United Square with Kids: SMIGY, 14 Enrichment Centres and a Toys"R"Us at Novena's Learning Mall (2026)

29 September 2026 · 15 min read

United Square has 14 enrichment centres and one playground, and the playground is in the basement under Starbucks. That ratio is the whole point of the place. UOL built the mall around children, the tagline on the door is "The Learning Mall", and the tenants followed: The Learning Lab took two floors, with Aureus, Mandeville, Hua, Lorna Whiston, I Can Read, Chess at Three and Tree Art around it.

It is not a place to bring a four-year-old to run. SMIGY relocated within the mall on 5 April 2025 and is a good, small indoor playground at $23 an hour, one adult included. Mini Me Racing, a first-person-view model-car circuit in the back atrium, is the only other paid play, and publishes no price. The nearest free play is Thomson Road Playground, 30 seconds from the door.

Two things to know before you drive. The car park is $2.40 for the first hour and 60 cents for every 15 minutes after that until 6pm, which adds up fast across a 90-minute class. And Novena MRT is directly opposite, with an underpass from Exit B, so the train is the sane way in.

This guide covers every kids' reason to go, place by place, with the unit, the hours and the price. Where a centre publishes no fee we say so rather than guess. For the rest of the neighbourhood, read our guide to things to do with kids in Novena, Newton and Thomson.

Quick steer

• Best for a rainy hour with a toddler: SMIGY, $23 for one hour, #B1-01.
• Best free thing: nothing inside. Thomson Road Playground, outside the door, or the Level 1 nursing room if that counts.
• Best class to trial first: Tree Art, free trial, #01-50, or Chess at Three, free trial, #01-45.
• Best age for this mall: 3 to 10.

Family favourites: play at United Square

1. SMIGY

SMIGY in the basement of United Square. Photo: SMIGY Playground, Jungle listing

SMIGY is the mall's only indoor playground, at #B1-01, directly under Starbucks. It moved here from Level 1 on 5 April 2025 and was rebuilt in the process. The whole thing is sized for toddlers and preschoolers; a nine-year-old will be done in 40 minutes.

Inside: a ball pit with an interactive wall and a "space" ball picker, an LED slide into the pit, a hinoki-bead and sand play area under natural light, a trampoline with a screen, a brick wall, a light-up loose-parts wall, and the pretend-play sets SMIGY is known for, including a dress-up table, a kitchen and a cow to milk. There is a private party room.

Tickets are $23 for one hour and $35 for two, and every ticket admits one child and one adult. Socks are required for both. BYKidO sells a discounted weekday ticket with 15 or 30 extra minutes that is not valid on public or school holidays.

Why kids will love it: Diving into the ball pit, then feeding the calf and milking the cow. Best for ages 1 to 6. Weekday mornings at 10am are close to empty; Saturday after lunch is not. Bring socks for yourself too; the rule applies to the adult.

Book on Jungle: SMIGY Playground
Website: SMIGY
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-01, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Thu 10am to 8pm. Fri to Sun, public and school holidays 10am to 9pm.
Price: $23 for one hour, $35 for two hours, one child and one adult per ticket. Socks required.
Ages: 1 to 8.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

2. Mini Me Racing

Mini Me Racing occupies the back atrium of Basement 1 at #B1-00, the odd one out in a learning mall: a miniature street circuit with buildings and billboards where children drive first-person-view model cars from a screen, racing and drifting against each other. It opens at noon and runs until 10pm, which makes it the only kids' thing in the building still open after the classes finish. Prices are not published anywhere, and neither is a minimum age.

Why kids will love it: Drifting a model car round a corner while watching from its bonnet camera. Best for ages 6 to 12, and for the older sibling who has outgrown SMIGY. Ask the price at the counter before the child sits down.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Mini Me Racing at United Square
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-00, Back Atrium, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 12pm to 10pm daily.
Price: Mini Me Racing does not publish its session fees online. Call 8604 0023.
Ages: Best for 6 to 12.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

The rest of the fun at United Square is small change. Hi-Claw at #B1-63 is a room of claw machines open 10am to 10pm, and Play United at #B1-73 sells trading cards to the primary-school crowd from 11am on weekdays and 10am at weekends. Coin-operated kiddy rides and Pokemon machines sit near the basement escalators.

Zoomoov's animal rides ran the corridors here for years and the Jungle listing is still live, but the mall's 2026 directory no longer carries them, so do not promise a ride before you have seen one.

Kids' retail is where the mall earns its name. Toys"R"Us at #02-10 is open 10am to 10pm and is the reward at the end of every class. Popular at #02-22 covers the assessment books, Smiggle at #01-85 the pencil cases, and Cotton On Kids at #01-05, H&M Kids at #01-04, Gingersnaps at #01-87 and HOPLA! at #01-57 the clothes and shoes.

