National Museum of Singapore

Original Building

Building, 1887

The front block of the museum building dates back to 1887. It features an elegant neo-Palladian design, a European style of architecture characterised by a highly symmetrical façade and the use of pediments above windows.

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Grandparents Day Banner

Grandparents' Day 2019

23 Nov 2019
Various Venues
10am – 5pm
Free Admission
Join us for a full day of family programmes as we celebrate Grandparents' Day! With performances, film screenings, character tours, inter-generational workshops and more, there are many exciting ways for children and grandparents alike to discover Singapore's rich history together.
senior craft showcase
Artful Memories: A Craft Showcase by Seniors
10am – 5pm | Glass Atrium, Level 2 | Free

Created by a group of senior participants who were inspired by their visit to the museum’s Life in Singapore galleries, these artworks are an artistic expression of their personal stories and experiences growing up.

This showcase is presented by the National Museum, in collaboration with ACE Seniors Pte Ltd.

Children’s Season at the National Museum 2020: Get Curious – Change Is OK!
21 Nov – 27 Dec

Presented in conjunction with our Doraemon’s Time-Travelling Adventures in Singapore campaign and upcoming Home, Truly special exhibition, Children’s Season at the National Museum 2020 explores the topic of change through both self-facilitated onsite activities and a range of online programmes.

Identify how the lifestyles of different generations in your family have changed using our “My Family’s Stories” kit; find out how you can relax through our family mindfulness workshop and what are some other ways of coping with change; imagine a kinder society while participating in our Appreciation Campaign; and reflect on change while speaking with our artefact, a Setron television!

As 2020 draws to a close, we hope children and families can find inspiration in our artefacts’ stories of resilience and innovation, and learn that Change Is OK!

Click here for the full details!

Recommended for families with children aged 3 to 12 years.
Special Campaign
“What’s Your Toy Story?” Campaign Booth
10am – 5pm | Glass Atrium, Level 2 | Free

Children are invited to share stories of their treasured toys, in the museum’s “What’s Your Toy Story?” campaign. Entries with the most interesting stories will stand a chance to be displayed in our Growing Up gallery. Visit our booth to find out more and submit your entry!

While at the booth, check out the National Museum’s very first interactive guide for families based on our permanent galleries. Suitable for children aged 5 to 8, Get Curious! – The Official Interactive Family Guide to the National Museum of Singapore presents information on our galleries and collection in a fun and accessible manner. Pick up a copy at a special price of $20 (U.P. $24.90) during our Grandparents’ Day celebrations!
Photobooth
Family Photobooth
10am – 12.30pm & 2pm – 5pm | Glass Atrium, Level 2 | Free

Pick up a prop or two and flash your best smile as you create a keepsake of your fun family day out. The first 20 multi-generational families (i.e. three generations) spotted at the photobooth will receive a set of heritage-inspired Jenga blocks for even more fun bonding times ahead!

Canon Singapore Pte Ltd is the print sponsor of this photobooth.
Building Tour for families
National Museum Building Tour for Families
10.30am – 11.15am | Rotunda, Level 1 | Free | Age 7 – 12

Join us on a learning journey around the museum and discover more interesting gems about this 132-year-old building.

Limited to 15 pairs of parent/grandparent and child on a first come, first served basis. Pre-register here or register on-site from 10am at the Rotunda, Level 1.
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GosTan Back: A Time-Travelling Adventure on Wheels
10.30am – 12pm | The Platform, Level 2 | $10 per parent-child pair | Age 6 – 12

Experience Singapore’s history and artefacts in our Singapore History Gallery with Xiao Ming, a young boy who gets the chance to save the future by going back in time. How will he fix his broken time machine? Young audiences can look forward to storytelling and a whole lot of hands-on fun!

This production is designed to support children with additional needs and their families to experience the museum. Families with typically developing children are also welcome to register for the programme.

Limited to 10 pairs of parent/grandparent and child. Register here.
Film Screening

Film Screenings
10.30am – 12pm & 2pm – 5pm | Gallery Theatre, Basement Level | Free

Enjoy a relaxing Saturday at the museum as you watch heart-warming films about family relationships. A full-length feature film will be screened in the morning while animated short films will be played on loop in the afternoon (~21 minutes per loop). All films are rated G.

Feature film:
The Way Home (2002) | 87 mins: A heart-warming story about a grandmother and her city-born grandson who comes to live with her in a rural village. In Korean with English subtitles.

Short animated films (21m12s loop):
1. The Fold of Fulfilment (2019) | 3m: A grandma finds inner fulfilment when her granddaughter begins to like her paper-folding hobby.
2. My Mum Is an Alien 3 (2016) | 2m59s: “Mum is troublesome? Were you more troublesome when you were a small kid?”
3. One Small Step (2018) | 7m40s: This is the story of Luna, a Chinese American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut.
4. 1997 (2015) | 7m33s: This is a recollective animated film exploring what it was like to be a kid in 90’s Singapore.


