National Gallery Singapore’s ARTventure Camp runs on Fridays 4, 11 and 18 December 2026 from 10.30am to 4.30pm. The one-day programme is recommended for children aged 7 to 12 and costs S$75 per child. Lunch is provided. Families should buy tickets online and arrive at least 10 minutes early for registration.
This edition is called Guardians of the Gallery. Children follow an art-themed story, work with one another and make art. It is a drop-off camp at the Expression Workshop in the Keppel Centre for Art Education, Level 1 of the City Hall Wing. For a child who is still getting used to independent programmes, the six-hour day and group format are as important to consider as the theme.
- Dates — Friday 4, 11 or 18 December 2026
- Camp time — 10.30am to 4.30pm
- Registration — Arrive at least 10 minutes early
- Price and age — S$75 per child. Recommended ages 7 to 12.
Plan your visit
At a glance · Booking and official information · Common questions
Read the guide by section
- Choose a camp date and book online
- What children do at Guardians of the Gallery
- Is a six-hour art camp right for your child?
- Lunch, clothing and what to bring
- How to get to the right workshop
- Ideas for before and after the camp
- Plan a December day around the drop-off
- Get more out of the programme without adding homework
- Questions to ask the Gallery before the camp
- What families can do if the session is full
- Checklist for the adult doing drop-off
- Frequently asked questions
At a glance
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Dates | Friday 4, 11 or 18 December 2026 |
| Camp time | 10.30am to 4.30pm |
| Registration | Arrive at least 10 minutes early |
| Price and age | S$75 per child. Recommended ages 7 to 12. |
| Where | City Hall Wing, Level 1, Keppel Centre for Art Education, Expression Workshop |
| Format | One-day drop-off programme with lunch included. |
Choose a camp date and book online
How the three dates work
The Gallery lists the same camp name and hours across 4, 11 and 18 December. Choose one Friday as a one-day session. Start from the official workshop page and follow its booking link, where you can see which dates are available. The public programme dates describe when sessions are planned. Availability is determined by the booking calendar.
Check the weekday alongside the date. It is easy to remember the 11th while making work or childcare plans for the wrong week. Put both registration and collection in your calendar and share the booking details with the adults doing each journey.
What to check before paying
The S$75 ticket admits one child. If two siblings are going, select a quantity of two for the same date and check both are eligible and ready for a full day. Save your order confirmation and read any instructions that arrive after booking, particularly anything about who may collect a child or what information the Gallery needs in advance.
If you need to change dates or cannot attend, the Gallery provides gallerykids@nationalgallery.sg as the contact. Ask about the applicable booking terms before you make other commitments. If you are buying on behalf of another family, forward the full information so they can deal directly with any access or dietary questions.
What children do at Guardians of the Gallery
Follow clues through the Gallery
The Gallery frames the camp around artworks that are losing their stories and need help from young guardians. Children work through missions and encounter Peace Forest by Soh Ee Shaun alongside other works. This gives the day a question to come back to. What does someone have to notice, remember or do to help a work of art make sense to others?
A child who enjoys searching for details, finding things that others missed or putting clues together may respond well to that framing. You can introduce the idea before the visit by asking them to choose a picture at home and describe one thing they noticed before you did.
Meet people who care for art
The Gallery says participants will meet Gallery Guardians and learn how different roles help look after artworks and bring them to visitors. For a child, this can turn a large institution into a place full of human decisions. Someone needs to think about what visitors see first and how to share an artwork’s story without disturbing the object.
After the camp, ask your child to describe one task they remember a guardian doing. A child may talk about a surprising detail instead of summarising the whole day. Follow that detail with one question about what made it interesting. You will often learn more than you would by asking for a full account at the end of a long day.
Make something and earn badges
The programme includes hands-on artmaking and the chance to work toward three ART Guardian badges. The published description gives the broad activities. Materials, group sizes and minute-by-minute instructions can vary, so speak to the Gallery if a particular medium or activity matters to your child.
A useful comparison is with a short craft workshop. Here the making follows time spent looking and working through a shared story. If your child enjoys explaining where an idea came from, they may appreciate bringing one part of that story into what they make.
Is a six-hour art camp right for your child?
Consider energy and independence
The recommended age range is 7 to 12. A younger child who is happy with group activities and used to separating from a caregiver may settle readily. An older child may still want to know what happens at lunch, where to find help and how collection works. Ask what feels uncertain and address that specific detail.
