Finding ways to occupy the young ones and stimulate their curious minds while staying home? Well, search no further.
Launched by the National Arts Council, the #SGCultureAnywhere campaign brings together the best of Singapore’s arts and culture digital offerings (including family-friendly arts activities, such as colouring contests and children’s performances) on one integrated platform to be enjoyed and experienced, anytime and anywhere.
So get those colour pencils and screens ready, and be set to keep your little ones inspired and entertained through arts and culture with this list of kid-friendly options:
1. Hands-on arts and crafts for kids: Indian Heritage Centre
Let your child have fun while learning with the Indian Heritage Centre’s online puzzles and colouring sheets. The hands-on activities feature artefacts in the museum’s collection.
2. Children’s storytelling session: Franklin’s Flying Bookshop
Photo Credit: The Moon
Get the little ones reading and learning with this captivating storytelling session hosted by local boutique bookstore, The Moon. The book featured, Franklin’s Flying Bookshop, tells the story of a friendly dragon, Franklin, who tries to make human friends and share the stories he had read.
3. Live digital arts and crafts session for kids by Playeum
Help your child discover ways to experiment, play and create with everyday, recyclable materials easily found at home such as cardboard toilet rolls and rubber bands. This live, guided craft session takes place every week; make it a regular play date for the little ones.
4. I Kid You Not #1 | Disha Dishes Out Odissi by Esplanade Offstage
Photo Credit: Esplanade Offstage
Creative mentors come in all ages and sizes. Meet Disha, an odissi dancer who practises her dance moves at her HDB void deck. Find out from the 10-year-old what it is about the ancient Indian classical dance form that gets her up and moving.
5. I Kid You Not #5 – Ilham on Inang by Esplanade Offstage
Photo Credit: Esplanade Offstage
Meet Ilham, whose passion for Malay dance runs through the entire family. Tune in as the little dynamite shares more about inang, one of the traditional Malay dance forms you can find in Singapore.
6. Kid’s activity sheet: What’s with all the fruit? by NGS
Photo Credit: National Gallery Singapore
Get creative as a family – compose your own still-life painting using fruit found at home and get painting.
7. Kid’s activity sheet: Great women artists by NGS
Explore works of art created by women artists with this free, child-friendly activity guide from the National Gallery Singapore, which you can download and print.
8. Stay home and colour contest: A sketch by Yip Yew Chong
Photo Credit: Yip Yew Chong
Add some colour to your stay-home routine as you do your bit to help flatten the curve. Download and colour this sketch on a day in COVID-19 Singapore by local artist Yip Yew Chong, and submit your work for a chance to win prizes.
This contest is organised by gaming, lifestyle and fintech company Razer. It will donate $1 to an organisation dedicated to fighting COVID-19 in Singapore for every person who takes part in the contest. The contest is open to children and adults and entries will be judged by the artist Yip.
9. 3 fun, easy ways to make art at home with your toddler
Photo Credit: Singapore Art Museum
When it comes to finding activities to do together, art-making is certainly a no-brainer. But no, we're not talking about routine doodling or filling up a colouring book, which can get rather boring after a while.
Here are three interesting and fuss-free ideas (by Singapore Art Museum’s senior manager of education and programmes Wang Ting Ting) on how to keep art-making sessions fun and enjoyable for both for the child(ren) and the adult(s):
- Draw inspiration from everyday life
Running out of new ideas for art-making sessions? Look to everyday activities and topics for inspiration. For example, take a stroll at a nearby park and observe art in nature – the colours of plants and the shapes of buildings. Or, pick up freshly fallen leaves and flowers and bring them home to press or use as craft materials.
- Parents, join in the fun
Don’t just supervise from the side; make the artwork together. The intimate experience of collaborating on an art piece helps build parent-child bonds. It also allows you to nurture creativity in your child. An easy activity to try is fruit and vegetable stamping, using the discarded ends of the produce.
- Don’t be afraid of a little untidiness
Art-making with high-energy toddlers can get untidy, but that is not necessarily a bad thing; the key is to keep things under control. One way to do this is to mark out a corner in the house for art-making, with art materials within easy reach for the child to experiment and get inspired. The dedicated space also makes it easy for you to clean up the area and get your child to help as well.
For more information, visit: https://www.a-list.sg/cultureanywhere/inspire-your-child/
