Post Category - Play & PartyPlay & Party - Post Category - IndoorIndoorLooking for ideas to keep a little person busy? No need to stay at home sheltering in the air-conditioning mama, as we’ve got plenty of ideas for tiring out your toddler as the warm weather hits! So pack a bag, grab the car keys, and let the little one burn off some energy at these tot-friendly spots!
Aqua Play
This play zone of water-based rides and activities is guaranteed to keep toddlers happy for hours, with prices starting at just 10 AED per ride. There’s plenty here to keep older kids happy too, so it’s a great option for mamas trying to keep the whole brood entertained this summer!
1st Floor (near to Chillis restaurant), Mirdif City Centre, Mirdif, Dubai.
www.theplaymania.com/aquaplay/ (+971) (0) 4 231 6311
Open 10am to 10pm (Sun-Wed) and 10am to midnight (Fri-Sat)
Baby Splash Swimming Classes
Whether it’s the pool or beach, kids are lucky enough to be surrounded by water when they live in Dubai, so swimming lessons are a great investment! And the added bonus is they will love learning too, with guaranteed long naps after the excursion of it all! We recommend Baby Splash classes, which are held at five locations across Dubai, with classes available during the week and weekend (great news for working mamas!)
The Lakes, The Meadows, Dubai Ladies Club, Mirdiff, and Old Town, Dubai, www.babysplashdubai.com
Caboodle
Need to run a few errands in the mall? Caboodle Pamper & Play is set to become your best friend, offering a ‘Shop and Drop’ service for your little one with one-to-one supervision! There are two locations; Dubai Mall and Jumeirah 1’s Citywalk. Just make sure you book mama, as this service is unsurprisingly popular!
See our full review here!
Second Floor, Dubai Mall (near to Galeries Lafayette), Dubai and Citywalk (near to The Rice Creamery), Jumeirah 1, Dubai.
www.caboodle.ae (+971) (0) 4 325 3347 / (+971) (0) 4 3444 570
Open 10am-10pm (Dubai Mall) and 9am-10pm
Dubai Metro
Got a train-mad toddler on your hands? Dubai might not boast a rail network like other international cities (no steam trains here!) but it has the Dubai Metro and toddlers will be very impressed as they watch the city whizz past! We highly recommend avoiding rush hour (packed carriages and toddlers don’t mix!) and enjoying a ride all the way from Dubai Mall to Dubai Marina (and back again!) Leave the stroller at home to tire out the toddler between stops!
Stops throughout Dubai
www.dubaimetro.eu
Runs 5.50am to midnight (Sat-Wed), 5.50am to 1am (Thurs), 1pm to 1am (Fri)
Extreme Fun
Ask seasoned Dubai mamas for the name of the best play area in Dubai and they will often say Extreme Fun in Motor City! We aren’t going to argue, as this roomy play zone has a winning combo of physical play (soft play, gigantic slides, and ball pits) and imaginative play (playhouses, grocery store and kitchen). The hardest bit will be getting your toddler to leave at the end!
Motor City (opposite Spinneys Supermarket), Dubai.
www.extremefunuae.com (+971) (0) 4 452 5543
Open 9am to 8pm
Favourite Things
Favourite Things in Marina Mall has a separate play area for toddlers, with padded surfaces, hundreds of toys, and a slide and ball pit (slip off your shoes, as mamas need to supervise at all times). There’s also a sand area (perfect alternative to the beach on hot summer days!) and a craft area to get stuck into some colouring, painting, or play-doh! Thumbs up from us!
Second Floor (by carpark exit next to Subway), Marina Mall (exit 32 Sheikh Zayed Road), Dubai. www.favouritethings.com (+971) (0) 4 434 1984
Open 9am to 9pm
Fountains at Marina Walk
Marina Walk (next to Starbucks), Dubai Marina, Dubai
Head to Marina Walk early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the heat of the day, and let your toddler splash around in the dancing fountains to keep cool! We don’t blame you if you join in, so wear some waterproof footwear (and bring a change of clothes for the little one!) It’s a public area and free of charge – and if you need a caffeine injection, Starbucks is right next door!
Hamleys
Taking your toddler to a big toyshop may not sound like a sensible suggestion, but Hamleys in Dubai Mall (head to the second floor) boasts a free play area for tots to burn off some energy after time trapped in a buggy. There are several different playhouses and swings to keep the little people happy, and mamas will appreciate the soft flooring, enclosed fencing, and bench seating to rest their tired feet before round two of shopping!
Second Floor (near to waterfall, opposite Papa Roti), Dubai Mall, Dubai.
www.hamleys.com (+971) (0) 4 339 8889
Open 10am to 11pm (Mon-Fri) and 10am to 1am (Sat-Sun)
Kiddie Café
Let their imagination run wild in this JLT-based play area, which boats a giant play house on two levels, car track, and mini supermarket. And the best bit? You get to sit in the café just outside while staff supervise your little one playing (fully visible behind a glass partition). The perfect excursion for days when you need a break (and the coffee is worth a mention too!)
Cluster Y, Lake Shore Tower, JLT, Dubai.
www.kiddiescafe.com (+971) (0) 4 360 8571
Kids Connection
Missing the great outdoors? No need to mop your brow mama, as WAFI Mall boasts a brilliant play area that is designed to look like an outdoor park. Kids can climb wooden play structures, spend time on the swings, or bounce on the seesaw, all surrounded by walls and ceiling painted with trees and a bright, blue summer sky. OK so we know it’s not as good as being outside, but it comes a very close second – and the ramped up air-conditioning is very welcome too!