Practise a short goodbye if a child is nervous. Tell them where they will meet you at the end of the day, after you confirm the collection point. Give them a simple way to ask a facilitator for help. The useful measure is whether they have a way to manage an unfamiliar situation, even if they feel a little nervous walking in.
Consider how they like to take part
The programme includes looking at art, moving through a gallery, sharing ideas and making things. A child may enjoy some parts more than others. If your child likes to observe first, explain that taking time to look closely can be a contribution. For a child who likes to lead, listening for a teammate’s idea is a good goal to try.
Contact the Gallery in advance for any access requirements. Its workshop page asks visitors who need additional disability-related arrangements to get in touch at least three weeks before the visit. If you need to know about sensory conditions, break spaces or mobility support, say what would help your child take part.
Lunch, clothing and what to bring
Check meal requirements in advance
Lunch is provided. The published workshop overview gives that inclusion without a detailed menu. If your child has an allergy, dietary requirement or a need related to meal timing, contact the Gallery before booking or as soon as possible. Check what information staff will need and follow the instructions they give you.
On the morning, leave enough time for a familiar breakfast and the journey to the Gallery. Some children become quiet or distracted when they are hungry or worried about a new place. Taking the rush out of the first hour makes it easier to tell which part they are concerned about.
Dress for time indoors and on the move
The Gallery suggests bringing a jacket because some rooms can feel cold. Comfortable footwear is a sensible choice for a day that includes moving around the building. Check the booking email for any specific instructions on water bottles, bags or materials before packing.
If a child carries a jacket, label it and show them where to keep it when they take it off. Keep the bag manageable. The easier it is to recognise and carry, the less attention the child has to spend on belongings while the group moves.
How to get to the right workshop
Use City Hall Wing as the destination
The camp takes place in the Expression Workshop at the Keppel Centre for Art Education, Level 1 of the City Hall Wing. A route that ends at the Gallery building can still leave indoor walking and wayfinding. The Gallery occupies the former City Hall and Supreme Court buildings, so tell whoever does drop-off the specific wing and room.
City Hall MRT is a practical rail starting point. Follow pedestrian directions to National Gallery Singapore and allow time to ask staff where the Keppel Centre is. For a taxi or private hire, check the Gallery’s current visitor directions and choose a drop-off that fits your child’s walking needs.
Plan registration and collection separately
The programme asks families to arrive at least 10 minutes early. Aim to be at the workshop by 10.20am rather than reaching the precinct at that time. At registration, confirm where collection takes place and whether the adult will need a booking reference or identification.
If another adult collects, give them the event name, room and expected finish time as separate details. Ask the Gallery how to record the change if necessary. A child who knows which adult is coming and where they will wait can settle into the day with fewer uncertainties.
Ideas for before and after the camp
Make a simple observation game
Choose a picture and give your child a minute to look. Then ask them to name three details and choose one to describe without pointing. They can ask you to guess which part of the picture they mean. The game gives them a way to talk about what they see without needing art vocabulary.
Afterwards, take turns naming one detail the other person missed. Keep it light and stop when the child has had enough. The point is to make looking together enjoyable before joining a group of unfamiliar children.
Use a gentle end-of-day question
Give your child some space after collection before asking about the camp. You might ask which job they would try again, which artwork they remember or whether they would change something they made. If they volunteer a story, start there. One concrete detail gives the conversation somewhere to go.
If they want to return to the Gallery, plan a short follow-up built around one work or one favourite part of the visit. They can lead you to it and explain what they noticed. That offers a different experience from spending another full day on a programme.
Plan a December day around the drop-off
If an adult is working nearby
Check the calendar for both handover times before choosing the session. Registration requires a presence at the workshop in the morning, and the afternoon collection may overlap another commitment. It helps to decide who handles each and whether a backup adult should be added to the arrangements.
If you will spend the day nearby, identify somewhere you can take a call and return to the Gallery in good time if asked. Give the Gallery the best number to reach during the camp and tell the pickup adult when you will hand over responsibility. The booking email is a useful place to confirm what the Gallery asks families to provide.
If a younger sibling is coming along
The accompanying sibling can have a shorter visit with the adult. Keep the plan near the same part of town if a return to the Gallery will happen later in the day. A library or lunch stop can give the younger child a day of their own without requiring two trips across Singapore.
