parks at River Valley and Jurong or go rock climbing (supervised kids can attempt the easier climb routes) at locations that include Climb Central at Kallang Wave Mall and Kinetics Climbing at Paya Lebar Road.

Families can also play a game of laser tag together indoors at venues like HomeTeamNS at Bukit Batok and LaserOPS at Orchard Road.

Several outdoor facilities may be closed once PSI levels rise above 200 – this includes the gyms and sports halls at stadiums and sports centres.

Trips to indoor slides and playgrounds

Cost: Free with minimum spend of $10 at Changi Airport to $33 at the Amazonia playground at Great World City.

Plan your family outing around malls with indoor playgrounds to keep your active kids entertained.

For instance, you’ll find ticketed indoor playgrounds such as Fun N Laughter at City Square Mall, Hokey Pokey at Seletar Mall, Polliwogs and Cool de Sac at Suntec City and Amazonia at Great World City. Entry prices range from $13 for toddlers under the age of two at Polliwogs to $33 per child up to the age of 12 at Amazonia.

You can also find Kids Amaze indoor playgrounds at SAFRA locations at Jurong and Toa Payoh. At Kids Amaze, entry prices start from $12.70 per child for non-members (off-peak hours).

Interestingly, Changi International Airport is another family-friendly destination with indoor facilities that cater to the young ones. These include the world’s tallest indoor slide in an airport at Terminal 3, as well as art activity stations at all three terminals, where kids can make woodblock prints with coloured pencils and other materials provided.

You don’t even have to be en route to an overseas destination to use these facilities, which are located in the public areas of the airport terminals. Admission to the slide is free with a minimum of $10 spent in a single receipt at the stores and restaurants within the airport.

Escape rooms at shopping malls

Cost: From $20 per person at Freeing SG to $28 per adult at Trapped at *Scape.

As with the indoor playground facilities, the idea here is to pick accessible one-stop locations to minimise exposure to the haze where possible.

Besides catching a movie together at the malls, escape rooms are another fun indoor activity for families with older kids and teens to try. These rooms contain puzzles hidden in nooks and crannies that participants have to solve together, within a set time limit (typically an hour).

These escape room games usually involve a series of puzzles to solve, boxes and doors to unlock to ‘escape’ the rooms you’re locked in, for the duration of each game. Some ingenuity and a certain amount of luck is required, as participants have to search for clues hidden within the locked room.

Not to worry if you’re stumped on what to do next – you can request for hints from the help desk.

Room Raider at Orchard Central, Trapped at *Scape and Freeing SG at The Cathay are some of the centrally located attractions to check out.

Art classes and craft activities with the kids

Cost: From $15 for a free-and-easy 30 minute session at Fidgets to $110 for an hour-long art class at Little Artists.

Use this chance to sign up for regular classes to help your kids pick up a new hobby and love for the arts.

Learning centres including Little Artists at Mandarin Gardens, and Abrakadoodle (multiple locations at Bukit Timah, Jurong and Marine Parade) offer art classes to cater to different age groups, be it toddlers aged between 20 to 36 months or school-going children up to 12 years old.

For such art classes, prices range from $110 for hour-long sessions at Little Artists to $415 per term (10 classes) at Abrakadoodle.

If you can’t commit to regular classes, you can opt for free-and-easy sessions at Fidgets outlets at Paragon, JEM or The Grandstand. These kid-friendly facilities offer kid-friendly art and craft supplies as well as baking classes (with an additional fee of $31 per child) for children.