We are back in Kidzania Manila, a fun place for kids 4 years old and above, who are given the chance to try out different “adult” careers and get paid for it.
Kidzania Manila is found in a non-descript building close to UP Town Mall. You would not really know what it was unless you googled or Wazed it. Entrance is right by the side of the building. Food is deposited in the baggage counter before checking in.
To enter the park, we first check-in at the Cebu Pacific counter and pay for our entrance to the park. On Sundays, park time is at 10am to 5pm. We arrived at 11:30am after brunch.
Thankfully, there was a reasonable yet not excessive number of people at the park.
Here were the ticket prices — both kids and adults must pay the entrance fee. Thankfully, Kidzania Manila accepts credit cards. It was a jiffy to check in even without pre-buying your tickets at Klook or Ticketworld.
They gave us a little watch gadget to record our interactions in the park. Both adults and kids have one. That way, they can log attendance in case your passport gets lost. Smart!
Upon check in, kids will receive a BPI cash card where she can deposit all her “earnings” at the park. They give you a bit extra to start with. Check out just how happy she is!
Passport Office
The first room on the left is the passport office. Visit this room first on your first time to get your passport. Everyone starts as a Naturalized Citizen. That’s the red passport and the most basic of all Kidzanian passports.
Fun Tip: Logging in the Passport Office will generate you 20 extra Kizzos. That’s a lot of extra money just for lining up. You can also come back and get your 20 Kizzos on your succeeding visits in case the line is long.
If you don’t have your passport yet, this is where you will get your new passport.
Worker at the Coke Bottling Plant
For our first attraction, we tried out the ever popular Coke Bottling Plant:
As you can see from the sign, the Coke Bottling Plant can handle 8 kids per session, and lasts 20 minutes. A child must be at least 4 years old to quality and will earn 5 Kizzos (Kidzanian money) after the job. Every room has the sign like this outside, which gives you an idea on what to expect for that particular attraction.
The children are taught to fall in line. Everyone is excited to bottle Coke!
You have to respect the shifts and be conscious of the time. Everyone starts on time.
The instructor explained step by step how to process coke and bottle them. Later on, the kids try to do these themselves.
First step is to wash the bottles, then dry them with strong air. Afterwards, you fill them up with Coke before bottling them. Easy peasy!
That is why it’s so important to bring kids who are at least 4 years of age. An ability to listen to instructions and NOT holding up other children are important in Kidzania.
Here’s my daughter trying out the coke bottling plant. Better be safe and wear face masks. Health and safety are important when it comes to processing food.
Yes, Kidzania is COOL. Daughter is only 4 and they are letting her try all these herself. Here’s her and her Coke bottle as a souvenir of her work.
Being a Pilot or Flight Attendant at Cebu Pacific
Our next stop, being a pilot at Cebu Pacific. You can be a flight attendant as well.
This is an activity that you have to pay for. It cost 15 Kizzos just to train to be a pilot or a cabin crew. This is realistic. In the real world, you have to pay for training too!
There’s a real life cockpit inside Cebu Pacific. Isn’t it cute?
Parents can view the activity from a TV on the outside. If you join your child inside, you are NOT allowed to use any recording device
Broadcaster at Home Shopping Studio
After pilot training, we rushed to the Shopping Studio where the kids are taped plugging products on TV. Extremely cool concept especially since the video will be available online for a few days for our viewing pleasure.
They don the uniforms of TV shopping broastcasters and listen to instructions on how to promote the newest and brightest new Kidzania product, the Magic Multi-Hanger.
They are trained first before they go on air.
And they are LIVE:
This is what happens when you put 4 year olds on air.
And some cute hand action to finish the spiel.
Being a TV Presenter at ABS-CBN
Our next stop is at ABS-CBN where you can become an on cam or off cam staff in recording a TV show.
You earn 15 kizzos but have to spend a long 45 minutes for this attraction (Yikes!):
The set is nice too. Daughter will try her hand on being on cam so will only earn 10 kizzos.
Parents even get to see their kids in action as part of the live audience!
Even though she’s only 4, daughter was still allowed to be on air. She was the weathergirl and Kidzania’s patient coaching shows anyone can be a TV presenter if they wanted to!
Hotdog Processing Worker
It’s interesting that all manufacturing factories are placed closely together, just like in real life.
No matter what your job is, it’s important to keep the fun. And it’s great that the children are exposed to all types of jobs at Kidzania. I think making Tender Juicy Hotdog at the Purefoods is a great way to show this.
Even though my daughter was alone, the class still went on as if the room was full. The instructor explained how hot dogs were made and processed. She even got a free hotdog snack in the end!