If both siblings want to go to a Gallery activity, compare the age ranges and format in the Gallery’s Family Days calendar. A family drop-in or short visit may suit a child who needs a caregiver close by. Confirm availability and ticket terms separately for anything you plan to add.
Get more out of the programme without adding homework
Talk about the building and the people in it
On the walk in, invite your child to notice how the building is used. There are people going to galleries, people directing visitors and people looking after public spaces. The camp’s guardian theme is easier to connect with when a child can link it to something they have already seen in the building.
When you return, ask what the group did when people noticed different details in the same artwork. The child may remember a discussion, a funny guess or the moment someone changed their mind. Each gives you a way to talk about listening and looking closely without asking for a lesson recap.
Choose a one-stop return visit
If your child wants to go back, plan a brief visit around one work or one floor. Check the Gallery’s latest exhibition information for what is on view and any entry requirements. A child who enjoyed the first day may be pleased to be the one who leads the way the next time.
Leave room for the second visit to be different. Your child might want to show someone else the building or pick a work they did not see during camp. That gives them a reason to take ownership of a small part of the outing.
Questions to ask the Gallery before the camp
For a child with a specific access need
Write a short message explaining the activity, date and what your child needs in order to participate. Ask about the actual route between the workshop and exhibition spaces and whether the staff can explain what to expect on arrival. If a quieter wait or a clearer transition would help, ask about that directly rather than sending a broad question about accessibility.
The Gallery also sets out its photography and filming conditions on the event page. If that is a concern for your family, read the conditions before payment and contact the Gallery with any question. If you are booking for someone else, give the parent or caregiver a chance to review the terms themselves.
For a child trying drop-off for the first time
Find out where an adult can wait during check-in and what the child should do if they need help later. Once you have the answer, explain it in one or two sentences. A long rehearsal can make the event sound more complicated than it is. A simple plan for asking a facilitator for help is easier to remember.
If your child has never spent a full day in a group outside school, recall a shorter activity they enjoyed. Ask which part helped them settle. You can use that example when discussing the morning handover. The aim is to make the new situation feel understandable while letting the child have their own experience.
What families can do if the session is full
Try another Friday on the official calendar
The three published sessions offer separate opportunities to attend. If your first date is full, look at the other two and compare work, family or travel commitments before booking. Keep collection time in view as well as the morning start. A Friday that works for a child may still depend on an adult’s afternoon availability.
If none of the available dates fits, ask the Gallery whether it has a waitlist or a later edition. It describes ARTventure as a themed programme with different exhibitions across seasons. A future edition may suit your child even if this December’s theme or dates are the original reason you were interested.
Use a short Gallery visit as an alternative
The Gallery publishes a wider Family Days programme with activities that vary by date and age. Compare each programme’s duration and whether caregivers stay. For a child who wants to explore art with you, a family visit focused on one exhibition or one activity can be easier to fit into a school-holiday morning.
Agree on a simple goal before leaving home. You might each choose one work to tell the other person about. Ask the child what they would look after or help explain if they worked at the Gallery. This is a way to follow their interest in the theme while leaving the length of the visit up to your family.
Checklist for the adult doing drop-off
- Save the booking confirmation and check the date and child’s details.
- Plan to be at the Expression Workshop by 10.20am. The room is at Level 1 of the City Hall Wing.
- Confirm lunch requirements and access arrangements in advance with the Gallery.
- At check-in, verify where the child will be collected and how staff will reach the adult during the day.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2026 ARTventure Camp dates?
4, 11 and 18 December, all Fridays. Each session runs from 10.30am to 4.30pm.
Do parents stay?
The Gallery describes the camp as a drop-off programme. Check the collection arrangements when you register.
Is lunch included?
Yes. Contact the Gallery in advance about dietary or allergy needs.
What does it cost?
S$75 per child for the one-day programme. Book online through the Gallery.
Is it suitable for a six-year-old?
The Gallery recommends ages 7 to 12. Ask the Gallery before booking outside its recommended age range.
Where do we go for registration?
The Expression Workshop, Keppel Centre for Art Education, Level 1 of the City Hall Wing. Be there by 10.20am.
Booking and official information
- National Gallery ARTventure Camp information and booking
- National Gallery Family Days and year-end programme
- National Gallery visitor information