Things to do in Singapore with kids these school holidays

Below you'll find ideas by age, what's free, where to go in the rain and the school holiday dates. Opening hours are correct as of November 2026, so check them on the day.

• Under 3: the toddler zone at the Children's Garden, the water play at Singapore Zoo's KidzWorld and KidsSTOP at the Science Centre, for children from 18 months.
• Ages 3 to 6: KidzWorld again, Egg Splash at Bird Paradise, Curiosity Cove, the calm lagoon at Palawan Beach and the gentle rides at Universal Studios Singapore.
• Ages 7 to 12: the Night Safari, the Skyline Luge, KidZania, a puzzle hunt at Fort Canning and the dinosaur skeletons at the natural history museum.
• Teenagers: the big rides at Universal Studios, the nets and glider at Rainforest Wild Adventure, Singapore's tallest outdoor slide at East Coast Park and a boat trip around the kelongs.

Most of these sit in three areas: Mandai in the north, Sentosa in the south and Marina Bay in the centre. Give each one its own day and you'll spend less time in transit.

Under-3s enter free with an adult who holds a ticket. You can rent strollers for under-3s and wagons for children under 6, which helps when small legs give up.

Singapore Zoo

Go early: the zoo opens at 8.30am, before the heat builds, and last entry is at 5pm. Allow three to four hours. A free tram with unlimited rides saves tired feet, and you can book sessions online to feed the giraffes and elephants.

Young children tend to remember KidzWorld most. They can meet animals up close, then run through Splish Splash, a water play zone with a section for toddlers, so pack swimwear and a change of clothes.

River Wonders and Bird Paradise

Pick River Wonders on a wet day, as most of it is under cover. It has giant pandas and a boat ride, the Amazon River Quest, which needs a height of 1.06m.

At Bird Paradise, Egg Splash is a water play area with separate zones for toddlers and older children, open from 9.30am to 5.30pm. Treetop Play is a dry playground of trampolines and climbing nets. Both parks open from 9am to 6pm, with last entry at 5pm.

The Night Safari

The gates open at 6pm, but the walking trails and the tram start at 7pm, and last entry is 11.15pm. The tram takes about 30 minutes with English commentary, so children see plenty without walking far. Book an early time slot with under-fives, and warn them that it will be dark.

Seats for the Creatures of the Night show can be booked online from two hours before it starts. Turn off your camera's flash and wear insect repellent.

Rainforest Wild Adventure

This one is for older children, with activities such as climbing nets, a 9-metre slide and a canopy glider. Admission includes several, with fewer at weekends. They start at heights of 0.9m and 0.95m, and covered shoes are compulsory. A raised walkway keeps the main route open to strollers, and the park is open from 9am to 6pm.

Getting to Mandai

The Mandai Khatib Bus runs from Khatib MRT station every 15 to 20 minutes, from 8.30am to midnight. Children under 7 ride free, and so does anyone moving between parks. Bus 138 comes from Ang Mo Kio and Springleaf MRT stations. With a stroller or a sleeping child, a taxi home is worth it.

Universal Studios Singapore

Give this a full day. The park opens at 10am, and closing time changes by date, so check the calendar. Measure your child before you go, because height decides what they can ride.

On most rides, anyone under 122cm needs a supervising companion. Silly Swirly and Enchanted Airways start at 92cm, and Puss In Boots' Giant Journey at 102cm. Smaller children do best in Minion Land and Far Far Away, and you can rent a stroller near the entrance.

The Skyline Luge, KidZania and Adventure Cove

The Skyline Luge is our pick for school-age children. They can ride alone from age 6 if they're at least 110cm tall. Children from 85cm share a cart with an adult on a child doubling ticket, and under-8s should keep to the beginner track.

KidZania is an indoor, child-sized city where kids try jobs such as pilot or firefighter and earn play money. From age 8 they can go round alone, while younger ones need an adult. It's open daily from 10am to 6pm, with last admission at 4.30pm.

Adventure Cove Waterpark mixes fast slides with calmer time among marine life. It usually closes at 5pm, earlier than the theme park. Outdoor attractions stop in bad weather, and you can't bring your own food in.

Palawan Beach

For a free afternoon with young children, take the beach tram from Beach Station to this calm, shallow lagoon. A rope bridge crosses to a small islet billed as the southernmost point of continental Asia, with a watchtower to climb. Lifeguards are on duty from 9am to 7pm.

