Hokey Pokey (Indoor Playground)

(Daddy reviews)

UPDATED: Hokey Pokey has moved to a new location, and you can read the new review here:

http://www.cheekiemonkie.net/2013/04/the-all-new-hokey-pokey.html

It's really great to be a kid nowadays, especially if you are a young toddler still trying to differentiate your one leg from the other.

Just look at the numerous Indoor Playgrounds sprouting up, with most of them located within shopping malls. And all with fun & imaginative play equipment. I reckon this gives the perfect compromise between parent and child - I give you 1 hour of playtime, you give me 2 hours of shopping time. Better than nothing right?

And so, say hello to the newest Indoor Playground in town, literally.

Because Hokey Pokey is situated right in town - at Suntec to be exact. And we were kindly invited by Irene, one of the co-owners, down last weekend to let my monkies rampage test out the grounds.

At first glance, the entire play room is littered with a wide array of toys and each, I believe, is every toddler's dream come true.

Ale's first task was to zoom in on this cosy ball pit, which she promptly made it her own private area.

As for Ash & Ayd, they were drawn to the giant slide which sent them plummeting down to this giant pit filled with colourful balls.

That slide was just about the most adventurous play structure that the boys could find there.

And that is where Hokey Pokey is different from the rest of the other indoor playgrounds. There are no climbing structures, tall twirling slides or flying fox apparatus to induce adrenalin.

But what you get are toys.

TONS and TONS of them.

Make-believe toys for boys & girls, a train table, a Castle and House side by side, musical instruments, and even play vehicles in whatever shape and size.

You will find all of them here.

And the toys were still doing a mighty fine job of keeping the boys busy.

So busy until I thought they were creating too much noise!

Indeed, I was speaking to Irene who told me that she & 4 other mummies had come together to set up Hokey Pokey because they had realised that there were a shortage of play gyms that actually cater to younger toddlers. Most of the play gyms have play equipment that are more suited to the older kids, but there were very few that actually catered to the needs and abilities of toddlers.

Like this sweetie pea.

Heh.

And so, these 5 mummies (who all have young toddlers under their wings by the way) decided to create a safe and conducive environment for all young-lings to enjoy. And the rest is history.

The recommended playing age groups for Hokey Pokey are from 6 months to 6 years old. So if you are going 'OOPS' like how Ash reacted when he saw the sign, fret not.

Luckily there was still the XBOX Kinect to keep the older kids occupied.

And for once in an Indoor Playground, Ale was the one who was spoilt for choice.

From the balls, to the huge variety of make-believe play sets - she was having such a fun time that she forgot all about being cranky despite missing her afternoon nap!

She even made a new friend there!

As for the boys, they were also still going strong and finding new things to play with after 2 hours of play.

Which is good news for me & the wifey I guess. Because we got to sit down for a cuppa and rest our tired legs.

While still being able to cast a watchful eye over them.

Can you spot all 3 of them? Yes, they are inside there somewhere.

One other thing that struck me was that the staff there do take safety and hygiene very very seriously. There were staff stationed at the various corners of the play areas at all times, and for the 2 hours or so we were there, I spotted staff sanitizing the toys at least 3 times.

At the end of the day, what were my monkies' verdict?

Well, there's no need to ask Ale I think - she loved it thoroughly! As for the boys, they too gave it the thumbs up because no matter how you look at it, playtime IS playtime in their eyes.

And the price of playtime?

For the month of March, Hokey Pokey is offering a 50% discount off the admission fees during weekdays. That's only $12.50 (or $7.50 for members) for unlimited play time during weekdays! Also, sign up as a Member in March to enjoy lower play rates for $38 (instead of $50).


Useful Information:

Address: 3 Temasek boulevard #03-027E/F, Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983 (Near Wang Cafe)

Opening hours: Sun - Thurs: 10 am to 7 pm; Fri & Sat: 10 am to 9 pm

Rates:
Weekday rate (unlimited play): $25 per child (non-member); $15 (member)
Weekend rate (2 hours playtime):  $25 per child (non-member); $15 (member); subsequent additional hour rate at $8 (non-member) and $6 (member).
Membership fee: $50

Website: https://www.facebook.com/sghokeypokey