Kids are like sponges and are learning all the time, even though half the time they don’t even realise. We’ve rounded up some of the top edutainment centres the UAE has to offer, so unchain them from their desks and let them run amok here… It’s for their own good.
Caboodle
Abu Dhabi
Super cute and colourful venue, Caboodle is a multi-purpose spot where the environment is both educational and stimulating. Kids can learn through play and exploration, and if mums wants to indulge in a spot of retail therapy while they do that, little ones can be left to play in the supervised play area (from Dhs55 per 30 minutes, kids three and above).
In addition, Caboodle features a kids’ salon, healthy café, crafts and role play areas. Plus, it also hosts musical themed mum-and-tot classes filled with activities, crafts, games, stories and sing-alongs.
From Dhs45 (first hour), from Dhs20 (every additional hour), Dhs190 (day pass). Open Sat-Wed 9am-10pm, Thu & Fri 10am-midnight. The Galleria, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, caboodle.ae (02 679 8019).
Dig It
Dubai
Can they fix it? Yes, they probably can if they spend a bit of time at this construction-themed edutainment centre. The play environment is open for kids aged three to ten years old, and they can do everything from driving a remote-controlled truck and piloting a mechanical arm, to playing in the sand, operating remote control cars and trying out a full-size digger.
Plus, the recent addition of fun, educational 30-minute workshops, mean that children can release their creative flair and have heaps of fun at the same time as they throw themselves into new challenges such as learning to make gooey slime, decorating pretty cupcakes, building the tallest towers out of blocks and even creating their very own sand sculpture – a useful skill for those Dubai Friday beach days!
From Dhs75 (two hours). Open Daily 10am-10pm. The Springs Souk, Emirates Living, digitdubai.com (04 438 4479).
Kids HQ
Dubai
The incredible soft play are is huge and sits over three floors. High energy kiddos will love the running, climbing and jumping as they play on the various slides, in the ball pit and on the trampolines.
There is also a dedicated area for the tiniest of fun-seekers complete with sensory pit. Kids HQ also hosts a programme of educational classes and activities designed to make learning fun, as well as mummy and toddler music classes for tiny tots from three months to four years, every Thursday. A great start to the weekend.
Dhs52.50 (first hour), Dhs15 (additional hours). Open Sun-Wed 8.30am-7pm, Thu & Sat 8.30am-8pm, Fri 10am-8pm. Umm Suqeim Road, Dubai, kidshq.ae (04 379 4233).
Kidz Palooza
Dubai
This 4,500 square foot space is all about playing to learn, with six separate zones dedicated to your child’s general happiness.
Designed for kids from newborn right up to twelve, you’ll find a market where kids learn about how fruit and vegetables keep them healthy. The soft play area is the stuff of an energetic tot’s dreams, they can unleash their inner Monet in the art gallery zone or go crazy building whole towns in the block factory area. Older kids can hang out in the arcade room where PlayStations and Nintendo Wii’s will keep them out of trouble. And for little pampered princesses, the on-site salon is a must for that all-important mani pedi.
From Dhs50 (first hour). Dhs25 (subsequent hours). Open Sat-Wed 9am-10pm, Thu & Fri 9am-midnight. Kidz Palooza, Times Square Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, kidzpalooza.ae (04 330 7101).
KidZania
Abu Dhabi and Dubai
There’s just something fun about pretending to be a doctor, a fireman, a chef or a builder. KidZania has over 40 role playing activities for the little ones to enjoy where they can immerse themselves into a variety of careers.
Inquisitive little minds – aged between four and 16 years – can choose to be a fireman, chef or hotelier, or they can take up career as a doctor, car racing champion or hair stylist. And once they’ve done each job, they earn their very own salary in KidZania money, which they can then spend on their way out in the on-site shop.
Whatever jobs they pursue in the vibrant child-sized city, they will be developing decision-making, creativity and social skills in a safe, friendly indoor environment.
Kids, there’s so much to explore out there so make your way to KidZania for a practise go.
From Dhs166.5. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu & Fri 10am-11pm. Yas Mall, ground floor, Abu Dhabi. Open Sun-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu-Sat 10am-11pm. The Dubai Mall, Dubai, kidzania.ae.