Two paediatric clinics, Aglow Baby and Child Clinic at #02-09 and SBCC Baby and Child Clinic at #01-16, both keep weekday and Saturday morning hours. PramWash at #B1-36A cleans a stroller or car seat in 30 minutes while you do the class run, and Souper Baby at #B1-60A sells unsalted bone broth for weaning babies from $9.30 for two 100ml packs.

Learn and play: classes at United Square you can book on Jungle

The mall's own directory lists 14 enrichment centres, spread from Basement 1 to Level 4, with Level 3 the densest: Aureus, Mandeville, Hua, Lorna Whiston and The Learning Lab are all within 50 metres of each other. Six are on Jungle and come first below, with the unlisted ones after. Three offer a free trial.

3. Aureus Academy

Photo: Aureus Academy, Jungle listing

Aureus Academy at #03-27/29 is the music school that publishes its prices, which puts it ahead of most of this floor. Lessons are one-to-one in piano, drums, guitar, violin and voice, with a Musical Adventure group class for the youngest.

The three monthly packages are four lessons each: $279 for 30 minutes, $399 for 45 minutes and $519 for 60 minutes, with books, a progress portal and a trophy at the end of each level thrown in. Trials are booked online or by WhatsApp, and the studio is open from 9.30am on weekdays and 8am at weekends.

Why kids will love it: A drum kit they are allowed to hit, and a certificate at the end of every stage. Best for ages 5 and up who want an instrument rather than a music-and-movement class.

Book on Jungle: Aureus Academy
Website: Aureus Academy United Square
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #03-27/29, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 9.30am to 8pm. Sat and Sun 8am to 7pm.
Price: $279, $399 or $519 a month for four 30, 45 or 60-minute lessons. Trial bookable online.
Ages: 2 to 18.

4. Mandeville Conservatory of Music

Photo: Mandeville Conservatory of Music, Jungle listing

Mandeville at #03-20/21 is the older, more formal music school two doors down, with ABRSM exams as the spine of the programme. It teaches piano, strings from violin to double bass, guitar, ukulele, drums, woodwind and voice, and its Mandeville Junior track takes children under 6. It also publishes a full fee table, which is rare.

Individual lessons run from $225 a month for 30 minutes with an associate teacher to $588 for 60 minutes with a master teacher, and a trial lesson costs from $75.25. Group ukulele, violin and guitar courses are $588 for a three-month term with a $49 trial. New students pay an $80 enrolment fee and a one-month deposit.

Why kids will love it: Group violin with four other beginners, where nobody is the only one squeaking. Best for ages 5 to 10 who will sit exams, and for a parent who wants to see the whole price before the first lesson.

Book on Jungle: Mandeville Conservatory of Music
Website: Mandeville Conservatory tuition fees
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #03-20/21, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 10am to 9pm. Sat 8.30am to 9pm. Sun 8.30am to 8pm. Closed public holidays.
Price: Individual lessons $225 to $588 a month. Group courses $588 a term. Trial from $49 (group) or $75.25 (individual). $80 enrolment fee.
Ages: 4 to 18, with a Junior track under 6.

5. Hua Language Centre

Photo: Hua Language Centre, Jungle listing

Hua Language Centre at #03-25/26 has taught Mandarin since 1992, and United Square is one of its four mall branches. The programme runs from playgroup and preschool through every primary level to PSLE preparation and O-Level Chinese, with an Elite Chinese track for strong readers, Chinese as a Foreign Language for children from English-only homes, and holiday programmes in the school breaks. The curriculum is written by former MOE specialists. Fees and trial offers are not on the site.

Why kids will love it: Chinese taught with stories and games rather than a worksheet, at least until Primary 3. Best for ages 3 to 8, and the honest choice for a child who dreads the subject at school.

Book on Jungle: Hua Language Centre
Website: Hua Language Centre United Square
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #03-25/26, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Mon to Fri 9am to 7.30pm. Sat and Sun 8.30am to 7pm. Closed public holidays.
Price: Hua Language Centre does not publish its term fees online. Call 6255 5060.
Ages: 3 to 16.

6. Tree Art

Photo: Tree Art, Jungle listing

Tree Art's Novena campus is on Level 1 at #01-50/51/52/53/40A, a run of units that makes it the largest art school in the building and one of 16 Tree Art campuses across the island. Classes are banded by age: Creative Art from 3 to 8, Professional Art from 8, and portfolio preparation for 8 to 18-year-olds aiming at art schools.

