If you go to Malaysia, you should never miss KidZania based in Petaling Jaya. KidZania is an interactive kids’ city combining inspiration, fun and learning through realistic role-play for children aged from 4-14 years. Kids independently explore an 80,000 square foot kid-sized city with over 100 exciting careers that they can learn about. Fueled by a child’s natural desire to create, explore and collaborate, KidZania is equal parts entertainment and education, making it one of the most progressive family entertainment concepts in the world.
Each KidZania facility offers experiences that are relevant to each region, culture and geography by way of food, entertainment and professions. At every location, KidZania uses real-world fun and learning to ready kids for a better world. Through ultrarealistic role-play, they learn about different careers, the inner-workings of a city and the concept of managing money. Each experience is designed to empower kids, giving them the confidence to be their best selves, and inspiration to be great global citizens. KidZania has become a global phenomenon with numerous locations throughout the world.
At KidZania, children aged 4 to 14 have the opportunity of having adult-like experiences while assuming the role of firemen, construction workers, police officers, and fashion designers, among others.
Role-playing is an embedded behaviour in children. They perform naturally without previous learning or adult explanations. Unlike other activities that include directions, such as sports or video games, children need only watch an adult doing something before beginning to imitate them.
They pretend to be mothers when playing with their dolls or they act like drivers when riding in a car. Role-playing is an essential ingredient in the concept’s experience. A child playing with a doll is one of the best examples of role playing, since it represents a little girl pretending to be a caring mother to her child. The KidZania concept has taken this enduring behaviour, role-playing and elevated it to its maximum expression. The physical space in which every KidZania metropolis comes to life is a kid-size, fabricated replica of a typical city with a Hospital, Police Station, Fire Station, Supermarket, Beauty Salon, Radio Station and Theater. At KidZania, visitors will find a kids-sized city with a broad offering of urban environments, establishments and activities to enjoy the complete KidZania experience.
KidZania supports learning goals of financial literacy by contributing to a child’s understanding of the economic cycle.
Each KidZania city operates with a proprietary currency, named “kidZo”, which enables participants to learn about monetary management by earning kidZos through employment, letting them acquire goods and services as customers, saving into bank accounts, and giving back to the community through donations. Learning through experience and activities is one of the most effective ways to develop skills and abilities in children.
At KidZania, kids will immerse in a complete adult-like experience, where they can take any role they want and experiment first hand what it’s like to be a firefighter, police officer or becoming a chef. KidZania is headquartered in Mexico City and is privately held.
The company currently employs more than 11,000 associates and continues to rapidly expand.
Founded in 1996 by Xavier López Ancona and a group of fellow Mexican businessmen, KidZania has already entertained and engaged over 25 million people in fourteen locations around the world.