Hotdog processing earns 5 Kizzos but manufacturing Tender Juicy Hotdogs, one of my daughter’s favorite snacks is a big plus!
Making Health Supplements and Medicines
Conducting an experiment and manufacturing medicines are tedious jobs. It’s better if you have an engineering degree so you can earn 2 more Kizzos.
This segment is sponsored by Pascual Labs, maker of Poten-Cee. Most attractions are Kidzania are sponsored by large multinationals, which konda make it cute because it makes the activities so real life.
Cookie Maker
Up next is the cookie making factory. Sponsored by Jack & Jill’s Cream-O, kids have to wear safety gear and produce Cream-O cookies.
This activity generates only 5 Kizzos. Realistically, being a production worker is lower paid work and the salary at Kidzania reflects this.
It’s an early lesson that salary is paid depending on value, and 5 Kizzos is the value on using machines.
Ice Cream Making at Magnolia
Same goes with ice cream making. Everyone gets a free chocolate ice cream souvenir.
Clean Energy Center Engineer
Working at the Clean Energy Center, which is also on the same floor, will generate you more money. 12 kizzos to be exact. If you have a college degree at Centro Escolar University, you get 2 kizzos more. In a way, the salary disparity drives home the thought that more technical work will earn you more money.
The great thing about Kidzania is that they treat the kids as adults, and will act the same whether it’s one child or a whole group of kids.
Uniforms and safety gear are a must before heading out on site.
They are then called out to help out with an emergency, and literally solve the problem. For example, how to use switches for the wind turbine. And input a passcode to access the system.
Because of their work, the wind turbine is fixed, yehey!
The activities do change depending on the age to keep things fresh. In some instance, the engineers were asked to fix a leak, so that kept the activities interesting for all ages.
Baker at Goldilocks
You can learn how to decorate mamons at Goldilocks. Even at 4, you can still try your hand in pastry decorating.
Cooking at Lady’s Choice
If you are interested in being a chef, you can go to Lady’s Choice and learn how to make egg salad. Since there are some materials used, this session charges 15 Kizzos.
There’s always a line at Lady’s Choice so do come on time. If your child is young, it’s better for you as the adult to accompany him/her.
I did not take photo of the sandwich because I participated in the activity. But I can verify that the egg salad sandwich was delicious!
Fun Tip: Add a tablespoon of condensed milk to make it creamier and tastier.
Gardener at The Urban Garden
Being a gardener and caring for trees will generate you a good 10 kizzos:
If you have a green thumb, you can water plants and plant a tree at the Urban Garden.
Every child is taught about how to take care of plants, and are given the chance to plant a tree afterwards.
Enough with the second floor, we head down to the first floor for acting class:
Joining the acting academy will generate you 10 kizzos.
At the moment, they are practicing for Dance Kids so some time is alloted for them to get comfortable with their costumes and practice.
Performance art schedules change by the day. Make sure you double check the schedules properly so as not to miss the acting class. While this was the schedule today:
This was the schedule the other time when we tried our hand in performing at The Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid show is NOT to be missed. Kidzania Manila does a terrific job in bringing The Little Mermaid to life.
My 4 year old daughter was given the chance to be the Mermaid Queen. Everyone wore beautiful outfits. Kidzania Manila staff was very helpful in maneuvering the children around in a way that the story went smoothly and made a lot of sense.
The Little Mermaid show is truly a highlight of the park, and brings the point that Kidzania Manila is professionally and beautifully managed. Seeing my 4 year old perform on stage in beautiful costume is already worth the park’s price tag.
This time around, we participated in Dance Kids. Audience participation was cool. The kid audience said she was looking for energy.
Here was the final performance — bravo to Dance Kids!
Take a bow!
Model at The Fashion Show
Right beside acting school is Penshoppe, where kids can take part of the fashion show.
You have to be careful of the schedule. On selected times, your child can perform and be a fashion model in front of a live audience.
Final result:
Take a bow!
Recording Artist at Star Music Studios
Performing is not complete unless you sing, and Kidzania Manila comes complete with a recording studio.
I personally do not find the music studio that entertaining because we had to sing the Kidzania song, which we had no clue of, twice. But some parents may like it given that kids can try different type of musical instruments.
Dentist
The dental office is just right beside the music studio and was our next stop.
The instructor taught them about how to care for teeth, and how to work with a patient.
I’m personally scared to see the dentist, so I’m glad that this introduced the concept of a friendly dentist to kids without me going to the clinic.
Being a Baby Nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital
Kidzanians can be a nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital. Here’s my daughter being taught to swaddle and take care of a newborn:
Being a Fireman and putting out a Fire at a Famous Hotel
Right beside St. Luke’s is the ever popular fire station. There’s always a line here and it’s hard to get a slot. You have to do this first if you come in early.
