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Child's play

Kids spoilt for choice with fun, educational activities this festive season

With all the excitement of waiting for Santa Claus, families will have their hands full keeping the children out of trouble.

Parents usually resort to several ways to rein in the energy of their young ones.

Many of them will take their kids with them on overseas vacations.

Others will take them to the malls, some of which have become wonderlands for kids, with attractions such as miniature Christmas villages and foam "snow" parties.

Some malls also include ice-skating rinks where kids can skate the hours away, accompanied by Christmas carols or catchy dance music.

Until Dec 20, the Basement 1 Atrium at Forum The Shopping Mall becomes a Secret Garden of Enchantment Interactive Experience for children aged five to nine.

They will experience adventures surrounded by fairies and garden nymphs.

The little ones can join the fairies for tea and play games with them at the Secret Garden's Fairy Tea Parties.

Children can also get involved in carolling, and children's choirs and music groups are all around Singapore bringing Christmas cheer and happiness to shoppers and residents.

Many parents turn to tried-and-tested methods such as taking the children on visits to attractions such as the museums, zoo and parks.

HEAD START

Other children spend their time at enrichment centres to get as much of a head start as possible in the next school year.

The latter route may seem boring. But recently, there have been instances where personal enrichment meets fun activities.

Some enrichment centres take their young charges on visits to parks and farms to get close to nature and see living things in their original settings.

The Singapore Discovery Centre and Singapore Science Centre combine educational activities such as learning about shapes and temperature with exciting interactive activities like digging through "dinosaur" fossil trails and fiddling with microscopes like CSI detectives.

KidZania Singapore goes even further.

CHILD-SIZE CITY

At the 81,000 sq ft child-size city in Sentosa, there are buildings, paved streets, vehicles and a functioning economy, just like in the real world.

Children learn about different careers, the inner-workings of a city and the concept of managing money through realistic role play.

This concept was started 20 years ago in Mexico.

It is designed to educate children through experiential learning and helps them develop life skills that will inspire them and make them more confident for life in the real world.

So parents, rest assured that your kids will be safe and sound this Christmas season.

They will be spoilt for choice where entertainment is concerned.

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