Adults only get in with a child. Check the garden's own page before you go, as it also explains the new entrance near the Sun Pavilion.

On a hot afternoon, head into the cool of the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome, open from 9am to 9pm. Each closes for a day about once a month. From 20 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, the Flower Dome holds the Christmas Train Show, with model trains running past Santa's village in Finland and miniature MRT stations.

After dark, stay for Garden Rhapsody, the free light and music show at the Supertree Grove, at 7.45pm and 8.45pm. Lie on the ground and look up, as many people do. During Christmas Wonderland the grove needs a ticket, so check the calendar from late November. Without one, watch from the World of Plants garden.

Spectra, the free water and laser show at Marina Bay Sands, is about a 15-minute walk away, at 8pm and 9pm, and also at 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

For a rest from walking, the open-top Big Bus runs two routes with more than 30 stops. The Yellow Route passes Gardens by the Bay, Marina Bay Sands and the Botanic Gardens, and the Red Route covers Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam. Strollers are fine, and infants ride on an adult's lap.

The Piece-ful General puzzle hunt at Fort Canning Park is an outdoor game built around a clumsy dinosaur called Pepper. Your team collects a game kit at the Battlebox Visitor Centre, then cracks codes and solves puzzles around the hill for about two hours. There's a prize at the end, and the ticket includes entry to the Battlebox, the underground wartime command centre. It runs from Wednesday to Sunday.

Some puzzles are tricky and the route has stairs, so we'd suggest it for ages 7 and up, and we'd leave the stroller at the hotel.

On a small-group kelong boat tour around Pulau Ubin, you spend three hours on the quiet northern waters, boarding at the SAF Yacht Club. Kelongs are wooden fishing platforms built over the sea, and few are left. You'll pass floating homes around Pulau Ketam, then stop at Smith Marine, a floating fish farm and seafood restaurant. You don't land on Pulau Ubin itself.

It's best for children who can sit still and who like boats. Infants ride on an adult's lap, and you may have to take your shoes off to board. Eat first on a morning departure, as the restaurant serves no meals then. The tour needs at least four paying guests to run, and if it falls short, the operator offers a new date or a refund.

You can fill several days here without buying a ticket. The Children's Garden, Palawan Beach and the two light shows are all free, and so are these:

• Jacob Ballas Children's Garden: in the Botanic Gardens, for children up to 14, with water play for ages 2 to 12. It's open from 8am to 7pm and closed on Mondays unless it's a public holiday. Its tree house is shut until around the end of 2027. Walk about 10 minutes from Exit A of Botanic Gardens MRT station.
• Marina Barrage: a water playground, plus a grass roof where families fly kites. The playground runs until 9pm, opening at 9am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends, and at 12.30pm on other days.
• Coastal PlayGrove at East Coast Park: wading pools for ages 5 to 12, closed on Mondays, and a nature playgarden for ages 3 to 12. Its play tower has Singapore's tallest outdoor slide, for ages 13 and up.
• Keppel Centre for Art Education at National Gallery Singapore: hands-on art for ages 4 to 12, open daily with short cleaning breaks. Weekend waits can top 30 minutes.
• The Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport: an indoor waterfall, with light and music shows from 8pm.

Storms usually pass quickly, but from December to early January heavy rain can last much longer. Outdoor water play shuts in bad weather, so keep one of these up your sleeve:

• Curiosity Cove at Mandai: Singapore's largest indoor nature playscape, for children 12 and under. At busy times, book a two-hour session or a full day. Everyone needs grip socks, and each adult can supervise two children.
• KidsSTOP at Science Centre Singapore: slides, climbing and over 20 exhibits for children aged 8 and below. Book a morning or afternoon session and bring socks. Older guides still list Snow City next door, but it closed for good on 30 September 2026.
• Singapore Oceanarium at Resorts World Sentosa: the former S.E.A. Aquarium, transformed and expanded in 2025, with sharks, manta rays and shipwrecks.
• Children's Museum Singapore: near City Hall MRT station, for children 12 and under, with entry at 9am, 11am, 2pm and 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. From 14 November 2026 its new exhibition, Money Town, lets ages 5 to 9 practise earning and spending, and under-4s get a play space of their own. Book ahead.
• Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum: three huge dinosaur skeletons, Tuesday to Sunday, in timed sessions.
• teamLab Future World at the ArtScience Museum: interactive digital art to walk through, by timed ticket.
• Canopy Park at Jewel: Foggy Bowls for small ones, plus slides and nets from 110cm, open until 9pm, or 10pm from Friday to Sunday.