It is closed on Mondays and opens in the afternoon on weekdays. The trial class is free, booked from the website; term fees are not published.

Why kids will love it: Real paint on a real canvas, and a piece to carry home that does not look like a template. Best for ages 4 to 10. Book the free trial for a weekend morning, when the studio is at full strength.

Book on Jungle: Tree Art
Website: Tree Art
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #01-50/51/52/53/40A, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Tue to Fri 1.30pm to 7.30pm. Sat and Sun 9.30am to 7.30pm. Closed Mon.
Price: Free trial class. Tree Art does not publish its term fees online. Call 8941 4456.
Ages: 3 to 18.

7. Chess at Three

Chess at Three at #01-45/46 is the New York children's chess club that opened its first branch outside the United States here in August 2023. It teaches chess to children from age 3 through stories about a kingdom called Chesslandia, and moves them through Beginner, Intermediate, Mini-Master and Advanced levels. Birchguard Quest, its collaborative role-playing game for ages 5 and up, runs alongside.

The shop is open 9.30am to 6.30pm, the first trial is free, and while the school does not publish term fees, a six-lesson beginner package is sold through Skoop at $359.70.

Why kids will love it: Learning that the knight is a horse who is scared of the dark, and beating a parent by the third week. Best for ages 3 to 7. Older beginners go straight into the 6-and-up class.

Book on Jungle: Chess at Three
Website: Chess at Three Singapore
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #01-45/46, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 9.30am to 6.30pm daily.
Price: Free trial. Chess at Three does not publish its term fees online. A six-lesson beginner package is $359.70 through Skoop.
Ages: 3 to 11.

8. Coding Lab, inside The Learning Lab

Coding Lab runs its Novena classes as a partner campus inside The Learning Lab at #03-03, rather than from a shopfront of its own, which is why it is missing from the mall directory. The course ladder runs from Scratch for ages 5 to 6 through Python, app and game development for primary and secondary students, to AI and machine learning for teens.

Sessions follow The Learning Lab's timetable, so expect weekday afternoons and weekend mornings. Fees are not published; enquiries go to 6977 9641.

Why kids will love it: Building a Scratch game in the first lesson and showing it off on the way to Toys"R"Us. Best for ages 7 to 12. Ask whether the class you want is a term course or a holiday camp; both run here.

Book on Jungle: Coding Lab
Website: Coding Lab
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #03-03, The Learning Lab, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: By class timetable, within The Learning Lab's hours of Mon to Fri 1pm to 9pm and Sat and Sun 9am to 6pm.
Price: Coding Lab does not publish its course fees online. Call 6977 9641.
Ages: 5 to 18.

9. The Ballet and Music Company

The Ballet and Music Company at #04-26 is the mall's dance school, and it is a syllabus school: Royal Academy of Dance ballet from Pre-Primary to Grade 8 and on to Intermediate and Advanced Foundation, with a preschool programme, jazz, hip hop, music and vocal classes around it. It is closed on Mondays and Thursdays, and trials are paid for through a form on the website rather than offered free. It is not yet on Jungle and publishes no fees.

Why kids will love it: Pink shoes, a barre and a proper grade certificate. Best for ages 3 to 8 who respond to structure, and the school to choose if RAD exams are the goal.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: The Ballet and Music Company
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #04-26, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Tue and Wed 12pm to 9pm. Fri 2.30pm to 9pm. Sat and Sun 9am to 6pm. Closed Mon, Thu and public holidays.
Price: The Ballet and Music Company does not publish its term fees online. Call 6254 1068.
Ages: 3 to 18.

10. Lorna Whiston Schools

Lorna Whiston at #03-18 is the English specialist: English Enrichment, Speech and Drama, Trinity drama exams and Fun with Phonics, taught in a centre that also runs a student-care service after school. The hours change with the school calendar, opening 10am to 7pm on weekdays and 8.30am to 6.30pm at weekends in term, and weekdays only in the holidays. Fees and trials are by enquiry.

Why kids will love it: Drama that ends on a stage, with a Trinity certificate to show for it. Best for ages 4 to 10, and the strongest speech-and-drama option in the mall.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Lorna Whiston United Square
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #03-18, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Term time Mon to Fri 10am to 7pm, Sat and Sun 8.30am to 6.30pm. Term breaks Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm, closed weekends.
Price: Lorna Whiston does not publish its term fees online. Call 8223 6316.
Ages: 3 to 12.

11. I Can Read

I Can Read at #01-41 teaches English literacy from age 2.5 to 12: Reading Foundations for pre-readers, Champion Readers once they can, a Headstart to Primary 1 course and Primary English to P6. The centre is open Wednesday to Sunday only. The free literacy assessment is the way in, and the October open house promises priority enrolment and up to $270 off Term 1.

