Where are the best kids’ parks in Singapore?
Looking for a place to spend a wonderful day with your kids? Why not take them to the park? In today’s digitalised world, it can be really challenging to convince your kids to put their tablets or smartphones down and get outside. So, what is there to do when our kids no longer feel excited about playing in the mud? Simple, you take them outside and show them how fun playing in the park is.
Heading outdoors during the weekend is a great family activity. It is actually more than just fun. It can also have both physical and mental health benefits. So, if you are living in Singapore or traveling here with your kids, here are some of the best Singapore kids’ parks where your little ones will learn how to reconnect with nature:
Labrador Nature Reserve
Labrador Nature Reserve is a great outdoor place to take your kids for the weekend when the weather is warm. Its located in the Southern part of Singapore and it is an absolutely family friendly place. The nature park has two complex playgrounds where your kids can have fun all day long, one with a two-level play tower and a maze and the other one is located next to the spectacular World War II bunker.
The nature park is home to an amazing variety of fauna and flora that will help your kids
understand the beauty of nature. Moreover, it is also home to relics from the World War II and Labrador secret tunnel which are great slices of history for those kids passionate about learning about the past.
The Labrador Nature Reserve has multiple facilities including jogging tracks, restaurants and cafes where you can relax with your kids after a long day of play, and fitness stations and equipment where you can work out while your kids are playing at the fun playgrounds available in the park.
How to get there: Alight at Labrador Park MRT station
Park size: 22 hectares
Nature Reserve opening hours: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm daily (entering or remaining in the nature reserve after 7:00 pm is not allowed)
Park and Berlayer Creek lighting hours: 7:00 pm to 7:00 am daily
Carpark Opening Hours: 24 hours daily
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, Singapore Botanic Gardens
Known as Asia’s first Children’s Garden, Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden is one of the best kids parks in Singapore for an outdoor family day. Your kids will learn how to cultivate
environmental awareness and reconnect with nature thanks to the spectacular fauna and flora that will surround them.
Exploring this thematic garden will be like a true adventure for your kids as it has multiple play areas that provide fun facilities from a very tall tree house to swinging bridges and an exciting water play area. You can later wrap your trip with your little ones at the Food area where you will find kids-friendly cafes and restaurants with delicious food.
Opening hours
8.00am - 7.00pm (last admission at 6.30pm) The Jacob Ballas Children's Garden is closed on Mondays (except when it falls on a designated public holiday)
Refreshments are available at the entrance of Jacob Ballas Children's Garden.
Admission
Free admission. Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden is designed for children aged 14 and below. Children aged 12 and below must be accompanied by an adult. To promote a safe environment for children, adults are permitted entry only if accompanying a child. Adult visitors without children must consult the Service Desk for entry, which is normally permitted only when accompanied by NParks’ staff.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is one of the most spacious parks located near the center of Singapore. It is home to some of the most picturesque outdoor views thanks to its Kallang River that is now running naturally along the park. The river used to be covered by a concrete canal but it has recently been naturalised and it is now the gem of the park.
The park features three large playgrounds known as the best outdoor playgrounds in Singapore:
the Bubble Playground
the Adventure Playground
the Water Playground.
Moreover, it is also a great place to relax outdoors by the water as there is a multitude of spectacular ponds, decorated with lotus plants. Pets are also allowed in the park, so don’t hesitate to take your furry-friend for a walk there as well.
Now there is also an additional area:
Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (Pond Gardens)
The Therapeutic Garden at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is situated near the pond gardens and was launched on 19 September 2017. Location: Along Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 (After junction of Marymount Road, Opp Block 223).
The garden is specially designed to engage the senses with a landscape of plants divided into four zones: Fragrance zone, Biodiversity zone, Edibles and Medicinal zone and Colours and Textures zone.
How To Get There: By bus services (50,53,55,58,71,262) from Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange or Bishan MRT Station or 5-min walk from Brighthill MRT Station
Park Size: 62 hectares, stretching over 3km
Park Lighting Hours: 7:00pm to 7:00am
Businesses: GRUB, Aramsa - The Garden Spa, ToriYard, Canopy Garden Dining & Bar, McDonald's
Venues For Booking: Activity Lawn, Mempat Green, Ficus Green, Tecoma Green, Promenade
Accessibility: Wheel-chair friendly
Gardens by the Bay
You simply got to visit the Gardens by the Bay with your kid! Why? Because this tourist attraction also made of many "connected parks" which will launch your kids into one of the most exciting adventures they can have outdoors. From the Adventure Trail, that features multiple fun obstacles like balancing beam, cargo nets, or shaky bridges, to the Waterplay area where your kids will find some of the most spectacular fountains such as the Fish Fountain, this outdoor gem is a great place for the challenge seeking little ones that miss having an adventure. There's also the Kingfisher Wetlands where you get to develop your kids' love for birds and wildlife photography (or basically follow dad around doing his thing).
There are various ways to get to one of Singapore's best attractions.
Singapore is home to many parks and outdoor playgrounds for kids and their families. Here, you can have the ultimate park experience as there are many places you can choose from where your kids will have so much fun that they will forget about the smartphone they left back home.
Admiralty Park
What's better than a slide? Bigger and longer slides! All for free! If huge slides are your kids’ thing, you shouldn’t hesitate to take them to the Admiralty Park. In Admiralty Park, your kids will find a real adventure as there are 26 slides of varying sizes and heights.
There are three huge play areas for kids including Adventure Play, Family Terracing
Play, and Junior Play. So, all kids of all ages can find a spot where they will have a lot of fun.
The park is also home to a number of fun swings and the most popular one of them all is the
Expression Swing where you and your child can swing together. There is also a zip line area that are fun too. You will see that many young-at-heart people (aka adults) gleefully joining their kids going down all the slides. Adults can join in the fun at some of the slides, and not just watch the kids play.
How To Get There: 15 mins’ walk from Woodlands MRT Station; By bus from Woodlands Bus Interchange.
Park Size: 27 Hectares
Lighting Hours: 7pm to 7am. No lights in the forested area after dark.
Businesses: Sakura International Buffet Restaurant
Venues For Booking: Lawn Area, Amphitheatre, Activity Plaza
Accessibility Info: Wheelchair-friendly
Pasir Ris Park
Pasir Ris Park is a park that’s often forgotten, due to its far-flung location. Pasir Ris Park makes for an easy getaway for those living nearby from Punggol to Sengkang. However, even if you don't live nearby, it is worth a trip. With facilities for cycling, inline skating, barbecuing, canoeing and even pony rides, families can also have hours of fun there. It also features one of Singapore's largest parks.
Charming and tranquil, Pasir Ris Park also has a carefully preserved six-hectare mangrove forest. There is a 3-storey Bird Watching Tower located within the mangrove forest. This high tower allows bird enthusiasts to observe birds in their natural surroundings.
How to get there: Bus stop no. 77129 (Opp Unit 104), 77119 (Aft Pasir Ris Way), 78109 (Downtown East), 78091 (Opp Downtown East)
Park Size: 70 hectares, stretching over 3.2km
Park lighting hours: 7:00pm to 7:00am
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible