As a regular visitor to Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush, I had seen Kidzania take pride of place in the shopping centre for a while and so when
the opportunity to take our 4 year old daughter, Mia, along we were all really excited.
The experience started from the moment we walked up to the entrance and met with a lady dressed as an air hostess. She showed us up the escalators and into the airport lounge. Everyone was in character and suddenly it became Mia’s world. Her excitement levels were off the scale as she announced that we were ‘going into a different land’!
And she was kind of right. The fact that everything is kid sized immediately makes it a fun and unique experience for kids and adults alike.
As Mia had only just turned 4 there were only certain activities she could do. And we did them all, from the bus tour to the playroom, the bubble centre, the theatre, a passenger on the flight simulator, the baby disco and the face painting station. A good time was had by all.
Mia’s favourite activities of the day were the bubble centre and the flight stimulator. In the bubble centre she was able to make the biggest bubbles she had ever seen, in her words. She loved everything about it, from the white coat to the science lab glasses she was given when she first entered right through to the bubbles. I thought we were never going to get her out of there. The staff member was so lovely and accommodating and Mia was in awe of what she was able to create. This little insight into the world of science certainly wet her appetite and since then her obsession with bubbles has increased 10 fold.
Mia’s other favourite was the flight stimulator. In fact, we all immensely enjoyed it. It was manned by the older children, who were our hostess team and pilots. They welcomed us onboard, went through the safety procedure, served our food and did an excellent job. Mia felt very grown-up buckled into her seat and deciding whether to go for the chicken or the fish. It was amazing that it was an actual real-life aircraft and for a moment it made me feel like I was really going on holiday. Wishful thinking!
I’ve seen that Kidzania has recently launched a new veterinary activity, it is all about teaching children about pet welfare and keeping pets happy and healthy. I know Mia would love this!
KidZania is a great activity and perfect for the summer holidays. I would say that it is more suitable for older kids than the younger ones, with the optimal age being 8-12. That way they can try everything and you can leave them to roam free independently and safely, whilst you look on from a distance and maybe even sneak off for a cheeky coffee in the Kidzania coffee shop! We will definitely be back to Kidzania again when Mia is older and can take advantage of all the fun activities on offer.
You can purchase tickets for KidZania London online here.
Written by Nicola Rae-Wickham
Disclaimer: we received free tickets in exchange for a review but rest assured, all opinions are completely honest and our own 🙂