Drop in craft
Drop-in Craft Activity – A Grandparents’ Day Card
10.30am – 12.30pm & 2pm – 5pm | Gallery Theatre Foyer, Basement Level | Free | Age 4 and above

Have fun with our An Old New World-inspired stamps as you make a card for your grandparents to show your appreciation this Grandparents’ Day!

No registration required. While stocks last. Last admission at 4.45pm.
Percussion Performance
Inter-generational Percussion Performance and Drumming Circle
11am – 12.15pm | The Salon, Level 1 | Free

Enjoy a percussion performance by pre-schoolers from My First Skool and seniors from NTUC Health, inspired by our Story of the Forest immersive installation. After the short performance, everyone is invited to pick up an instrument, join in the drumming circle and create some music together!
Senior Friendly Guided Tours

Monthly Senior-friendly Guided Tour (Special Edition: Celebrations!)
12.15pm – 1.15pm | Various Galleries | Free (standard admission charges apply) | Suitable for seniors with dementia and their caregivers

Join us for a short afternoon guided conversational tour of our Life in Singapore galleries. Conducted by the National Museum of Singapore’s Care Facilitators, this tour seeks to enable seniors, persons with dementia and their care partners to have an enjoyable time at the museum, and to explore artefacts and stories from yesteryears that they might be familiar with. 

The session is free of charge and can accommodate up to 8 families on a first come, first served basis. Please click here for more information about the tour.

To sign up or find out more about the tour, please contact Hui Yi (Hui_Yi_Lee_from.TP@nhb.gov.sg) or Matilda (matilda_hong@nhb.gov.sg). 


Storytelling session
Storytelling Sessions: Orang Laut Tales by MoonShadow Stories
2pm – 2.30pm & 3.30pm – 4pm | Meeting Point: Entrance of the Exhibition Galleries, Basement Level | Free | Age 4 – 8

Climb on board our magnificent ship deck, and discover An Old New World through the eyes of some of Singapura’s earliest inhabitants, the Orang Laut. Be enthralled by the seafaring life of these skilled sailors and navigators who guided trading ships through the Straits waterways, and try your hand at making your own paper boat!

No registration required. Limited to 25 children per session on a first come, first served basis.
Character Tours
Character Tour: Mata (Policeman)
2.30pm – 3pm & 4pm – 4.30pm | Meeting Point: Outside exit of Singapore History Gallery, Level 1 | Free | Age 4 – 10

Follow a mata as he takes you back in time to discover some of the tools of his trade and the enthralling stories behind them.

No registration required. As the tours involve walking through the galleries, participants have to obtain their own gallery admission stickers at the Visitor Services counter on level 1 before proceeding to the meeting point.
intergenerational art jamming
Inter-generational Art Jamming Workshop
2.45pm – 4.45pm | Canyon, Basement Level | $8 per grandparent-child pair, $15 per parent-child pair, $5 per additional adult | Age 7 and above

Calling all grandparents/ parents and children! Do you know what Singapore and its surrounding regions were like before the arrival of the Europeans in 1819? Was it a sleepy fishing village? Join sketch journal artist Tham Pui San as he brings you through the An Old New World special exhibition to explore the liveliness of this region, and guides you on the techniques and skills of using oil pastels as a medium to paint scenes inspired by the landscapes and objects of this period in history.

Limited to 12 families. Click here to register.

This programme is presented by the National Museum, in collaboration with ACE Seniors Pte Ltd.
Teochew Tour
Teochew Dialect Tour
3pm – 4pm | Free

How did the Teochews travel from China to Singapore? What is the relationship between gambier and secret societies? Join us at the National Museum of Singapore to learn about the early Teochew immigrants and how they lived during the first 100 years after Singapore’s founding.

Register here or on-site from 2.45pm.
Ocarina House
Music Performance by Ocarina House
3pm & 4.30pm (30 min per session) | The Platform, Level 2 | Free

Learn more about the ocarina (a small vessel flute), and enjoy an afternoon of community performances led by seniors from the Ocarina House, managed by the House of Music.

Family Time

Visit our permanent galleries with your little ones and play spot-the-artefact! Our colourful Early Learning Resources introduce pre-schoolers to our artefacts according to the themes of Numbers, Colours, and ABCs. Available at $8 per set from the Museum Label shop. For more children's activity booklets, click here.

Museum guide

Download our museum guide (English, Chinese, Bahasa Melayu, Tamil) to find out about the many treasures in our various galleries. In this guide, you will also find the floor plan for easier navigation. Enjoy your visit!