I’ve been wanting to take my 6-year old nephew Eli to KidZania Manila ever since I heard it opened in Park Triangle Mall in Bonifacio Global City this year. We’ve done the rounds of the kid-friendly establishments in the metro – The Mind Museum, Art in Island, The Manila Oceanarium, Ark Avilon, Fun Ranch, etc., and KidZania Manila sounds like the ultimate kiddie theme park. This unique indoor kid-sized play city currently has 20 locations in 17 countries and is now in the Philippines!
Imagine a huge interactive indoor play city full of kiddie-sized stores, vehicles, shops and dining destinations. KidZania Manila was built to scale for children using recognizable brands to make up a city. It provides a unique and realistic educational environment, where kids between the ages of four and 14 can get hands-on experience on their dream jobs. KidZania aims to spark kids’ imaginations, ignite their minds, nurture creativity, and inspire real-world exploration. It’s the ultimate role-playing environment for kids!
We’re really excited to visit soon. In the meantime, we’ve been planning which areas to check out first. Here are 10 things that kids can look forward to doing in KidZania Manila.
- Become a citizen.
KidZania Manila is a fully-functional society for kids, promoting good citizenship. Kids can apply for a paZZport to become naturalized citiZens and enjoy the benefits of belonging to this great nation. They can enroll in the B•KidZanian program that has three Citizenship levels. With each visit, KidZanians accumulate stamps that allow them to upgrade their citizenship level and thus unlock privileges, earn more kidZos, and have more fun.
Visit the PaZZport Office to sign up as a KidZanian and get your real PaZZport.
- Seek employment.
There are over 100 professions to choose from at KidZania but first, kids will need to go through an orientation to help them identify their strengths and careers that fit them. Kids get better direction in the jobs that they wish to pursue inside the city after consulting the employment office. Eli’s been showing an interest in cooking, radio production/singing, driving, and video games, and some of the careers sound just perfect for him to try. I would love for him to try out being an Ice Cream Production Engineer, Radio Host, Recording Artist, Car Designer or Student Driver. Skates HQ’s ultimate resource page.
One of the popular jobs at KidZania Manila is to be a Veterinarian. Here, kids learn how to take care of pets.
- Tell the story of KidZanians
Children’s storytelling skills can be developed further as they play the role of a journalist in KidZania Manila’s Newspaper office. Here, they learn the basics of newswriting after which, they are given the chance to write their own story for the city. They can also let their creativity soar at the Magazine Publishing Company, and write a feature story or illustrate their very own comic strip.
Kids work on their stories at the Newspaper.
- Investigate a crime.
For kids who dream of helping keep the peace and order in the real world, KidZania also has its own law and order institutions, such as a Court House and a Police Department. When they sign up to work at the Police Station and Crime Scene Investigation establishment, they will get to play detectives investigating and solving cases, and participate in trials at the Court House.
Kids get to solve a case at the Crime Scene Investigation.
- Learn how to fly a plane.
Wannabe pilots will be in awe once they step inside the Aviation Academy where they train on real flight simulators, and learn how to take off and land an aircraft. Aside from being a pilot, they can train to be a cabin crew member, too!
Pilots-in-Training get to use real flight simulators as they learn the basics of flying a plane.
- Save lives.
Becoming a doctor is a top choice among children, and they can live out this dream at KidZania Manila. They can role-play as surgeons, paramedics, or veterinarians, and perform simulated procedures, giving them a glimpse of what it is like to save lives for a living.
Kids learn how to respond to emergencies as paramedics.
- Earn as they work.
Inside KidZania Manila, kids will learn the value of their hard work. Kids earn kidZos, KidZania’s currency, for every job they perform. Through this, they get an introduction to financial literacy through basic transactions involving their earnings. They can use their kidZos to buy items from stores like the Joy Basket and Department Store, and avail of services inside the city.
KidZos earned from other KidZania facilities are accepted at KidZania Manila after having them exchanged at the bank. This leads to another fun learning opportunity for kids that entail managing their finances. KidZos are KidZania’s own currency.
- Open a bank account.
On their first visit, kids can open their own personal bank account and will be given their own personalized ATM card which can be used at any of the city’s ATMs to withdraw their kidZos. Kids learn about saving money by apportioning their earned KidZos and enrolling for a savings account that will earn interest.
Caption: After working hard, kids can choose to save their hard-earned kidZos at the bank.
- Get the license to drive.
Getting their hands on the steering wheel is always an exciting activity that kids can’t wait to learn. KidZania Manila has its own driving school where kids can eventually secure a driver’s license and be able to operate a car within the play city.
The play city also has a car dealership shop where kids can know more about car design and assembly and a gas station where they can learn how to check tire pressure, change oil, and operate a gas pump.
Kids learn responsible driving at the Driving School. Once they get their license, they get to drive on the driving streets.
- Discover their green thumb
Kids can foster an improved appreciation for food as they learn its value and also the responsibility of growing something through KidZania’s Farm House Store and Urban Garden. As green grocers and urban farmers, KidZanians will understand how fruits and vegetables find their way into their homes as they go through the process of planting, harvesting, and delivering the produce.
They also get to examine and care for trees in the garden and around the city as they assume the role of an arborist. They are taught how to take care of the native trees—narra, bitaog and balete—seen in the city.
At the Farm House Store, kids learn about harvesting fresh produce.
KidZania Manila is located in Park Triangle, North 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Philippines. [MAP]
- Website: http://manila.kidzania.com/
- Facebook: KidZania Manila
- Email: info@kidzania.com.ph
- Contact numbers: +632 711-KIDZ (5439)
TIPS & USEFUL INFO:
- KidZania Manila is open from Mondays to Thursdays: 9AM to 4PM (1 shift) and Fridays to Sundays (and National Holidays): 9AM to 2PM and 3PM to 8PM (2 shifts)
- KidZania Manila ticket counters open at 8AM and close two (2) hours before the end of each shift.
- Book your tickets through TicketWorld. You may also visit a TicketWorld outlet to purchase your ticket. Here’s a list of TicketWorld outlets.
- You may also buy tickets as walk-in Visitors on the day of your visit, but tickets are on a first come, first served basis. Ticket counters open at 8AM.
- Visitors must enter the play city at least two (2) hours before the end of each shift.
- Kids below 8 years old must be accompanied by a guardian at all times.
- Guardians may only enter the play city when they accompany a child or children.
- Role-play activities are for kids 4-14 years old. Kids below 4 are considered toddlers and may only play in toddler designated areas.
- KidZania Manila may require from its Visitors proof of age before they are allowed entry. This includes any valid ID, including a government-issued ID, school ID and NSO-certified birth certificate.
- Detailed driving instructions to get to KidZania Manila HERE.
NOTE: This is an advertorial. Photos courtesy of KidZania Manila.