16 Fun Things To Do At Changi Airport With Kids: Singapore Airport Attractions

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Changi Airport has been a regular feature in our family travel life for as long as we can remember. As Australians flying anywhere in Asia or Europe, Singapore is the natural stopover. And over the years we have spent everything from a rushed 2-hour transit to a leisurely 10-hour layover within these terminals.

The Butterfly Garden in Terminal 3 was a personal favourite even before we had kids. With kids, it became the first stop on every Changi visit. The girls have grown up knowing exactly where to find it. The Koi Pond, the playgrounds, the SkyTrain rides between terminals. Changi has been part of our family’s travel routine for years.

Then Jewel opened in 2019 and changed everything. A 40-metre indoor waterfall, a four-storey forest valley, a Canopy Park with bouncy nets and mazes, over 280 shops and restaurants. Changi is no longer just an airport you pass through. It is a destination you plan time for.

Got a long delay? Book into an airport hotel for a sleep

Changi Airport Quick Guide

• Best terminal for families: Terminal 2 & Terminal 3
• How long do you need in Jewel: At least 2-3 hours
• Canopy Park: Book in advance, sells out in peak periods
• Free city tours: Available for transit passengers with 5.5+ hours between flights. Book at the tour desk in Terminals 2 or 3
• Airport hotel: Ambassador Transit Hotel is airside in Terminals 2 and 3 — no need to clear customs

Best Things To Do At Changi Airport With Kids

Changi Airport has continued to grow over the decades due to being the central hub for so many international destinations, opening Terminal 1 back in 1981.

The subsequent 2nd and 3rd terminals opened in 1991 and 2008, with Jewel Changi Airport expansion opening in 2019. And with Terminal 5 set to open in the mid 2030s, set to be as large as the airport’s existing terminals combined. Hard to imagine but wow!

The airport is massive, with trains to transit you between the different terminals. Each terminal is also home to some pretty impressive attractions, as well as the usual necessities like food, amenities and shops.

Singapore’s Changi Airport is easily one of the best airports in the world!

So how do you keep the kids entertained?

1 – Jewel Changi Airport

Jewel Changi Airport opened in 2019 and transformed what it means to have a stopover in Singapore.

Connected directly to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 via enclosed walkways, it is a glass-domed complex built around the Rain Vortex, a 40-metre indoor waterfall, the tallest indoor waterfall in the world, surrounded by a four-storey Forest Valley of lush tropical greenery.

Beyond Canopy Park, Jewel has over 280 retail and dining outlets across 10 levels including supermarkets, pharmacies and everything you might need for a long layover.

The food options are excellent and significantly better than standard airport dining, with hawker-style food courts and sit-down restaurants across multiple levels.

Practical notes: Jewel is accessible to both transit passengers and visitors to Singapore. If you’re on a transit visa, you can still access Jewel. Allow at least 2-3 hours to do Jewel justice. Most families spend longer than planned. Book Canopy Park tickets in advance

2 – Butterfly Garden

‘The Changi Airport Butterfly Garden is always one of our first places to visit when on a layover in Singapore. This was even before we had kids, but now it’s even better because they love it so much!

There are educational resources within the Butterfly Garden, which will appeal to older kids and adults, but otherwise, just the excitement of possibly having a butterfly land on you is a special experience.

The Butterfly Garden is located in Terminal 3 of Changi Airport.

3 – Catch a Movie at ST3PS

ST3PS is a communal amphitheatre at Terminal 3 Basement 2 built around a massive ultra-HD LED screen.

Daily free programming includes movie screenings, live sport broadcasts, live music performances and family entertainment. There are also yoga sessions running at various times throughout the week, which is great if you want to get a little movement in while you’re waiting to board.

It replaces and significantly improves on the old free cinema concept. The screen is larger, the programming is more varied and the open amphitheatre format means you can come and go freely rather than sitting in a dark cinema room.

For families with a long layover, settling in for a free movie or a football match is one of the most relaxed ways to pass the time at Changi.

4 – Ride World’s Tallest Indoor The Slide

For the bigger kids (and adults) who want something to get the adrenaline pumping, Changi Airport is home to the world’s tallest indoor slide. It is the tallest slide in Singapore.

The Slide@T3 is 12 metres high, or 4 storeys, and reaches speeds of up to 6 metres per second. It takes you from Level 1 to Basement 3.

