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18000 sq ft of Entertainment for Kids
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18000 sq ft of Entertainment for Kids at Marina Square: A Comprehensive Review

Having spent the entire week counting down to the media preview of Kiztopia on Friday, little Elliott was bursting at the seams to get in. But first, we had to find which corner of Marina Square it’s actually tucked into. Turns out, the new Kiztopia is located where Emporium Shokuhin used to be, and has its own entrance into the mall, facing Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

Superb for Small Kids

Spanning 18,000 sqft, Kiztopia is the largest indoor edutainment playground in Singapore. It’s designed for kids up to 12 years old, although the majority of the 18 play zones seem targeted at younger kids. But four-year-old Elliott was perfectly fine with that!

Pretend Play Zones

Elliott really loved the different pretend play zones. At Raby’s Mart, kids can grab a shopping cart and go grocery shopping, or play the role of a cashier. He kept talking about the supermarket even after getting home that night, so that was probably his favorite.

Next door is Bell’s Cuisine, a well-equipped culinary studio and restaurant. Here, Michelin-star chef wannabes can whip up a meal, then serve it and enjoy it at leisure. There’s even a bakery counter where the baked goods look, feel and even smell like real bread!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Well, there aren’t any planes here, but you can hop on a motorised train and go chugging around the tracks at Chug Eli. The tracks are fenced in, so there’s no worry that any child might be run over by the train. And if you’re lucky, as Elliott was, you can even be the train driver. Choo choo!

Over at Pio Drift, there’s a car racing track, complete with a fleet of vintage ride-on cars. Kids can refuel at the self-service petrol station, even while parents refuel at the in-house café beside it. Yes, this restaurant serves real food – but more on that later.

Excitement in The Pits

Of course, you can’t have an indoor playground these days without a sand pit, ball pit, climbing frames, and slides. While there’s no lack of these at Kiztopia, a sizeable area has been dedicated to toddlers. At Raby Pit, excavate a crashed space shuttle, or simply roll around in the ‘sand’. It’s a lovely sensorial experience, especially when the sand is actually made of smooth wood-based cubes.

Right next to Raby Pit is Sprite, a combination of toddler-friendly climbing frames and slides. They’re safe enough for tots, yet challenging enough for preschoolers. Elliott particularly loved scrambling up then zooming down the spiral slide, before jumping into Pepe’s Ball.

Brilliant for Big Kids

The younger kids may have more play options, but it makes sense since they also have shorter attention spans. Conversely, the spaces for the older kids are full of challenges that will keep them busy for hours. While he is still too young to truly appreciate these play zones, Elliott still gamely attempted them all.

Explore Cosmic Space

It was easy to lose track of where you are in Cosmic Space, a massive combination of climbing concepts. With five thrilling sets of slides, it was the first area in Kiztopia that attracted Elliott. However, it’s definitely designed for older kids who will thrive on the challenging multi-layered levels within.

For one thing, the slides are pretty steep, so you’re supposed to lie back as you slide down. As he kept looking out for his Mummy, Elliott ended up bumping his head a couple of times on the way down. He soon found his way out of Cosmic Space – and over to Sprite – leaving Mummy wondering if he got lost in space!

Attend Junior Ninja School

Elliott also attacked the Ninja Warrior course, even though he’s under the 130cm height requirement. With lots of prompting and supervision, of course. He did fall quite dramatically a couple of times, but the course is really well-padded, so no harm was done.

The unique obstacles here will definitely test budding athletes’ agility, with positive ‘side effects’ of perseverance and confidence-building. Besides the usual rope bridges and spinning logs, the course also incorporates twisting platforms, a rock wall, and more.

Find Your Mojo

Mojo Zone is a sprawling ball pit with three major features. First up, two giant intertwined spiral slides for thrill-seekers at least five years old and 120cm tall. This is the biggest highlight at Mojo Zone, but take note that you have to wear pants, not shorts, and they can’t have buttons on the back that could catch on the slides.

Next, you can navigate an inflatable banana boat through the river of balls. This would be a really fun exercise in teamwork! As Elliott’s legs are still too short, he couldn’t propel it by himself but had fun jumping on and off.

Excellent for Everyone

Of course, there are sections of Kiztopia that work for kids of all ages. Which is perfect for siblings or friends of various age groups to have fun together. From time to time, meet-and-greets, activities, and shows will take place at Hero Square, Kiztopia’s town square.

Augmented Reality Fun

Apart from the AR Wall within Mojo Zone, augmented reality (AR) also features in a few other zones. Perfect for budding Picassos is Chichi’s Art, where kids can see their imaginary friends come to life. They simply draw on the interactive screens, and watch their works of art pop up on the AR screen display in front of their eyes!

Another zone he kept returning to for more fun was Alley Oop Mark. It’s an AR basketball game where two players or teams can compete. Toss the mini basketball into the blue team or red team hoop that’s projected on the wall, and SCORE!

Bouncing is Tigerrific

Kids who can’t get enough of bouncy castles can bounce to their hearts’ content at Bouncy Tiger. Located next to Chug Eli, the oversized bouncy castle packs enough of a punch to keep them busy for hours. Once he bounced in, Elliott refused to bounce out, contented simply going up and down those bouncy slides.

For a different kind of bouncing, hop over to Trampio, a mini trampoline park. Unlike the dedicated trampoline parks, this one isn’t very big or packed with endless features. But it’s perfect for freestyle jumping across three trampolines for kids of all ages.