Why kids will love it: Reading the sign on the shop next door, unprompted, three months in. Best for ages 3 to 6. Book the free assessment first; it decides the class.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: I Can Read Singapore
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #01-41, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Wed to Fri 1pm to 9pm. Sat and Sun 9am to 6.30pm. Closed Mon, Tue and public holidays.
Price: Free literacy assessment. I Can Read does not publish its term fees online. Call 6397 7134.
Ages: 2.5 to 12.

12. Futurum Academy

Futurum Academy at #02-18/21 is the STEAM centre: robotics from age 4, AI coding and 3D design from 7, and a DSA Journey track for Primary 3 to Secondary 2 students building a portfolio for direct school admission. It is closed on Mondays, opens at 2pm on weekdays and 9.30am at weekends, and the trial session is free. Fees are not published.

Why kids will love it: A robot they built moving across the floor before the hour is up. Best for ages 5 to 12, and a good pairing with a SMIGY session for a younger sibling.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Futurum Academy
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #02-18/21, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: Tue to Fri 2pm to 8pm. Sat and Sun 9.30am to 7.30pm. Closed Mon.
Price: Free trial session. Futurum Academy does not publish its course fees online. WhatsApp 8942 2919.
Ages: 4 to 18.

The tuition centres do not need a numbered entry, but they are why the car park is full at 4pm. The Learning Lab holds #03-03 and #04-10 and teaches from nursery to junior college, Mind Stretcher at #04-20 runs preschool to JC, Aspire Hub at #01-33 covers primary to JC, Geniebook at #B1-26 is the online-plus-centre hybrid, and The Physics Cafe at #01-29 is for the secondary and JC crowd. All five are enquiry-only on price.

One caution on Jungle: HiArt's listing at #04-23/25 is still live, but the mall's 2026 directory no longer carries the centre, so call before you go.

Three of the ten offer a free trial. For the island-wide list, read our guide to free trial classes for kids in Singapore. Browse United Square classes on Jungle.

Eat with kids at United Square

Basement 1 is where families eat: the food court, both restaurants with a children's menu and the McDonald's are all on it. Of the 39 food outlets in the 2026 directory, two publish a kids' menu with prices, and one is the cheapest sit-down meal in the building.

13. Food Dynasty, the food court

Food Dynasty at #B1-02 is the mall's food court, opened as the chain's flagship, with local hawker stalls and a few international ones under one roof and a drinks kiosk that does the traditional coffee-and-toast set. It opens at 7.30am, which makes it the breakfast stop before a 9am Saturday class, and closes at 8.30pm. Ordering is at self-service kiosks, so the queue moves.

Why kids will love it: Choosing their own stall, and a laksa or mee siam they can share with a parent. Best for any age. Go before 11.45am on a weekend or after 1.30pm; between the two it is the whole of Level 3's pick-up.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Food Dynasty
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-02, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 7.30am to 8.30pm daily.
Price: Hawker prices.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

14. Saizeriya: kids' meal and a $1.50 drink bar

Saizeriya at #B1-32 is the budget Italian chain from Japan, and its September 2026 kids' menu is the best-value children's meal in the mall. The Kid's Meal for ages 4 to 12 is cream penne, crispy chicken, potato wedges, corn and a Yakult.

The rest of the children's page, corn cream soup, chicken wings, a puffy pancake with ice cream, Italian pudding and focaccia, runs from $2 to $5.90, all nett with no service charge. The kids' drink bar is $1.50 for ages 4 to 12 and free for children 3 and under. Open 11am to 10pm.

Why kids will love it: Refilling their own Fanta at the drink bar, repeatedly. Best for any age, and the cheapest table in the building for a family of four.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: Saizeriya Singapore menu
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-32, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 11am to 10pm daily.
Price: Kids' menu items $2 to $5.90. Kids' drink bar $1.50, free for ages 3 and under.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

15. YAYOI: kids' sets $12

YAYOI at #B1-54 is the Japanese teishoku chain, and it publishes three children's sets at $12 each: a kids' ramen set, a kids' udon set and a kids' curry set, each a child-sized main with the sides. Adult sets run from $12.90 to $26.90 and come with rice, miso soup and pickles, so a family of four eats for about $60. Open 10.30am to 9pm daily.