Little Explorers
Dubai
Designed for kids aged three to 12, this edutainment centre is a hive of activity with plenty going on to keep the kids entertained. Mini adventurers will love exploring the three different zones. A dedicated space section teaches them about the universe and how rockets work, and they can make a splash in the water zone and find out all about the importance of water for our planet, while getting an opportunity to get wet at the same time. In the play zone the interactive exhibits are designed to help kids develop their balance and hand-eye co-ordination.
Good luck dragging them away from here when their time is up.
From Dhs134 (day pass). Open Sat-Wed 10am-10pm, Thu-Fri 10am-midnight. City Centre Mirdif, Dubai and Dubai Marina Mall, Dubai, littleexplorersmena.com (04 231 6285).
Little World Discovery Center
Abu Dhabi
Education meets fun at this centre that is all about experiential, play-based activities for kids. Playing, creating, designing, building and role-playing, kids aged zero to three come in with a caregiver, while kids aged four and above are checked in for some supervised fun. And with an impressive nine zones all offering something different. From role play and soft play to an enchanted tree house, there’s even an outdoors play area little ones won’t get bored, there’s something for everyone. Best of all, they will be enjoying themselves so much, they won’t even realise they are learning anything. Mums and dads can get a caffeine injection at the on-site café too – win, win.
Dhs99.75 (kids aged two and above, per hour), Dhs63 (kids under two, per hour). Open Sat-Wed 10am-9pm, Thu & Fri 10am-midnight. Nation Galleria, 1st Street, Abu Dhabi, littleworlduae.com (02 681 8824).
Louvre Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
No surprises that this incredible destination, which we are lucky enough to have right on our doorstep, made the list. We love the Louvre for so many reasons, but one of the main ones is the unique on-site Children’s Museum. All of the artworks are specially designed to be at a child’s eye-level and the vibrant space is home to a host of immersive and interactive zones, featuring hands-on activities and educational workshops. The latest workshop to take residency is “A Costume Adventure”, an engaging, interactive space where art and history enthusiasts can dive into the wardrobes of historical figures, explore artwork and then dress up to look like the people in the paintings. Anne Boleyn anyone?
Dhs63 (adults), Dhs31.50 (kids 13-22), free (kids under 13). Open Sat-Sun & Tue-Wed 10am-8pm, Thu-Fri 10am-10pm. Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi, louvreabudhabi.ae (600 565 566).
Mad Science UAE
Abu Dhabi
Calling all Albert Einstein wannabes because this science-focused organisation brings the education to you. Kids aged four to 12 can sign up to an eight-week programme (taking place at various schools around Abu Dhabi) that fuels their passion for all things science from engineering and physics to chemistry and biology. The themes of the progammes, which are tailored to school curricula, change regularly and include making slime in the Crazy Chemworks session and learning all about the universe in the NASA Space Explorers class. Plus birthday parties can be arranged at the Mad Science HQ.
Whatever they end up doing, their minds will be blown.
From352 (after-school programme). Various locations across Abu Dhabi, including American International School of Abu Dhabi, Airport Road, madscience.org (02 444 4333).
Mattel Play! Town
Dubai
This is the ultimate edutainment attraction, so get ready to walk around and explore. Mattel Play! Town takes kids on a journey to delve into the world of their favourite characters. Built on the concept of eduplay, a play-based education theory that highlights the importance of stimulating children’s imagination and fantasy, the venue facilitates the development of social skills in young kids through a range of engaging and stimulating experiences. Aimed at little ones between the ages of two and ten, the experiences available encourage them to kindle their creative spark through interactive play with their favourite characters.
For example, the iconic Barney teaches kids about compassion, caring, dancing and sharing, while an experience with Bob the Builder encourages teamwork, problem-solving and positive-thinking. Kids can play dress up and partake in an interactive Angelina the Ballerina dance studio, embark on a 4D cinema experience with Thomas and Friends or learn about fire health and safety with Fireman Sam.
Free (kids under two), from Dhs110 (full-day), from Dhs59 (parents pass). Open Sat-Wed 10am-7pm, Thu & Fri 10am-8pm. City Walk, Al Safa, Dubai, playtowndubai.com (04 317 3999).
