KidZania, Qatar’s newest play area resembles a kid-sized city where children can engage in imaginative role play as they take on “jobs” and make fun decisions in a world that appears all grown up. Little ones are encouraged to make their own decisions and be independent players.
Learning through play
Experiential learning and role-playing are central to the concept at KidZania. Play-based learning not only develops social, emotional, physical, cognitive and language skills, but it also happens to be a lot of fun! Children also get a sense of what it means to be responsible citizens by cultivating good habits, engaging in work, developing financial literacy and understanding the complexity of cities.
My children were delighted to be greeted at the Qatar Airways “check-in” desk where they were then given a cheque for 50 KidZos and instructed to cash their cheques at the kid-sized bank. KidZos are the currency in KidZania and can be earned by “working” on activities that mimic real-life jobs and then spent on fun experiences. It’s a great opportunity for children to work on their financial literacy skills as they must earn KidZos in order to spend them.