Do you end up visiting the same places to keep the kids active and entertained? You may want to consider somewhere new and exciting!
NextGen, the latest and largest edutainment centre in Malaysia, is based in 1Utama shopping mall and opened its doors in September last year. Making it all very shiny and full of life like my children, as opposed to tired and old like me and my husband.
Reasons why you might want to go try it for yourself
NextGen covers 45,000 sq ft and two floors and has literally everything to entertain anyone from 0 to 100 years old. Which is perfect if your family has a wide range of ages and idea of what classes as fun. From ninja assault courses, to slides, trampoline areas, a zorbing/ football area, a climbing wall for beginners to advanced, and rooms where you can sit down and do some gaming.
For the 0 to 6 year olds there is a play area in which they can dress up in and explore. For the older ones there is a ninja course. A word of warning: if your kids are under 13 they will need a responsible adult to go on the course with them to help them if they get stuck… However, I think my children had to help me more than I helped them and you know you aren’t as young as you used to be, when the staff supervising the course ask you to please be careful!
Crawling or coffee?
The bit even I enjoyed about this course was the fact that you can take many different routes around it, so kids don’t get bored quickly. However, if your days crawling through soft play areas are over, it might be worth encouraging a family member or friend you trust to come along, so they can do all the hard work whilst you enjoy a drink in the cafe at NextGen!
Alternatively, you may want to visit the PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch rooms. There is even a karaoke room which you can exercise your lungs in, if your body needs a break. Rest assured you can only have these for 30 minutes at a time, so kids can’t spend all day looking at the screen.
Great idea for a birthday party
If your kids really enjoy it, you might want to consider NextGen for their birthday party, as they have catered packages available in rooms that can fit up to 200 people. That would be some birthday party with that many children, but of course they will also cater for smaller crowds.
They have plans to add more activity areas over the coming months, including a glow-in-the-dark disco room. So, you can literally ‘dance like no one is watching’. And I loved the convenience of having the toilets inside the venue! Unlike some other attractions, where you have to gather all your kids and belongings if just one person needs to go, because they are half a mile away and you can’t leave them unattended. There is also a special room for nursing mothers. They seem to have thought of everything.
Overall, our family really enjoyed our morning at NextGen. It would be a great day out in the school holidays, especially if the kids went with a group of friends. Top tip: they have a little cafe in there, so you can sit down and treat the family to some waffles or an ice cream.
What does it cost and where can you find NextGen?
Prices start at MYR 28 for 3 to 12 year olds on a week day and go up to MYR 45 on a weekend or public holiday. It will cost MYR 38 for the big kids aged 13 to 59 year olds during the week and MYR 55 on weekends and public holidays. It’s just MYR 8 if you are under 3 or 60 or over. Family discount tickets are also available, and you receive 50% discount on tickets if you go in after 7.45pm.
You can easily buy tickets on the day and when we went first thing in the morning, there was hardly anyone there. You can book in advance online. Please have a look on their website here for more details. As with most indoor play areas you’ll need grip socks for safety, so if like me, you have a mountain of them at home you can bring your own. You can also buy socks at NextGen for MYR 7.
NextGen can be found on Level 2, S603- S610 of 1Utama. The entrance is tucked in a corner, but it’s well sign posted, and is near the section linked to the One World Hotel. It’s open 7 days a week from 10am to 10pm and you can come in and out as many times as you want. So you can have a play, go get a bite to eat or do some shopping and then head back in for more fun!
We will definitely be heading back some time soon. I can’t wait to try out the new disco room, but I don’t think my children will let me anywhere near it if they are there with their friends!
Looking for more indoor fun with the kids? Have a look here at our list of ideas!
We were invited by NextGen. As always, our opinions are honest and our own.