Why kids will love it: Udon they can slurp without being told off, and a curry that is not spicy. Best for ages 3 to 10. Sets arrive fast, which matters with a hungry five-year-old.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: YAYOI Singapore menu
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-54, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 10.30am to 9pm daily.
Price: Kids' sets $12. Adult teishoku $12.90 to $26.90.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

16. McDonald's, Basement 1

McDonald's at #B1-11 opens at 7am and closes at 11pm, later than anything else on the floor, and it is 30 metres from SMIGY. That is the whole case for it: a Happy Meal before the ball pit, and the only hot food in the building after 10pm. Halal-certified.

Why kids will love it: The Happy Meal toy, unwrapped on the way into SMIGY. Best for any age. Go at 11.30am or after 2pm on a weekend.

View on Jungle: not yet listed
Website: McDonald's Singapore
Address: 101 Thomson Road, #B1-11, United Square, Singapore 307591. Google Maps
Opening hours: 7am to 11pm daily.
Price: Happy Meal. Prices could not be confirmed online; they are in the McDonald's app.
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS20), Exit B, underpass.

The rest of the kid-friendly list

• Genki Sushi, #B1-07: conveyor sushi delivered by train to the table. Mon to Fri 11am to 10pm, weekends from 10.30am.
• Soup Restaurant, #B1-10: Samsui ginger chicken and mild steamed dishes, round tables. 11.30am to 9.30pm weekdays, to 10pm weekends.
• Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice, #01-08: the chicken rice a child will eat, 11am to 9pm.
• Peperoni Pizzeria, #01-07/60: wood-fired pizzas up to XXL for six, no kids' menu. Closed 3pm to 5pm weekdays.
• Burger King, #01-02: 8am to 10pm, halal, the alternative queue when McDonald's is full.
• Souper Baby by Soul Souper, #B1-60A: weaning-baby broth, 100ml packs from $9.30 for two, 11am to 8pm.
• Dessert on Level 1: Yolé at #01-K14, Burnt Cones at #01-K9, Old Chang Kee at #01-K2 for a curry puff.
• Kopi for the parent: Toast Box at #01-81, Ya Kun at #B1-38, and Starbucks at #01-01 directly above SMIGY.
• CS Fresh, #B1-29: the supermarket, for the emergency banana.

There is no kids-eat-free deal anywhere in the mall in September 2026, and no child buffet.

Family facilities at United Square

• Nursing room: Level 1, listed on the mall's own site. Little Day Out's 2019 visit found two lockable breastfeeding rooms with armchairs and power points.
• Also in the nursing room: three changing stations, two sinks with hot and cold water and room for more than two strollers. Nothing since suggests it has changed.
• Customer Service Counter: Basement 1.
• Water dispensers: Levels 1 to 3.
• Stroller loan, family lots and kids' toilets: none is mentioned on the mall's site.
• Lifts: large enough for a double stroller, and they serve every floor.
• Car park, 6am to 6pm: $2.40 for the first hour then 60 cents for every 15 minutes. 15-minute grace period.
• Car park, after 6pm: $2.60 per entry. Season parking $350 a month.
• PramWash, #B1-36A: stroller and car-seat cleaning, express in 30 minutes, 10.30am to 9.30pm.
• Mall hours: 10am to 10pm daily.

Getting there

United Square is at 101 Thomson Road, directly opposite Novena MRT (NS20) on the North-South Line.

• By MRT: Take Exit B onto Thomson Road. A public underpass from the exit links to United Square and Goldhill Centre, so a stroller never crosses the road.
• By bus: Buses 5, 21, 54, 56, 57, 124, 131, 143, 162, 162M, 166, 167, 518, 851 and 980 stop on Thomson Road outside.
• By car and taxi: The mall's own site names no taxi stand, so use the Thomson Road pick-up point by the main entrance. Car park rates are under Family facilities above.

Make a day of it

The free play the mall lacks is outside the door.

• Thomson Road Playground, 30 seconds away: best for under-sevens, with little shade, so go before 10am or after 5pm.
• Novena Park: a quiet green for a toddler to run.
• Shaw Plaza's Sky Terrace playground, a short walk up Balestier Road: sheltered, with a vertical climbing structure, a trampoline and a flying fox. Open during the mall's trading hours.
• Climb Central at Velocity, across the road at Novena Square, for a child of 4 to 12 who has outgrown SMIGY: $27.30 for an adult, $19.70 for a child add-on or $37.10 for the pair, plus $9 for shoes and harness and a $10.90 first-time registration. Weekday hours are 1pm to 11pm, weekends 9am to 9pm.
• Square 2, above the MRT: the place for a second supermarket and a cheaper lunch.
• Closed right now: Novena Park's shelter, for reroofing until 31 October 2026.

At a glance

United Square is a mall where the class is the reason and the ball pit is the reward. Book a trial before you go, and browse every enrichment class in Novena on Jungle.