A Guide to KidZania Manila: 6 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Kids to Visit KidZania Manila

Kai! I got some good news for everyone! KidZania Manila, the play city where kids do big things, will finally open to the public on August 7 at Park Triangle in Bonifacio Global City. They will be selling tickets online starting August 3.

It is officially the 20th KidZania city in the world! Maia was one of the lucky kids to first experience it whilst I, had the pleasure of watching her play as a performer, DJ, musician, factory worker, urban farmer, model, fire fighter, singer and a nurse all in one day. We were extremely excited as we explored the magic world of KidZania Manila!


Kids can explore their interests, gifts, and talents and learn more. KidZania Manila, the ultimate role-playing environment where kids get to live out their big dreams. With 8,000 square meters of play space, kids aged 4-14 will now get to role-play grown-up roles and live out their dream careers.

KidZania is one of the fastest growing global educational entertainment brands, with facilities all over the globe from Mexico to Tokyo to London. KidZania Manila is the 20th KidZania city in the world, and the first of its kind in the Philippines.


The Kidzania Manila Press Preview was hosted by Ms. Karen Davila. Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, State Governor for KidZania Philippines, welcomed the guests and shared how they worked to build a most memorable play city for Filipino children.

KidZania Philippines State Governor Maricel Arenas
“We can’t wait for Filipino children to finally enjoy the unique role-play experience that KidZania Manila offers. Kids will play and learn together, figure out what makes a good city, and collaborate to help run their own community. Play at KidZania will spark dreams and imagination – empowering them to believe that they can make a better world,” says Maricel Pangilinan-Arenas, State Governor for KidZania Philippines.

Here are some of the reasons why you should take your kids to KidZania Manila;

1. Role-play at KidZania provides a fun, authentic, and powerful developmental experience that helps prepare kids to understand and manage their world. KidZania’s tagline is “Get Ready for a Better World” and KidZania believes that realistic and imaginative role-play can promote change, inspire global citizenship, and build strong community awareness.




KidZania Manila is a play city built to scale for children – complete with paved streets, transport system, and a functioning economy. Every detail is intended to project authenticity: from the activity itself, to uniforms and costumes, to the work gear and tools – and even the city interiors.

Here's a peek into a day at KidZania Manila... Just a couple of snippets from our visit today;


Upon checking in at KidZania International Airport, each kid receives a boarding pass, a bank check of 50 KidZos, security bracelet and a city map.


Tip: To make the most of your visit, check out the map first so you can plan out what your kid REALLY wants to do before you go. Better start going to the establishments where your kids can earn first, followed by places where they get to shop or spend their hard earned money wisely. :)



Let your kids go to the bank first so they can create their own bank account and get their own ATM card. It's where they can also make a deposit, withdraw and encash their check (50 kidZos given upon entrance) then go to the PaZZport Office to get a PaZZport and enroll for a B.Kidzanian Citizenship. That way, they can enjoy more activities, more kidZos and more fun!


There are role-play activities that highlight the “RightZ” that KidZania promotes for children:  to be, to know, to share, to create, to care, and to play. More than just a family entertainment center, KidZania Manila creates a kid-centric experience where kids are in charge. KidZania partnered with over 40 real-world brands who help bring realism to the kid-sized city, providing children with reality-based activities and skills that they can use in real life.


Aside from getting your kids' own ATM cards at the bank, they can also head to the Job Information Center to print their business cards, look for a job or take a test to find out what jobs are best for them.


From police officer to singer to urban farmer, kids can choose from over 100 immersive role-play activities. They can become firefighters to the rescue, pilots off to adventures, or even paramedics who save lives.


Maia worked at the gasoline station and earned some KidZos!

Training at the driving school. Maia learned the traffic signs and how important it is to follow them.

She also received her driver's license and got to drive a cool fun-sized electric car! 


Gas up, please!


To care... :) The hospital equipment as well as the patient and baby dolls are very realistic. The nursery is quite neat and pretty too.


 Kidzania Manila Fire Fighters, protecting life with courage. K.M.F.D got you covered! The kids will have a training about fire safety. With a complete gear, they will ride a fire truck and will be trained to put out fires in the city.



Yes, sir! Your kid can ride a real fire truck, plane, ambulance and tour bus inside KidZania Manila.


Then, there's a fun fashion shoot where your kids can undergo training with some fashionable Zupervisors. They get to style their outfits by trying out fab clothes and accessories in the boutique. After being trained in modeling, they'll do the catwalk or they can also join the fashion show in the Theater. Fashion on point.



Maia really loves music and she really enjoyed being a musician for a day. Next up is a job you won't want your kid to miss...


A radio DJ, perhaps?


Oh, she worked and earned kidZos as a hairdresser and nail care specialist too! Just wow! I mean, just Zaz! For the little girls, don't forget to visit the super kikay Kurlz Beauty Salon!


Then, she tried out planting some crops at the farm house and earned some extra KidZos for being a hardworking urban farmer.



She even worked as a factory worker. She got giveaways like a bag of chips and nuggets after she fulfilled her jobs at the factory. 



Don't forget to visit the Cebu Pacific Aviation Academy Training Center where your future pilot or cabin crew member can have an amazing flight simulator experience inside a real plane.



