Finnish businessman Taneli Sutinen was sitting in a cafe and munching on a donut one day, when his 4-year-old daughter insisted that he play with her. He obliged, but found it really awkward to play on child-sized playground equipment.
That’s when he had a brainwave- Why not create an indoor playground, or rather, an activity park, where both adults and children could easily play side-by-side?
And thus, in 2012, was born SuperPark, based on a very simple concept - “The body is meant to move.”
Today there are 13 SuperParks in Finland alone, and by the end of 2018, there will be 18 SuperParks globally.
Which brings us to the FAB news. On 17 November 2018, SuperPark will be landing in Singapore at Suntec City Mall!
And that means 40,000 square foot of play space offering over 20 fun, healthy, exciting and energising activities under one roof, for the whole family!
Before the grand opening in Singapore though, SuperPark was nice enough to take us all the way to Finland, to sample the REAL SuperPark experience first-hand.
So here mums and dads, are 4 genuine reasons why we should all be excited about SuperPark in Singapore! (Don’t say we neh share!)
What's SUPER exciting about SuperPark in Singapore
#1: An indoor activity park for the WHOLE family
The biggest highlight of SuperPark is that, EVERY single member of the family has something to do here.
Unlike other indoor playgrounds, adults aren’t expected to simply while away their time looking at their smartphones. And the oft-neglected group of teens finally gets an avenue to discover and hone their sports and game skills!
Also, the simple fact that this super fun activity park is all indoors means that we are not left to the mercy of the rain or sun.
Following SuperPark Hong Kong, SuperPark in Singapore will also live and breathe the authentic SuperPark concept and feature three distinct areas:
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The Adventure Area
This area offers exciting play activities for younger children and parents. There are obstacle walls, tube slides, zip wires, kiddie gyms, pedal car tracks and lots more for the young, and the young at heart!
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The Game Arena
This is where older kids and adults can test how good they are at their favourite sports and games.
So yeah, challenge your friends (or your dad?) to play SuperHoop, test the power of your slap shot (Performance is measured by radar and other digital systems), or play SuperBall with your family.
Of course, there’s lots more to look forward to, like THREE brand new game experiences - iWall, SuperClimb and Ninja Track!
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The Freestyle Hall
Enter the world of thrill, where the mind is without fear. The world of skateboarding, parkour and freestyle scootering. Here’s something that finally caters to the adventurous teenagers of today.
You are not gonna believe the kind of acrobatics we witnessed at the trampoline and gymnastics area of SuperPark Finland.
Would we live our lives with reckless abandon if we knew no fear? Watching these kids pick themselves up after every fall or failure made us believe that we are capable of a lot more than we know of. And all we need to do is, to keep re-discovering ourselves.
Thankfully, safety is never compromised at SuperPark. All activities take place under the guidance of experienced staff, many of whom are recognised coaches.
#2: Much learning and fun for kids and adults
Who says learning can’t be fun? A super cute group activity for little kids we saw at SuperPark Espoo, involved solving a Math puzzle by fetching the right number block from a foam pit!
Oh yes, Math + Movement = FUN!
Also, while we were there, Physical Education teacher, Mrs Heidi Rautajoki, had brought her Grade 9 students to SuperPark Vantaa for a PE session outside school.
This got us curious. Why did she bring the children to SuperPark, and what benefits did it offer?
Heidi tells us, “Having a bouncy floor/mattress to jump on gives you the flexibility to try new things, which you may not otherwise be able to do, at say a school gym. Giving new experiences to the students is always good.”
We watched in amazement as the students did cartwheels, and flipped into foam pits!
“Personal growth happens from your own experiences.”
“The Finnish PE curriculum is based on a few things. First thing is that we want the students to become healthy in their lives, and to become life-long exercisers.”
“Physical education means learning about yourself, learning about your body, building a stronger and healthy body for now, and for the future. I feel that the trying is much more important than succeeding. Because if you keep trying, you will succeed in the end.”
Wow, that certainly got us thinking. Perhaps, providing such varied experiences for the students would be something that schools in Singapore would consider as well?
#3: Great exercise!
SuperPark takes its motto of “The Body is meant to move” very seriously. There are no motorised, theme park-style rides here. The human body is the engine for all SuperPark activities!
The idea is that by combining fun, friendship and exercise, health benefits come naturally.
As Heidi tells us, “In Finland, families are encouraged to exercise with their children from early on. The healthcare system gives incentives or ideas of how families can move with their kids so it becomes a natural part of their life.”
“Physical movement and an active lifestyle has a lot of positive impact on the brain. There has been research in Finland that those students who are active in sports also do better academically.”
Singapore is sure to fall in love with the Superparking lifestyle’ of joyful play, friendship and better health!
#4: Incorporates Finnish parenting values
As parents, we Asians tend to be an overprotective lot. But the Finnish do things very differently.
Finnish parents do not believe in limiting their children. They would much rather believe in them and push them more into new experiences.
At SuperPark too, kids learn to push their limits and discover something new about themselves. They realise that real growth comes from trying new things, and the resulting experience gives them a high.
Super dad and sportsman Aleksi Halen, who visits SuperPark regularly with his 2 kids is a shining example of how parents can encourage their children to push their limits.
His 9-year-old son Rossi’s hobbies are SuperPark, soccer, motocross, downhill biking and alpine skiing. While his 6-year-old daughter Senna’s hobbies are SuperPark, soccer, alpine skiing and dancing.
Let that sink in for a moment.
“We visit SuperPark regularly as a family. At SuperPark we train and challenge each other to learn new skills in the safe SuperPark environment”, says Aleksi.
Aleksi also tells us he was encouraged to learn how to backflip, by watching his son do it effortlessly on the SuperPark trampoline!
#5: New age digital experiences for Gen Z
There aren’t any motorised rides here, but that doesn’t make SuperPark any less modern. In fact, they have managed to cleverly incorporate physical movement into digital experiences.
For instance, one activity we witnessed involved jumping on the trampoline to navigate the various levels of a game on a digital screen.
Expect many such unique experiences in Singapore!
#6: Ideal for a celebration!
When SuperPark opens in Singapore in November 2018, 7 party rooms will be available for group, birthday or corporate activities.
Oh yes, there is much fun and lots of teamwork involved, which makes SuperPark ideal for company team-building activities, birthday parties, friends’ gathering or family celebrations!
Lastly, mums and dads, the best part is that, all this fun is reasonably priced too. Here are the ticket prices to SuperPark Singapore:
Weekday:
- All day: S$ 35
- Evening (1800 – 2100): S$ 22
Weekend
- All Day: S$ 48
- Morning (0900-1300): S$ 32
- Mid Day (1330 – 1730): S$ 40
- Evening (1800 – 2100): S$ 28