As part of SG60 celebrations, the Children’s Museum Singapore (CMSG) is unveiling a new maker’s space — a creative environment for children to learn about Singapore’s rich food heritage through hands-on activities. From 20 July 2025 until 31 March 2026, PLAY + MAKE is set to transform the Discovery Room at CMSG into a vibrant space that complements CMSG’s existing special exhibition, Into the Hawkerverse.
Ms Asmah Alias, Museum Director of CMSG and Director of Galleries, Exhibitions and Museums (GEM), HeritageSG said: “Food is such a meaningful part of our daily lives, and for our little ones, their earliest memories and connections are formed with food at the centre of it all. With the launch of this new space, we hope for our young visitors to learn more about this important aspect of our heritage and spark a deeper appreciation on how food brings people, cultures, and generations together.”
To develop PLAY + MAKE, CMSG worked with students from Star Learners Preschool and CMSG’s community of Little Ambassadors, in line with its pioneering child-centric, co-creative curation approach. Through a series of focus group discussions that provided valuable insights into the interests and creative processes of young minds, CMSG identified ways to fully immerse visitors into the space – by incorporating tactile materials, scents, and sensory play into its design.
Besides working with children, CMSG also worked with local makers from brands such as Reckless Ericka, Tuckshop, and Artisan Bricks, to understand the maker’s mindset by finding out more about their sources of inspiration, tools of the trade, and creative journeys. These insights guided the development of some features within the space, which aim to encourage children to step into the shoes of a maker, sparking their imagination and creativity.
These collaborations have culminated in the creation of the Maker’s Cabinet, the key highlight for PLAY + MAKE. The display showcases various items used in crafts such as pottery, basketry (rattan), and tailoring. These include a black pearl durian-inspired dress by Reckless Ericka, shoes inspired by Hokkien Mee and Nasi Lemak made by Tuckshop, and a LEGO Tingkat by Artisan Bricks.
Within PLAY + MAKE, visitors are able to:
● Assemble their own outfit on a mannequin, inspired by fashion designers
● Feel the textures and observe the patterns on different fabric types
● Stage their own stories, fostering creativity and imagination
● Design their own kamcheng, inspired by a real kamcheng
● Make different types of kueh and throw a kueh tea party, embracing Singapore’s love for food traditions
● Learn about different materials related to local food heritage: wood, metal and rattan
Visitors are also able to:
● Create paper dolls, exploring fashion and design – from July to September 2025
● Design their own crockery, merging functionality with artistic expression – from
October to December 2025
● Weave patterns, honouring craft heritage – from January to March 2026
As part of CMSG’s efforts to support the well-being of both children and parents, it has co-developed a parental guide with therapists from BRB Kids, a Singapore-based mental wellness service, that will be available at PLAY + MAKE for visitors to browse and engage with during their visit. This guide is designed to support meaningful engagement and conversations between parents and their children through making and bonding activities. It encourages hands-on exploration, storytelling, object-based learning and play, supported by prompts that build language, emotional awareness, and problem-solving skills.
Specially curated programming
Alongside PLAY + MAKE, CMSG will also introduce specially curated programmes from September 2025 onwards. Families can expect a variety of free drop-in programmes such as storytelling and craft activities, as well as paid workshops. For paid programmes, CMSG is excited to present a novel excursion experience that brings participants on a facilitated learning journey within PLAY + MAKE, followed by a bus ride to the makers’ own spaces for curated workshops and tours.
Designed to deepen engagement through play and creativity, these sessions will offer children more opportunities to explore Singapore’s food heritage in fun and meaningful ways. More details will be shared at a later date. Highlights include:
● Bubu and the Big Catch storytelling and craft workshop by Orang Laut
● Snow-skin mooncake workshop by Tong Heng Delicacies
● Sauce Discovery Tour by Nanyang Sauce Academy
Beyond PLAY + MAKE
Outside of the space, CMSG is excited to present a workshop for schools in celebration of our nation’s 60th birthday, SG60 Into the Hawkerverse Special: Be a Changemaker, at the Children’s Museum Singapore. This will be piloted with NAFA Arts School on 29 July, and with White Sands Primary School on 30 July. It will be open to more schools from 12 August 2025 onwards. This workshop brings students on a creative journey to revive Ah Huat’s hawker business through design and roleplay. The workshop is aligned with the Ministry of Education’s Social Studies curriculum and the Nurturing Early Learners framework and aims to support learning across preschool and primary levels by providing an
engaging and immersive educational experience.
CMSG will also be organising the PLAY + MAKE Travelling Exhibition, bringing Singapore’s food heritage to children across the nation, from August 2025 to January 2026. Storytelling sessions will be held at various libraries across the island, featuring tales that inspire children to think outside the box and explore creativity through the lens of food, culture, and creativity.
