Gallery Children's Biennale 2025

The National Gallery Singapore's signature arts event for kids returns with playful, interactive artworks

- Elisa Chia

Imagine walking into a storybook world where you can hang out with whimsical animal and human characters. Or lying down in a museum, gazing up at suspended toys as you drift into a daydream. Feeling well-rested? Unleash your best dance moves to create your own abstract digital painting.

These are some highlights you and your kids can look forward to at Gallery Children's Biennale 2025. A perennial favourite arts event for young families, it returns with its fifth edition at the National Gallery Singapore from May 31, 2025, to March 29, 2026.

It will be a good opportunity to introduce kids to established artists such as YeSeung Lee from South Korea, Hiromi Tango from Japan and Singapore's Wyn-Lyn Tan.

Fret not that your young ones will be bored or intimidated by their artworks. Past attendees can attest to how the biennale's installations are playful and engaging for children of all ages, even babies.

This edition is no exception, judging from an exclusive preview for The Straits Times.

The biennale coincides with the gallery's 10th anniversary and Singapore's 60th birthday, hence inspiring the theme of Tomorrow We'll Be...

Kids are encouraged to think about the boundless possibilities of their futures as they interact with eight installations, which also promote joy, kindness, love and dreams.

Above all, early exposure to the arts is known to be beneficial for children. Artistic engagement trains them to express themselves, understand others' perspectives and have more insightful inquiries about their surroundings, says Lee.

The artist adds that the ability to ask meaningful questions is one of the most important skills that children should develop.

"Art helps nurture this skill by allowing them to make sense of the world through feeling, wonder and insight, and not just through facts," she says.