Playful Elves, a fun new indoor play gym for children, recently opened up in West Coast Plaza (Singapore). After hearing so many great things about it, my mom friends and I decided to check it out for ourselves.

The Race-Track

Upon entering Playful Elves, what first grabbed our attention was the mini-racetrack with many different motorized cars to choose from. There such a variety of cars that none of the kids had to wait their turn; best of all everyone was able to ride together. My eldest son especially liked the red motorized Lightening McQueen car, which is very rare to find in Asia, he kept riding it around the track over and over. Playful Elves’ has a staff member stationed inside the race track helping the kids operate the cars, which made it easy for them to scoot along. 

The Playscape

While my older one was happily racing away with his friends, I took my lil’ guy over to the main play structure, which consisted of a variety of mazes and obstacles designed to make kids (and parents) exercise their limbs.

After some creative crawling, jumping, climbing (and resting in the observation deck), we finally made through to the three wave slide. I must point out that I was very impressed with the slide. Although, I am not that big of a person, I still find it difficult to crawl and wiggle through those mazes with my 17 month old. I was really impressed with the wide access points to the slides, which made it easy for me to go up and down at least 15 times. Also, another good thing was that the bottom of the slide had a very wide receiving point, so I was easily able to greet my older son as he came down. This also made it very easy for me to take both pictures and videos (you know we parents love to take pictures).

The Bouncy Castle

Once we had enough of the maze, we decided to go check out the bouncy castle with an attached bouncy slide. Somehow the bouncy castle never fails to entertain children – I’m not sure if it is the jumping or the falling, but whatever it is, everyone seemed to be having a very good time inside.

The Ball Shooters & Ball Dump

Another thing that my boys and their friends absolutely loved was the Playful Elves “ball dump”. I actually haven’t seen a ball dump at any of the other play gyms in Singapore that we frequent.  Basically the kids send the foam balls up in an air vacuum, then with the press of a button, the balls cascade down like a waterfall of balls. The kids just kept doing this over and over. Even my 17 month old enjoyed lying on the floor while the balls toppled over him.

In addition to the ball dump, another super cool feature are the ball shooters, where the kids get to pick up foam balls, put them into little shopping bags and climb up various obstacles to get the balls to the shooters.

Planning A Party At Playful Elves

After spending some time playing at Playful Elves, I realized that this might make an excellent venue for my son’s upcoming birthday party. It already had a built in bouncy castle (which is always a big party hit), a full playscape, shooting balls and of course the indoor race track.

I found out that Playful Elves is currently having a promotion on their party packages starting at $499 (without food), $599 with food and $1499 for exclusive use of the place, food, party games and goodie bags. I found their prices to be quite reasonable in comparison to some of the other places I am currently checking out. I was pleased that they offered a package that allowed me to have “exclusive” use of the place, which makes the party more enjoyable for my guests. Moreover, almost all the other kiddie party venues are very strict with outside food, entertainment, timings, etc. etc, but Playful Elves informed me that they are actually quite flexible. Having planned many kiddie parties in the past, I was very happy to hear that Playful Elves was willing to work with me on my party wish list (and trust me I am a very demanding party hostess).

Note:  While I was sitting in the cafe discussing party packages, I could see my two boys and their friends having a great time playing inside.  The energetic Playful Elves’ staff was keeping a watchful eye on them to make sure they were having a good time.  Honestly it was nice break not having to chase, climb and crawl around with them.

SuperMommy’s Thoughts on Playful Elves

What did the kids like best? It was a tie between the “ball dump” and of course the awesome race track.

What did the moms like the best? The moms, including myself, liked the fact that there were two staff members inside the play area supervising and assisting the kids at all time.  One was stationed inside the race track and the other inside the playscape. We also liked the fact that we could hang out in the mini-café and relax while our kids were happily playing.

What are some of the unique features? Playful Elves allows you to drop off your kids (ages 3 and up) and while you are out running your errands in the shopping mall, their trained staff is their making sure your kids are entertained and having fun.  Additionally, on non-peak days, members are able to have unlimited play for the entire day, which means you can leave and still come back and play again without having to re-pay.

Would we go back? Yes for sure! My boys loved it and it was not so overwhelming like some of the bigger play gyms. My 3 year old can’t stop talking about the “ball dump” and he asked his daddy to take him next time (hopefully this means mommy can go shopping while they play).

Will SuperMommy throw a party at Playful Elves? That is a Definite Maybe!! You will just have to keep reading to see what I decide.

Some Useful Information About Playful Elves:

• Address: West Coast Plaza Mall (#02-02/03/04), 154 West Coast Road, Telephone: +65-6100-0353
• Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Entrance Fees:
  • Member Rates: Membership: $20 per year; Off-Peak (Mon – Thu): $18 (Unlimited Play for the Entire Day); Peak (Fri-Sun): $18 for 1st 2 hours; Peak Subsequent Hours: $10 per hour
  • Non-Member Rates: Off-Peak (Mon – Fri): $20 for 1st 2 hours, Off-Peak Subsequent Hours: $10 per hour, Peak (Fri – Sun): $20 for 1st hour, Peak Subsequent Hours: $12 per hour