SINGAPORE — Be a docent at The Intan, a health institute researcher or a footballer. These are just some of the “jobs” that children will get a chance to try out when KidZania Singapore opens its doors at Palawan Beach on Sentosa later this year, the company said in a press statement.

KidZania is an indoor family edutainment centre which offers an interactive learning and entertainment experience for kids in a kid-sized city through role-play activities. Designed to be best suited for children aged four and above, KidZania operates just like a real city complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles, a functioning economy and recognisable destinations in the form of “establishments” branded by leading international and local brands. The facilities are designed to “educate through experience, fostering the development of life skills”. For instance, children do “jobs” and get paid with KidZania’s kidZos currency, which they can either spend or save.

“In KidZania Singapore, we inspire and empower kids to pursue their dreams and pick up life skills through role-play. We look forward to nurture and give kids the confidence and resources to challenge themselves to explore a world of opportunities,” Leong Yue Weng, general manager of KidZania Singapore, said in a statement.

Like the various KidZanias around the world, KidZania Singapore will have districts set up in zones to group establishments based on the nature of said establishments. The “town planners” for KidZania said these zoning exercises mirror realistic urban planning techniques. And in keeping with the company’s ethos of localising their content, it has, among its 32 corporate partners, establishments such as Killiney Kopitiam, Warung M Nasir and The Intan.

The latter, for example, offers children the chance to be a “museum curator” and “docent” at the KidZania version of Singapore’s first private Peranakan home museum. There, children are taught to appreciate the traditional Peranakan culture by curating galleries that focus on iconic Peranakan items such as the sarong kebaya, nyonya porcelain and Peranakan tile architecture, and proudly share Singapore’s rich Peranakan identity with visitors through the galleries and exhibits.

“Being the first museum ever to be showcased at any KidZania around the world, The Intan celebrates all things Peranakan by inviting kids to touch and curate actual vintage and real-life replica Peranakan artefacts ranging from gold-leafed European influenced furniture to Straits Chinese porcelain,” said Alvin Yapp, owner of The Intan. “Our young visitors will learn the importance of caring for heritage and how it identifies us as a community.”

Other “jobs” for children include being a traditional bak kwa or BBQ meat specialist and discover the secret recipe that goes into the age-old process of making one of Singapore’s best-loved traditional snacks at the Lim Chee Guan Traditional BBQ Meat Store; being a footballer or a commentator at the Stadium; a “health institute researcher” and learn the intricacies of soap-making, along with the importance of hand hygiene through first-hand experience of making their very own soap; a “radiologist” at the Toshiba CT scan room, where kids are taught the basics of analysing scan results while operating a mock CT scan machine, and learn the importance of early detection of ailments.

“It is only with our industry partners’ valuable content and expertise that KidZania Singapore is able to deliver on the promise of offering the highest level of realism through role play,” said Leong. “We are working closely with them to offer a holistic edutainment experience.”

A partnership of a different kind is the link-up with Singapore Children’s Society as part of KidZania Singapore’s effort to give back to the local community. For one year starting this month, KidZania Singapore will donate the sales proceeds from 3,000 tickets to the Society, as well as support activities organised by the Society such as the Walk for Our Children 2015 event in September. It is also exploring the possibility of offering part-time positions in the theme park to benefit families in need.

KidZania, which started in Mexico, now has theme parks worldwide including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Chile and South Korea. It has won numerous awards and was voted Best Theme Park Worldwide by The Themed Entertainment Association and Top Family Entertainment Centre of the World by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions.