School Programmes (Pre-School)

Pre-School Programmes

Self-guided Interactive Installation: Get Curious! Building Our Singapore

1 July 2025 – 9 October 2026
Daily, 10am – 7pm (early admission at 9.30am available for school group bookings)
Canyon, Basement Level

Free of charge

Complement your Once Upon a Tide experience with Get Curious! Building Our Singapore! Located just outside the exhibition gallery, this interactive installation celebrates the invaluable contributions of our past and present-day migrants through three engaging stops:

• Stop 1: Time Traveller’s Zone – An immersive photo opportunity where visitors can imagine being an early migrant.
• Stop 2: World Explorer’s Map – Discover some of the countries where the different communities in Singapore originate from.
• Stop 3: “Thank You” Corner – Pick up a postcard and write a note of appreciation to our migrant workers. These postcards feature photographs taken by migrant workers, selected from the 2019 to 2024 editions of the Migrant Workers Photography Festival.

First presented during Children’s Season 2025, this installation welcomes visitors of all ages. Adult supervision required for children below 13 years.

Self-Guided Visit to Once Upon a Tide

26 May 2025 – 9 Oct 2026
10am – 7pm
Exhibition Gallery, Basement

Ages 4 – 6

Pre-schools are welcome to explore our latest exhibition, Once Upon a Tide: Singapore’s Journey from Settlement to Global City, presented in commemoration of our nation’s 60th year of independence.

Children can embark on a fun journey to discover how the sea and the Singapore River have shaped our transformation over the years.

Planning Your Visit
To book your pre-school group visit, please submit a booking via our BookMuseums@SG app at least 10 days prior to your date of visit.

Recommended Visiting Periods
For the best experience and to avoid peak periods, we highly recommend scheduling your group visit on the following dates/times:

Self-Facilitated Resources for Once Upon a Tide

Please see below for our range of resources that are designed to support a self-guided visit with children and explore the exhibition confidently.

Waves of Wonder Captions

The Once Upon a Tide exhibition features 11 child-friendly captions designed for children aged 4 and above. These interactive captions help children engage with selected artefacts through relatable content.

Each caption is presented across three spreads, in a lift-the-flap format:

• Spread 1: Bite-sized information about the featured artefact
• Spread 2: Interactive task / mission
• Spread 3: Answer key

Educators can use these captions to plan self-guided visits with your students.

The Waves of Wonder captions are created by the National Museum of Singapore, with support from educators from My First Skool Limited.

Programmes Cart

Pre-school groups visiting the Once Upon a Tide exhibition can request to borrow a mobile Programmes Cart for use on-site at the museum. The cart includes three hands-on activities for children with cognitive ages of 4–6 years.

For more details, please download the Programmes Cart Activities Educator’s Guide.

To book the Programmes Cart, please email nhb_nm_schools@nhb.gov.sg at least three (3) weeks before your visit.

The River Explorers Artefact Hunt

Play “I-Spy” with The River Explorers artefact hunt activity! Discover how the Singapore River connects our island to the world around us.

Download a digital copy of The River Explorers activity PDF below.

Download here

Limited printed copies in A4 size are also available for borrowing. Please email nhb_nm_schools@nhb.gov.sg for enquiries.

Pre-school groups must have a valid booking through the BookMuseums app to visit the Once Upon a Tide exhibition to be eligible for complimentary Milo drink redemption, courtesy of Milo. Our Programmes Officer will distribute the drinks to your group at the museum. Limited to one drink per pre-school student, while stocks last.

Note: This offer is exclusively for school group visits using The River Explorers hunt activity only.

Colouring Sheets

Coupled with fun facts about the exhibition, these 5 colouring sheets are suitable as a pre- or post-visit activity for pre-schoolers age 4 and up.

Download colouring sheets

A Playground for All

Enhance your museum visit with a visit to our intergenerational playground! Located near the front lawn, this playground reimagines the iconic blue whale skeleton once displayed at the museum from the early 1900s – 1970s.

Features:

• Climbing structures for children aged 5 – 12.
• Sensory play elements for younger children
• Senior-friendly equipment
• Picnic benches for group activities and snack breaks

Please bring your own mats and ensure that the area is clean after snacks.

A perfect addition to your self-guided museum itinerary. Adult supervision required.