When we went, adults can come in. We were asked to do some motor exercises including hopping and crawling. Afterwards, we were taught how to use a hose.
The firetruck ride comes next! There’s a fire at the famous Kidzania hotel.
Where everyone must put out a real fire with real water!
Being a Crime Scene Investigator
Find the bad guy around Kidzania Manila. You have to go around the park to look for clues.
Check out their neat office where they can brainstorm ideas on how to catch the bad man.
She’s happt to have gone patrolling and caught the bad guy.
Taking Care of Animals as the City Vet
My daughter especially loved this attraction as they taught her how to properly care for pets. You have to wash and groom them, and be careful not to hurt them.
You return them safely back to the cage so they don’t escape.
Laundromat Attendant
Kidzania is so complete that there’s a room where kids are taught how to sort clothes and fold them.
Nothing is too menial for the kids. Doing the laundry is an every day task that all kids must learn. Here’s the instructor in teaching how to fold clothes.
Catering at the Kidzanila Manila Hotel
Kids have the option of making the bed or fixing the buffet service at the Kidzania Manila Hotel.
The price is 8 kizzos for either activities. Daughter wanted to set up the buffet so there’s that.
Her job was to fix the buffet service and then put it back. You have to do it in the correct order to finish the task.
Courier Service at LBC
Our next stop is LBC, one of the best known courier services in the country.
This was pretty cool. You get to deliver or pickup packages around Kidzania.
Now mush! You gotta move stuff quickly!
Window Washer at the Construction Site
The construction site offers multiple types of jobs for the willing — window washer, painter and construction worker.
It was our last stop for the day so we had no choice but to go for window washer, which pays the least at 6 kizzos.
Good thing about kids, they follow their hearts. Daughter does not care what type of job she does as long as she has one and gets paid. I hope that more people will learn how to be more grateful and less complaining about their work.
Clean the windows. Clean the windows! So excited to clean the windows.
Every staff at Kidzania treats the children with respect and care regardless of profession. By the end of the journey, my daughter became friendlier and greeted everyone with a cheery, “Kai!”
Bank of Pilipinas Islands
After your Kidzania journey, you need to rush to BPI to deposit your day’s earnings for safe keeping.
Your deposits will earn interest and 20 kizzos will turn into 80 in a span of 5 years.
Upgrading Your Passport
After 30 successful jobs, you can upgrade your passport to a Distinguished Citizen where you earn more per activity and can get better roles.
You get a free Milo Shake too when you upgrade. Cool!
To be honest, we have been to Kidzania 3x since Aeva turned four last December 2019 and she’s had a blast every single time. Despite visiting three times, we have NOT yet exhausted all the jobs in the park. That’s how big and comprehensive the park is.
I highly suggest Kidzania Manila for kids 4 years old and above. If you are in Manila and have kids at least 4 years old and above, this is the place to go.
Over Kidzoona, Kids City, Dreamplay or other kid friendly sights out there, Kidzania Manila offers the best value for money, the best playplace to teach kids about economics and the value of hard work, and the variety of jobs available when they get older.
Final Words
1. If your child is less than 4 years old, it won’t be sulit (worth it) for him/her. There’s a toddler room but it is super limited vs. what you can see in the park.
2. Do NOT teach your child to lie about their age. How can you teach them about honesty but teach them how to lie? That’s bad.
3. Kidzania’s toilets are clean. There’s even an All Gender bathroom available.
4. Do not worry about the long lines. There are a lot of jobs in Kidzania. You can find an available slot continuously the entire day.
5. Eat beforehand so you won’t get hungry. That way, you can go to the attractions continuously. That said, you cannot bring food inside the park. There is a few albeit enough food selections inside.
6. Make sure you catch The Little Mermaid or any of the shows in the daily calendar. They are beautiful productions and worthwhile the ticket.
Warning: The show schedule changes daily so check first.
7. If your child is at least 6 years old, take her to Centro Escolar University first. A college degree be it the humanities or engineering will give them a few extra money for salary.
8. The child gets 30% off the ticket fare on their birthday month. A big incentive to celebrate the birthday at Kidzania.
9. Buy one of these lanyards to store the passport, BPI card and money. You can add their name in the customized shop for php29.
10. You don’t really have to bring snacks. If you play your cards right, you can get an egg salad, sandwich, decorated mamon, chocolate ice cream, hot dog and cookies free from doing the jobs. Cool, huh?
11. Bring a nice camera that can take videos. There’s a lot of good opportunities to take wonderful memories with your child.
12. Do not strive to finish all the attractions in one day. You need at least three visits to even try all types of jobs. Four if you are 6 years old. Remember, pace your trip and just enjoy!