Maia got to do more than 8 jobs in a single visit, for 4 hours max. I don't know how she did so much in one day... her energy is amazing (and my feet is killing me!) There are over 52 establishments and we weren't able to visit the museum, shopping alley, department store, university, theater, marine research lab, dental clinic, pharmacy, acting academy, TV studio, media center, vet clinic, photo studio, Flaming-o Hotel, shopping alley, cooking school, bakeshop, KidZania Tiangge, cookie factory, ice cream factory, pizza shop, courier service center, mobile phone shop, police station, courthouse, tax office, burger shop, construction site, fitness lab, stadium and bookstore. Yes, still a lot. Next time though... :)


You can find a lot of establishments at the ground and mezzanine level, with fun-filled activities like arts & crafts making, getting a tattoo, face painting, portrait drawing and a lot of shopping. However, kids below 3 years old can experience limited activities such as the RightZKeeper House and Kindergarten.


The shows include theater play, fashion show, city clock and meet & greet with characters.
Tip: Check out the city clock tour where kids can earn kidZos and be a part of the marching band show that happens every hour.

2. Kids can get real life lessons in work, consumerism as well as learn the true value of money, especially on how to save, earn and spend it. When kids work, they earn wages in KidZania’s currency called KidZos. The more they work, the more they earn. Kids can choose to save or spend what they earn – just like in real life.


KidZos is part of the learning through play so obviously, it has no value outside of Kidzania or even at the Kidzania souvenir shop. They can open their own bank accounts, attend classes in the university, file their taxes, shop for necessities at the supermarket, and even drive the koolest electric cars.



3. Aside from trying something new, your kids can also learn new things like learning how to speak in KidZania language.  Maia also met the zuper cute RightZKeepers; Bache, Urbano, Chika, Beebop and Vita!


The Zupervisors constantly greets everyone with "Kai!" which means Hi and is usually delivered with a gesture commonly used inside Kidzania, wherein the first two fingers of the right hand are placed over the heart. They often greet the kids goodbye by saying Zank-u! or Z-U again soon!


4.  It provides a safe & fun haven for kids. To ensure that the kids are kept safe, they have a state-of-the-art security bracelet system and child proofed environment. Parents can have peace of mind because kids have a chipped tag/ security bracelet that can only be removed by a member of Kidzania. There's only one entrance and one exit (located at the Immigration Office of KidZania). Also, you can find a gap in between the glass door  upon entering each establishment so there's no risk of getting your kid's fingers smashed or injured.


There's a guideline posted on the wall of each establishment which includes capacity, duration, age suggested, and economy. Yes, more than age-limited, there are height restrictions (for security and safety purposes) in some of them.


Also, bigger kids can do jobs on their own so parents can relax at the SkyZone parents lounge (Parents Only Zone) on the 2nd floor and enjoy the free Wifi. Note: Parents can go inside the facility but they won't be able to go inside the establishments as the kids do the activities. They can only view and take pictures from behind the glass panel or door opening. You can take pictures but GoPro cameras, lenses with greater than 3.5 inches in length, interchangeable lenses of any kind and any cam mounted to a drone or other moving object are not allowed.



5. It's a child-sized city slash indoor edutainment center where it never rains! Yay! Perfect this rainy season so when you and your kids are stuck and looking for fun activities to do, you can just visit KidZania Manila.  It promises a cracking day out! (Trust me. )

6. Great and accessible location. Situated at Park Triangle, 3245 North 11th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City, and the building has a huge parking area. (P30 for the first 3 hours)

How to get there:

It's just a short walk from MC Home Depot and other popular establishments at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. It's centrally located at the corner of 11th ave. and 32nd street. Much easier if you use Waze though.

Last stop? Tha National Store of KidZania, where your kid can grab some cool souvenir items.


Maia (and I) had a zuper fun hands-on “experience” on what it takes to run a better world. It's zuper sulit and zuper saya if you ask me. Sorry for saying zuper a lot because it's just zuper, really! Also, the helpful, well trained and extremely talented Zupervisors made our visit a truly ZAZ one! Zank-U Kidzania Manila for a wonderful experience. We're definitely going back! :) Let your kids discover KidZania Manila, the city where kids do big things! More event photos here.

What the kids can learn: Inside KidZania Manila, the kids can make their own decisions and they are by themselves so I love how it asserts their confidence and independence. They get a sense of autonomy and a sense of responsibility. It's like starting them young and training them to be great leaders of the country. They also have fun while learning about work and financial literacy.  Not only that they learn the value of money, but the kids also have a better understanding of the challenges their parents face as an adult. My daughter said it was so much fun but she also learned that being an adult is actually hard. :)

Operating hours: KidZania Manila is open 7 days a week, with one shift Mondays through Thursdays, from 9AM to 4PM, and two shifts on weekends (Friday to Sunday) and national holidays, from 9AM to to 2PM for the first shift and 3 PM to 8PM for the second shift.

KidZania Manila is on soft opening starting August 7, 2015, with limited slots available. Check out the ticket prices.


Online ticketing goes live on August 3, 2015.  For more details on ticket prices and booking, visit the KidZania Manila website at manila.kidzania.com. Follow KidZania Manila on Twitter | Facebook | Instagram.

Z-U again soon! :)


 

2 comments

  1. Wow! What a fun place! My daughter will surely love Kidzania. She would surely drive, cook, go to the beauty salon and pretend to be a doctor. Too bad it's far from our place. I hope they would have other branches in Manila and nearby provinces.
    By the way, nice outfit Maia!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ang gandang maexperience ng mga bata,Great Idea kung sino man nakaisip nyan.Di lang bata ang mag i enjoy pati parents. :-)

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