Expect local families everywhere in these weeks, on weekdays too, so book timed slots early. Some places open for longer: the Children's Garden adds two days, the Science Centre opens on Mondays, and Curiosity Cove stays open until 6.30pm every day.

Over Christmas, Garden Rhapsody plays its Christmas Special from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with extra shows on many nights. It's one of the wettest and cloudiest stretches of the year, so do outdoor things early and keep a rain plan.

Things to do this weekend with kids

On Saturday, start with water play at Jacob Ballas when it opens at 8am, move to a museum when the heat builds, and finish with Garden Rhapsody at 7.45pm. On Sunday, be at the zoo for 8.30am, or take the monorail to Palawan Beach.

• Day 1: Gardens by the Bay. The Children's Garden in the morning, on a day it's open, the domes after lunch and Garden Rhapsody after dark.
• Day 2: Mandai. Singapore Zoo from 8.30am, then a rest in the afternoon. Go back for the Night Safari if the children can take a late night.
• Day 3: Sentosa. A full day at Universal Studios, or the Oceanarium followed by Palawan Beach.
• Day 4: the city. The puzzle hunt or a ride on the Big Bus, a hawker lunch, then Jewel before your flight.

For the grown-up sights in between, such as Chinatown, Little India and the Singapore River, borrow from our Singapore itinerary for 3 days.

• Heat: plan outdoor time for the morning and late afternoon, and stay somewhere air-conditioned around midday. Bring hats, sunscreen and a small umbrella.
• Water: tap water is safe to drink, so carry a bottle.
• Trains and buses: children up to 0.9m tall ride free with a paying adult. Taller children under 7 ride free only with a Child Concession Card, and a contactless bank card pays the adult fare.
• Strollers: every MRT station has a lift, so skip the escalators. Open strollers up to 120cm by 70cm are allowed on buses, but fold them when it's crowded.
• Taxis and ride-hailing: in a private-hire car, children under 1.35m must use a booster or child seat, so book GrabFamily or bring your own. Taxis are exempt if the child rides in the back.
• Food: eating and drinking aren't allowed on trains or buses, so feed everyone first. Hawker centres work well for children, with chicken rice, satay and roti prata. Ask for no chilli. Satay by the Bay closed on 1 October 2026, so at the Gardens try Jurassic Nest Food Hall at the Supertree Grove.
• Arrival: everyone must file the SG Arrival Card within three days before arriving, and one parent can file for the whole family with Group Submission. With children under 6, use the Special Assistance Lanes at immigration.
• Where to stay: we'd stay near a central MRT station for most trips. A Sentosa hotel suits a rides-and-beach holiday, but Mandai is a long way from there.

To make your first day easy, book the Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour and let the children see the city from the top deck before you start walking.

Is Singapore worth visiting with kids?

Yes. English is widely spoken, every MRT station has a lift and the tap water is safe to drink. The zoo, the beaches and the play gardens suit a wide range of ages. The main challenge is the heat, so plan around it.

How many days do you need in Singapore with kids?

Four or five days is ideal. That gives you a day each for Mandai, Sentosa and Gardens by the Bay, plus time for rain or a rest. With three days, pick two of the three areas and keep the third day loose.

What are the best activities for kids in Singapore?

Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari come first for most families, then Universal Studios Singapore and Singapore Oceanarium. For younger children, add the Children's Garden and Palawan Beach. For older ones, add the Skyline Luge or a puzzle hunt at Fort Canning.

What is the 60-90 rule in Singapore?

It's an immigration rule for Malaysian visitors, and it has nothing to do with children. The government describes it as allowing a stay of up to 60 days in every 90-day period. Other visitors should check the e-Pass issued at the checkpoint, which shows the last day of stay.

Where can I take my child for free in Singapore?

Try Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, the Children's Garden at Gardens by the Bay, the Marina Barrage water playground, Coastal PlayGrove or the Keppel Centre at National Gallery Singapore. Palawan Beach, Garden Rhapsody and Spectra are free too.

Is Singapore expensive with kids?

The big parks are the main cost, and hotels aren't cheap. You can balance them with free gardens, beaches and light shows, and hawker food costs little. Under-3s enter the Mandai parks free, and children up to 0.9m ride trains and buses free.