There is an age and height restriction on the slide for ages 7 and up, with a smaller slide also within the terminal for ages 5 and up.

The best part is that the slide is free. You just have to sign up for a free Changi Rewards membership to redeem 10 rides. Flash your rewards e-card at the Basement 3 customer service counter to redeem your rides.

5 – Discover the Entertainment Corner

If gaming and technology are your kid’s style, there is plenty of things to do at Changi Airport Entertainment Corner.

There are retro arcade machines and driving games

The Entertainment Corner is located in Terminal 4.

6 – The Enchanted Garden

Amaze the kids with the beauty that fills the Enchanted Garden, with motion sensors activated by sight and sound allowing the garden to come to life in an array of blooming fibre-optic and LED lighting effects.

Sure to impress even the youngest kids. It also makes for a pretty cool selfie spot, right!!

The Enchanted Garden is located in Terminal 2.

7 – Visit the Koi Pond

Take the kids to see the koi fish swimming in the pond. They can learn all about koi fish and if you time it right, they may even have the opportunity to feed the fish during the daily fish feeding sessions.

The Singapore Airport koi pond is located in Terminal 3.

8 – Playgrounds

There is an impressive set of playgrounds within Changi Airport, with features suitable for very young children, right up to older children.

This was popular with both our girls on their first and subsequent visits to the airport. You really can’t go wrong with a good playground! 

There are play areas in each of the terminals for your convenience! They each have different features and play equipment.

9 – Family Zone

Designed to cater for families with young children and babies, the family zone has facilities such as nappy change areas but also has play equipment and cartoons to watch, to provide entertainment and a place to keep an eye on the kids without having to chase them through the entire airport.

The family zone is located in Terminal 2.

10 – Free Singapore City Tours

If you have 5.5 hours or more between flights, Changi Airport offers complimentary city tours for transit passengers.

Tours must be booked at the Free Singapore Tour desk in Terminals 2 and 3. Current tours include a City Sights tour, a Jewel tour (if you haven’t already explored it independently), and a Heritage tour.

Check the current schedule and availability at changiairport.com as tour offerings and timings change periodically.

This is a fantastic free offering. Singapore is one of the world’s most interesting cities and seeing it during a long transit rather than spending the time in the departure lounge is an easy decision.

Related Reading: The Best Things To Do In Singapore

11 – Ride The SkyTrain

The sights along the way are not overly exciting, with a small peek at greater Singapore… and a lot of airport!

However, kids love trains, so having a ride between terminals to see what else they can discover at the other end can be a lot of fun.

The train trips are around 5 minutes between each terminal and come frequently. This means you can easily move between terminals to explore the rest of the fun Changi Airport attractions during your visit.

Plus getting that first view of the waterfall between terminals is pretty darn special!

12 – Climb@T3 — Indoor Rock Climbing At Changi Airport

If you have active kids and a long enough layover, Climb@T3 in Terminal 3 is one of the most enjoyable ways to burn energy before a long flight.

It’s the first sport climbing facility at any airport in the world, which is pretty cool! Get some of those wiggles out before a long haul flight.

This is not a token kids’ activity bolted onto a transit terminal. It’s a proper climbing facility run by The Rock School Singapore.

The facility has two main zones. The Boulder Walls are 12 metres long and 2.5 metres high, and rope-free bouldering routes suitable for ages 2 and up. The High Wall reaches 8 metres with 20 different climbing routes graded from beginner to experienced using the French grading system, ranging from 4+ up to 6c+.

Kids as young as two can climb on the low boulder wall, while experienced climbers will find genuinely challenging routes on the High Wall.

Both guided and unguided sessions are available. The guided 1-hour session has instructors beside you throughout.

It’s worth booking if your kids have never climbed before and if they aren’t afraid of heights.

The unguided Climb & Play session starts with a mandatory safety briefing and then lets you loose. Book in advance for weekends and school holidays as sessions fill up, especially during peak transit periods.

Practical notes: Located in Terminal 3, Level B2, accessible to both transit passengers and the public. Open Sunday to Thursday 11am to 8pm, Friday, Saturday and public holidays 11am to 9:30pm. Wear comfortable athletic clothing and sneakers. Visit their website for current pricing and bookings.

13 – Fit&Fun Zone

Changi Airport’s Fit&Fun Zone is one of the most useful for families with restless kids who need to move before a long flight.

