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Kidzania – way more fun than it sounds

While we were in Bangkok, we were introduced to this gem of a place called Kidzania. It was SO MUCH FUN (with double exclamation points!!) that I was a little surprised I haven’t heard about it before.

At first, we were expecting one of those regular run-of-the-mill sort of indoor kid playgrounds that are so popular back home. Some jumpy things, a couple of slides, lots of soft padding, maybe a handful of interactive play sections, you know the sort.

This was not that at all.

If you ever head to Bangkok with kids, trust me, you have to go to Kidzania. It will rock your socks right off.

barber shop

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kidzania theming 3

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First of all, the theming is brilliant. It’s an entire world of exploratory play for kids aged 4-12 and the coolest part is that they are meant to do everything on their own. Parents can hang around to give encouraging pep talks, throw some hi-fives and cheer a little bit but the kids are the ones who really run the show.

So the moment they enter, each kid given a credit note for $50, which they have to exchange for cash at the bank.

They were a little nervous at first because we had to wait outside while they did their thing but they came out looking very pleased with their first solo bank transaction.

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Armed with their wad of cash, they could then decide on which activities they wanted to do. The place is made up of like 80 different activity stations, each with a customised training activity for kids. Some activities were like work activities, and they’d earn money at the end of it.

Like this fire station activity, where they got to practice being little firefighters and then take a ride on a fire engine to put out a pretend fire. It was all organised really well and THEY WERE SO THRILLED to be doing grown up stuff like it was real.

Watching them, I almost died from too much cuteness.

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little firegirl

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Turns out that Truett’s dream job was to be a car mechanic (I had no idea!). He had like the best time changing a car tire, so much so that the husband decided to let him do it the next time we have a flat.

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While Tru was having his Greased Lightnin’ moment, Kirsten decided that she wanted to be a petrol pumper person instead. Is this the most enthusiastic petrol pumper you’ve ever seen or what? And let me tell you, girl can work a petrol pump like a pro.

I mean, till this day, I still don’t know how to pump my own petrol (I usually just smile and say “Uncle, 95 full tank 谢谢!”) so that’s one skill she’s got over me.

petrol pumper

And hello there, Mr Postman (and little postlady).

These 2 courier delivery guys were given a task to deliver packages to various locations and they did a super fine job of it. Seriously, I’ve never seen finer courier service in all my years of signing for delivery packages. If these were my courier guys, I’d be shopping online ALL. DAY.

hey mr postman

Besides the various jobs to earn more dough, there were also spending activities, where they’d have to spend their money to learn new skills. As a rule of thumb, the spending activities came with a reward that they could enjoy, like their very own handmade sushi or burger.

At the sushi station, there was a sushi master to guide them through each step and after 15 minutes, voila! They each had a beautifully rolled sushi for lunch. I don’t even know how to make my own sushi and there I was, eating sushi that my kids made, which by they way, was delicious.

sushi chefs

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The Meiji milk bottling plant was another really cool spending activity. They were like little scientists, learning how milk is made, bottled and kept fresh for drinking.

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We spent 5 hours there and it was barely enough to cover 30% of the whole place. There were so many other activities that we didn’t have time to try, like the recording studio, the performing arts class, the CSI lab, the courthouse and tons of other cool stuff.

In a nutshell, awesome, awesome place to visit with kids.

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14 Comments

  • Reply Ai Sakura February 13, 2014 at 11:40 am

    there’s Kidzania in Japan, Korea, KL etc. too but didn’t realise about Bangkok! heard heaps of good stuff about it but have yet to visit any hahahaha.. there’s one opening in SG soon too, right?
    Ai Sakura´s last post ..Wordless Wednesday {linky}: Family Obento Ideas – Braised Pork, Bean Sprouts & Fried Vermicelli | Week 7

    • Reply Daphne February 13, 2014 at 3:02 pm

      Yes! Heard that it’ll be coming to SG next year, not sure where it’ll be though. One of the funnest indoor playgrounds we’ve been to. And they get to learn so much at the same time, it’s genius!

      • Reply josephine February 13, 2014 at 4:08 pm

        if im not wrong its in sentosa!

        • Reply Daphne February 13, 2014 at 4:09 pm

          Sentosa will be awesome! We’re getting annual passes for sure :)

  • Reply Madeline Heng February 13, 2014 at 4:03 pm

    We’re going to Bangkok in July! Sounds like a great place to bring my girl :)
    Madeline Heng´s last post ..Push, Push, PUSH!

    • Reply Daphne February 13, 2014 at 4:10 pm

      She’ll love it and I think you might love it even more, it’s the cutest thing to watch them. :)

      It’s also very convenient – at Siam Paragon, just outside Siam BTS station.

  • Reply Pauline February 13, 2014 at 11:12 pm

    Yes Daphne Kidzania in KL is at The Curve Kota Damansara. Ashley has been there 3xs. She even tried being hitz.fm DJ n get to take away a CD with the recording of the whole programme. I went in once to look see n wish I could participate in the fun.

    Pauline (mcca)

    • Reply Daphne February 17, 2014 at 3:28 pm

      So CUTE!! I know right, the whole time I was thinking, “why didn’t we have things like these when we were kids???”

      And oh it’s at The Curve! I love the Bubba Gump there – maybe it’s time for a trip back to my hometown.

  • Reply Brenda February 15, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Do the staff speak English orThai?

    • Reply Daphne February 17, 2014 at 3:29 pm

      They all speak in English but with a slight Thai accent. :)

  • Reply SengkangBabies February 17, 2014 at 11:39 am

    We went to the one at KL, and the most-fun job should be F&B, be it Vitamin, Sushi, and you must try Ice Cream!

    Pretty cool for the kids to make something edible for their own meal (and parents).

    cheers, Andy
    SengkangBabies
    SengkangBabies´s last post ..Old playground Watermelon and Mangosteen

    • Reply Daphne February 17, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      Ya the F&B ones are really fun, plus we get to eat the food so that was basically our lunch! Didn’t see the ice-cream one, will need to go back a few times to check it out.

  • Reply Summer February 20, 2014 at 12:03 am

    Looks and sounds awesome! I love all their uniforms, way too cute! =) I love that the food can be eaten too, haha. Yup I did hear Kidzania will be opened in Sentosa soon so I really can’t wait to explore! Thanks for sharing all the pics and write-up, Daphne!
    Summer´s last post ..Endless fun @ Sunway Lagoon – 5 themed parks in 1 destination

  • Reply Keepin’ it real at Kidzania – Mother, Inc February 5, 2016 at 12:44 pm

    […] we first found out about Kidzania 2 years ago during a trip to Bangkok, it was one of those “woah, how do I not know that this place […]

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