Oli Oli
Dubai
It is with very good reason (make that lots of reasons) that this colourful, vibrant and visionary venue in Al Quoz picked up the Highly Commended accolade at this year’s Time Out Kids Awards. The play and learn edutainment centre is all about feeding inquisitive little minds. Built around hands-on activities that nurture curiosity, imagination and exploration, OliOli has eight galleries and over 40 interactive exhibits spread over two floors. Each space features artistic, innovative concepts that create a one-of-its-kind educative play experience.
Little spidermen (and women) will love Toshi’s Net, the region’s first “textile playground,” while the Future Park, where kids design a fish and watch it come to life on a digital wall (genius) is designed to inspire children’s ingenuity. Such fun – and parents will love getting involved too.
Free (kids under 12 months), Dhs78 (kids one-23 months), from Dhs156 (kids over 23 months). Open Sat-Wed 9am-7pm, Thu & Fri 9am-9pm. Al Quoz 1, Dubai, olioli.ae (04 702 7300).
Orange Wheels
Abu Dhabi
Little adventurers between the ages of six months to eight years have free rein to run, jump and explore the mega soft play destination where they can burn off energy in a safe environment.
Billed as a learning destination, they will be garnering new skills, without even realising.
Little princes and princesses can book themselves in for a quick trim – or something more drastic if they are feeling daring – in the on-site hair salon, or get that all-important Abu Dhabi mani-pedi in the spa where a rainbow of nail varnish colours are at their fingertips. Pampered expat kids, much?
And for mums and dads who fancy indulging in a spot of retail therapy the ‘drop n shop’ option (priced at Dh80 per hour) is a win for the whole family. Parents who want to keep an eye on their mini mes can stick around and kick back in the café where the great coffee tastes even better before 3pm because it’s free.
Plus, plenty of regular offers such as kids eat free, Wednesday super saver deals and Tuesday Play Date discounts mean regular visits won’t break the bank. Their future is bright, their future is Orange Wheels.
Dhs65 (first hour), Dhs40 (additional hours), Dhs200 (day pass). Open 10am-9pm Sun-Wed, Thu-Sat 10am-10pm. Al Raha Mall, Abu Dhabi, orangewheels.com (02 556 2229).
The Green Planet
Dubai
The Green Planet in Dubai’s City Walk is a biodome designed to educate kiddos on the dangers facing the world’s rainforests. It is an immersive experience, designed to allow its inhabitants to live as they would in the wild, with a broadly diverse ecosystem of creatures and jungle creatures.
More than 3,000 exotic animals and plants (including two resident sloths) are housed at the indoor four-storey tropical rainforest where budding biologists can get up close and personal with some of the resident creepy crawlies as well as some of the ecosystem’s cuter, more furry wildlife.
Dhs99 (adults), Dhs74 (kids aged three-11). Open Sun-Wed 10am-7pm, Thu-Sat 10am-8pm. City Walk, Al Safa Street, Dubai, thegreenplanetdubai.com.
What is edutainment?
The word edutainment has been credited to Robert Heyman who coined the term when he produced educational materials for the National Geographic Society.
Did you know?
Sesame Street, which first aired in 1969, is one of the first examples of educating children beyond the traditional means.
Hello, Mr president
The six-year-old and the four-year-old grill Mr Xavier López Ancona, KidZania’s president, founder and CEO on his career ambitions, and ask him how often he gets to play in KidZania Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I still want to be the president of KidZania. I love what I do. I love my team and working with children. It’s a great job so I don’t see myself anywhere. I love being able to help children play and learn. I am where I want to be.
Do you get to play in KidZania whenever you want to?
Yes I do. When I am tired of the office I take my car and go and hang out with the kids at KidZania. I love chatting to them to find out what they like and what they don’t like. The most time I spend there is when we are creating new activities based on what children want.
What is your favourite activity at KidZania?
I hate acting myself, but the thing I like best at KidZania is the theatre because when kids really get into it – the perform in front of people and get into it – it’s so good for their confidence and such a pleasure to see. The most popular activity in KidZania is the theatre. But myself, I am not good at dancing or singing, I will never be an actor.