The zone brings together fitness and play in a dedicated wellness space. Think stretching areas, interactive fitness games and active play equipment designed for all ages from young children to adults.

It’s the kind of facility that makes the difference between arriving at your gate with exhausted, grumpy children and arriving with kids who have burned enough energy to actually sit still for a few hours.

Located in Terminal 2.

14 – The Wonderfall

The Wonderfall is a four-storey digital waterfall installation at the heart of Terminal 2 and one of the most visually spectacular things in any airport in the world. It’s pops up in my Instagram feed alll the time and it’s no wonder once you see it.

The cascading digital display changes themes and shows throughout the day and sometimes has special event themed shows, like a Disney theme at the launch of the Disney Adventure Cruise ship.

It’s completely free to watch, and the show runs on a loop so you don’t need to time your visit precisely. Kids are generally transfixed by it. So are adults.

15 – Kinetic Rain Installation

If there’s one thing that stands out at Changi is that it has some really cool and often interactive art installations. Kinetic Rain is one of the most extraordinary permanent installations at any airport in the world and somehow still surprises visitors who haven’t seen it before.

Located in the arrival hall of Terminal 1, it consists of 1,216 individual bronze and aluminium droplets suspended from the ceiling that move in choreographed patterns, rising, falling and forming shapes in a hypnotic sequence that changes throughout the day.

It’s completely free, completely mesmerising and one of those things that stops children in their tracks without any parental encouragement. The full choreography cycle runs for approximately 15 minutes and repeats throughout the day.

Worth timing your SkyTrain journey to Terminal 1 specifically to see it if you haven’t before.

16 – Plane Spotting at the Viewing Galleries

This one is free, open 24 hours and consistently one of the most popular things to do at any airport with young children… plane spotting.

The public viewing galleries at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 give unobstructed views across the runways and taxiways, with planes taking off and landing throughout the day and night.

For aviation-obsessed kids, this is a bit of fun and a chance to take a break. For parents, it costs nothing, requires no booking and can occupy children for a surprising amount of time.

The Terminal 2 viewing gallery also has good views of the ground operations, which can be fun for a bit of airport scavenger hunt fun, with a pre-prepared list of items to find. Baggage carts, refuelling trucks, catering vehicles.

More Changi Kids & Family Attractions

Here are some other great ideas for what to do at Changi Airport during your stopover:

Terminal 1

• Cactus garden
• Discovery garden
• Kinetic Rain exhibit
• Water Lily Garden

Terminal 2

• Orchid Garden
• Sunflower Garden
• 2 Bears Hideout playground
• Free Singapore tour
• Bamboo Grove
• Dino Nest Tower playground
• Fit & Fun zone
• GoCycling Hub
• Jurassic Mile
• The Wonderfall

Terminal 3

• Crystal Garden
• Free Singapore tour
• Butterfly Garden
• Climb@T3
• The Slide@T3
• ST3PS cinema

Terminal 4

• Entertainment Corner
• Heritage Zone
• Immersive Wall

Jewel

• Bouncing net
• Canopy park
• Changi Experience Studio
• Discovery Slides
• Foggy bowls
• Forest Valley
• Hedge maze
• Canopy bridge
• Mirror maze
• Petal garden
• Rain vortex
• Topiary walk
• Walking net

Transiting via Changi for the Disney Adventure cruise?

Singapore’s Changi Airport is the home port gateway for the Disney Adventure, one of Disney Cruise Line’s newest ships, based permanently in Singapore.

If you’re flying in for a Disney Adventure sailing, we strongly recommend arriving at least two full days before embarkation, both to recover from the long-haul flight and to properly explore Singapore and Jewel before the cruise begins.

Changi is the perfect introduction to what Singapore has to offer and it’s essentially a destination all on its own!

There are so many things to do at Changi Airport in Singapore, so you won’t be short of activities and attractions to fill your time.

As well as these top suggestions for entertaining the kids, there are lots of other features to check out, including lots of as outdoor garden areas to help you minimise the risk of jetlag.

Natural sunlight can be a big help!

And if you are lucky enough to be staying in Singapore, book your tickets for the official Singapore Airport shuffle to your hotel.

Do you know of any other things to do in Singapore Airport that we’ve missed? Tell us!

Make sure you check out our guide for flying with kids & the best family-friendly airports.