Keeping the kids entertained can be a challenge in Hong Kong when faced with inclement weather. Space may be limited, but energy levels usually aren’t. So for those days when it is pouring with rain, searing with heat or the air pollution index is off the charts, it pays to have an arsenal of indoor activities. Here are 11 great places with kids’ activities that will let your young ones let off some steam! (For a list of activities more skewed towards teeenagers, head here!)
#1 Ryze Ultimate Trampoline Park
The ever-popular Ryze Trampoline Park in the Kodak Building in Quarry Bay contains over 40 interconnected trampolines. You can Zip Line across a river of foam, dodge the arms of the spinning Wipeout, or test your skills on the Free Style Course. Want to challenge a friend? Try the Battle Beams or the Wall Running Trampolines. With more space to play, kids of all ages can have fun at Ryze.
#2 Kiztopia
This mega-indoor kids’ edutainment centre opened in September 2022 after establishing itself as a favourite for young ones in Singapore. The first overseas flagship outlet is located in New Town Plaza Play Park, and offers a huge indoor playground of 12,000 square feet. There are 15 play areas, including a giant climbing and slides area with a four-metre-high slide and Occupational Experience Zones themed around cartoon characters. Perfect for a family day out, the centre will keep kids (and parents!) happy and entertained while helping them develop new skills.
#3 LOST Hong Kong (and LOST Junior)
This indoor activity traditionally catered to teenagers, but they now also offer LOST Junior. It’s perfect for little brothers and sisters. LOST Hong Kong is a series of reality escape rooms. Players get locked inside the rooms which have a pre-set scenario. Players must then use their wits to find clues and solve puzzles to work out a way to escape. You only need two players to enjoy a game. Children under 12 years must be supervised by an adult.
#4 The Rink at Elements
It’s no surprise that in a city that can swelter like Hong Kong that you can find ice skating rinks dotted about the place, usually attached to a shopping mall making getting to and from quite easy. The rink at Elements mall is a good one if you’re looking for indoor activities to suit kids of varying ages and abilities as you can rent hand-held ‘penguins’ – balancing devices for those who aren’t used to ice skating. You can also pay here with your Octopus card!
#5 Hong Kong Central Library
The largest of Hong Kong’s public library’s, the Central Library spans over 33,800 square metres with resources to suit kids of all ages and interests. Apart from the dedicated kids’ and teens’ collections, there are kids’ activities, kids’ and teens’ reading programmes and electronic resources for both groups. The toy library on the second floor is a must-visit for children aged eight or below.
#6 Legoland Discovery Centre Hong Kong
Opened in March 2021, this 30,000-square-foot space at K11 MUSEA is the ultimate indoor playground for kids – and kids at heart! The Centre features 10 Lego-themed play areas including the key attraction Miniland, the miniature replica of Hong Kong’s most loved buildings and landmarks built from over 1.5 million lego bricks.
#7 VermCity
This clip n’ climb park offers 19 different adventures which are suitable for ages four and up. Located in Quarry Bay, they have a number of rock climbing walls, as well as the first augmented wall in Asia, a projector-based rock climbing game.
#8 Hong Kong Space Museum
Housed in an iconic egg-shaped dome right by the Star Ferry pier on TST waterfront, the Space Museum makes a great stop for kids of all ages. There’s a planetarium and an Omnimax theatre and plenty of interactive exhibits to keep children entertained.
#9 Epicland
Located in Discovery Bay, EpicLand is the largest indoor family entertainment centre in Hong Kong. The centre caters for an array of ages and interests. Their huge rainbow slides are the longest in Asia, and they also have an air trek obstacle course, rock climbing walls, laser tag, a ballistics arena, trampolines and a nine-in-one mini golf course. There is also a playground and toddler area, and they even offer toddler rock climbing. Parents aren’t forgotten, with the Epic Cafe serving drinks, coffee and snacks so you can relax while the little ones run riot.
#10 Hong Kong Science Museum
Though it might not be as high-octane as some of the other options on this list, the Hong Kong Science Museum in Kowloon is a favourite with all curious children. There are a variety of interactive permanent exhibitions to keep the little ones occupied, plus regular special exhibitions. Don’t miss the 22-metre-high Energy Machine, the largest machine of its kind in the world. Four storeys tall, it produces dramatic sounds and visual effects from balls rolling between its towers like a roller coaster.
#11 Hong Kong Maritime Museum
Located at Central’s Pier 8, this museum tells the story of Hong Kong’s trade and maritime journey through the years. The ship models, interactive displays and great views of Victoria Harbour make it a good family outing. Head to kid-friendly Café 8 on the rooftoop for a relaxing lunch with a view when you’re done.
Also … indoor activities for kids at home
Here are some useful online resources for those days when the little ones are stuck inside!
Music maestros
Introduce young ones to classical music on Classics for Kids. The site has a variety of lesson plans, podcasts, articles, activity sheets and games to make learning fun. classicsforkids.com
Spoken books
Got little bookworms at home? Change things up by listening to stories being read at Storyline Online. There are loads of free storytelling videos by popular personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Kristen Bell. storylineonline.net
Keep it colourful
SuperColoring offers a great collection of free colouring sheets, featuring cartoon characters, animals, flowers, dinosaurs and more. Choose to print them out, or save the trees and colour online! supercoloring.com
Shoot for the stars
Head to the NASA Kids’ Club, which offers educational online games for children as young as pre-kindergarten. The site also has a gallery of cool photos by NASA that can be used to discuss STEM-related topics. nasa.gov/kidsclub
Crayons and beyond
From paper crafts to free colouring pages, Crayola has a great selection of resources for families to use at home. There are also detailed lesson plans to tap on and weekly activity videos to check out. crayola.com
Famous stories
All ages can enjoy free ebooks and audio stories (with titles in over eight languages) on Audible by Amazon. They include the likes of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Jungle Book. Stream them on your laptop, phone or tablet. stories.audible.com
Create code
Dabble with coding this summer break on Scratch, part of the MIT Media Lab. Kids aged eight to 16 will explore interactive stories, games and animations, while younger ones can try out ScratchJr, a special version designed for ages five to seven. scratch.mit.edu
World of wizards
Head to the Harry Potter At Home hub for fun kids’ activities from craft videos and articles to quizzes and puzzles. wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home
Join Hogwarts
You can also excite your little Harry Potter fans with the online courses on Hogwarts Is Here. All courses are free and topics include astronomy, potions and the history of magic. hogwartsishere.com
Print some puzzles
Download free printables from HP for different age groups. They include colouring and dot-to-dot activity sheets, crafts, origami and puzzles. hp.com/us/en/printers/printandplay.html
Building blocks
LEGO has launched #LetsBuildTogether, which offers a variety of resources for parents. You’ll be able to find play ideas, projects, games and creations to keep the kids entertained at home. lego.com/en-us/letsbuildtogether
Learn and laugh
Get your hands on engaging and educational videos through Izzit, which offers everything from maths and science to music and history. They come with handy guides, activities, quizzes and other great resources. izzit.org
Start your engines
Find colouring pages, games, puzzles, quizzes, virtual tours and other fun free activities on Porsche 4Kids. Choose to navigate the website in English or German. porsche4kids.com
Animals, science and more!
The National Geographic Kids website is filled with fun videos, quizzes and fact sheets on animals, science, space, countries and more. kids.nationalgeographic.com
Looking for more indoor activities and other kids’ activities? You can also check out 10 of the best museums in Hong Kong or find afternoon tea spots.
Know any other kids’ activities that should be featured here? Email editor@expatliving.hk.