First Floor (next to Café Court), WAFI Mall, Oud Metha Road, Dubai.
www.wafi.com (+971) (0) 4 3279011
Open 10am to 10pm
Le Petit Palais
Toddlers will love every second of their trip to Le Petit Palais, which is set out like a mini French village (ooh la la!) They can drive around in mini cars, head to the beauty salon for pretend pedicures, shop in a grocery store, or enjoy afternoon tea in the big playhouse! It’s one of the more expensive play areas in town at 80 AED per hour, but worth it for a one-off treat.
See our full review here!
Galleries Lafayette, Second Floor (near to the ice rink), Dubai Mall, Dubai.
www.lepetitpalaisdubai.com/ (+971) (0) 4 382 7333.
Open 10am to 10pm
Marina Water Bus
Dubai Marina’s Water Bus might only cost 2 AED for a single adult ticket (free for the little people!), but it’ll be worth a lot more to excited toddlers! It shuttles between Marina Walk, Marina Mall, and Marina Promenade, with air-conditioning to keep the whole brood cool! We recommend riding between Marina Mall (where you can park easily and let the kids burn off some energy) and Marina Walk (where there’s plenty of options for coffee or a snack!)
See our full review here!
Marina Walk, Marina Promenade, and Marina Mall, Dubai.
www.rta.ae (+971) (0) 4 284 4444
Runs daily 10am-10pm every 15 minutes
Mini Monsters
If you’re going to brave a soft play area, you might as well make it one of the biggest and best in the UAE! There’s a toddler zone for younger children so you can rest easy that they will be safe (we know how it feels to watch a toddler scale a giant jungle gym!) There’s also a large café so you can sit down and refuel (we suggest bringing along Daddy so you can relax for a few minutes!)
Exit 42, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai.
www.minimonsters.ae (+971) (0) 4 3414459
Open 9am to 8pm
My Gym
What do you do when you have lots of energy, mama? Head to the gym, of course! So why not sign up your toddler to Jumeirah’s My Gym for one of their many toddler-friendly classes? Dubai Mamas swear by this place for entertaining and exercising their tots – and we agree!
See our full write up here!
520 Jumeirah Beach Road, Jumeirah 3, Dubai.
www.mygym.com/dubai (+971) (0) 4 394 3962
Various times throughout the week
Play a Round
This Marina-based play area has a glow-in-dark mini golf area, which is empty on weekday mornings when the bigger kids are at school. Your toddler will love exploring it, as well as the small soft play area and packed craft room! And did we mention that the friendly staff will look after your tot? So sit back, enjoy a cup of RAW coffee (our favourite Dubai coffee brand!) and enjoy the jazz music as they tire themselves out!
Jewels Tower 2, Basement 1, Opps JBR Shams, Dubai Marina, Dubai.
www.playaround.ae (+971) (0) 4 457 0455
Open 10am to 7pm.
Socatots
If your tot has seemingly endless energy (we know how you feel, mama!), we suggest channeling it into a hobby! Sign your little kicker into Socatots football classes, suitable as soon as they are walking. Held at locations in Dubai Sports City and Umm Suqeim, maybe it’ll shape your toddler into the next Ronaldo!
Sports City Football Academy, Dubai and Emirates International School, Umm Suqeim, Dubai. www.dubaisportscity.ae (+971) (0) 4 4481555
Various times throughout the week
The Beach Splash Area
Kids pestering you to head to the beach? Take them to the new Splash Area at The Beach at JBR to cool off in the water play area. As they splash and tip water, you can keep cool paddling in the shallow pool (a great way to top up your tan in the summer!) With a view of the turquoise ocean and Palm Jumeirah, it’ll be one of those days where you count your lucky stars you are a Dubai-based mama!
JBR The Beach (next to Hilton Hotel), JBR, Dubai Marina, Dubai.
9am to 8pm
The Lost Chamber at Atlantis
Hundred of fish? Tick. Bright lights? Tick. Lots of space to run around? Tick. Sounds perfect, right mama? Lost Chambers at Atlantis Hotel is the ideal treat for active toddlers. They can run between the rooms, press their face against the glass to watch the fish, and gawp at the light and smoke displays. And when they’ve exhausted themselves, you can finish the excursion with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. You’ll be one popular mama!
Atlantis Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
Toddler Sense
Toddler Sense classes (the follow-on to the award-winning Baby Sensory classes) have arrived in the UAE – and it’s a great way to meet other mamas while entertaining, stimulating, and tiring out your tot! Classes begin with a new play zone every week, complete with climbing structures, toys, and bouncy castles, before moving on to 30 minutes of singing, exploring, and dancing! It guarantees a long nap afterwards (time to put your feet up, mama!
Lakes Club, The Lakes, Dubai.
dubai@babysensory.com
Tues and Thurs at various times
Twinkly Fairies Ballet Class
Let’s face it; there are few things cuter than a toddler in a tutu! So book your tot into the Twinkly Fairies Ballet Class (suitable for 2 and 3 years olds), which introduces the basic principles of ballet. The theme of fairytales runs throughout the classes, with fun props to liven up the pirouettes. Cuteness overload!
Favourite Things, (by carpark exit next to Subway), Marina Mall (exit 32 Sheikh Zayed Road), Dubai.
(+971) (0) 56 728 7192.
