SG Culture Pass Activities To Help You Bond With Your Grandparents
Did you know that this Sunday (23 November) is Grandparents' Day? When I was growing up in the 90s, my late grandparents were my unofficial tour guides of Singapore. Weekends meant hopping on the old Sentosa monorail, sharing ice cream sandwiches at East Coast Park, posing with parrots at Jurong Bird Park, watching the dolphin show at Underwater World, and once in a while, the ultimate treat, riding the cable car to Mount Faber.
Back then, I didn’t realise we weren’t just “going out”. They were showing me their Singapore. The one they saw change from kampungs and trishaws to malls and MRTs. The places they felt proud of. The sights that reminded them of their youth.
Now in adulthood, as Singapore recently turned 60, I find myself missing those days and wishing I could have brought them on adventures too. Not to new shiny malls or café-hopping spots, but to experiences that let us soak in our shared heritage together. The trails, stories, and art forms that shaped their memories and still spark ours today.
And with the SG60 Culture Pass, younger Singaporeans like us can bring our parents or grandparents with us to activities that connect generations, not just entertain them.
So if you’re looking for meaningful ways to spend time with the seniors in your life (or honour the memory of the elders who shaped you), here are six SG60 Culture Pass activities that will help you turn nostalgia into bonding and remind them (and us) how special Singapore really is.
1. Travel Sketching Workshop: Capturing Singapore’s Heritage
One thing our elders love? Slowing down and noticing details, a habit they picked up in a less chaotic Singapore. Sometimes, the best way to remember Singapore’s past is to let someone who lived through it paint it back into view.
This ink and wash sketching workshop blends artistic exploration, culture, and calm. It’s perfect for bonding and reminiscing.
The class is held at My Art Space in Istana Park, a peaceful waterfront studio along Orchard Road. You’ll sketch Singapore’s heritage landmarks using curated photo references and it’s a great way to spark stories about how the city once looked.
Bonding moment idea: Bring their old black and white photos, then try sketching one together.
My Art Space, Istana Park
Till 30 December 2025
Find out more here
IMAGE: SG CULTURE PASS
2. Modern Kintsugi Workshop: Embracing Brokenness, Restoring Hope
Our grandparents grew up in an era where nothing was wasted, from sewing torn clothes, repairing radios to reusing biscuit tins. Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending pottery with gold, feels like a poetic tribute to that spirit.
Instead of discarding broken things, you honour them. How very “Singapore ah ma energy”.
Bonding moment idea: Ask them what household items they used to repair instead of replace. Expect Milo tins and ice-cream tubs to make an appearance.
Arts Resource Hub, 42 Waterloo Street
From 3 January 2026 till 28 March 2026
Find out more here
From colourful tiles to carved wooden shutters and pastel-painted facades — heritage shophouses tell stories of different communities, merchants, and families living side-by-side.
Walking tours can help spark personal storytelling. Imagine with me:
“Last time, we buy kopi here.”
“Your Ah Gong used to cycle past this road.”
“This one very expensive now, last time nobody want!”
Elders are basically living, breathing history books, so what better way to relive the past than by taking a literal walk down memory lane together?
Bonding moment idea: Take a photo of them in front of their favourite shophouse then print and frame it as a “Singapore Then/Now” portrait.
Little India
Till 22 February 2026
Find out more here
4. Crafting Moments: The Art of Letterpress
If your grandparents still reminisce about handwritten letters, fountain pens, school exercise books with brown covers, or the sound of rotary machines, this one will hit them in the feels.
The Gentlemen’s Press offers an intimate behind-the-scenes studio visit where you and your loved one can watch traditional printmaking techniques in action. Think: letterpress, embossing, foil stamping, die-cutting… all the tactile things that existed long before PDFs and Canva templates.
A guide will walk you through the printing process and introduce you to the charmingly old-school machines that turn paper into art. You’ll learn how cards, stationery, and prints are crafted, slowly, deliberately, and beautifully. The session ends with a small keepsake so you can take home something meaningful (beyond just memories).
For elders who grew up writing cards instead of DMs, this experience will feel like revisiting the magic of printed love and analogue craft.
Bonding moment idea: Ask your grandparent to share what handwritten notes or printed items meant in their time … maybe even bring home a card and write a short message to each other, the old-fashioned way.
The Gentlemen's Press Studio, #07-02 Cideco Industrial Complex
Till 29 November 2025
Find out more here
5. Learn Improv Today! Improv Taster Sessions
Some grandparents are quiet… until you give them a stage.
Improv invites laughter, play, and letting go, something many elders gave up while raising families. Watching them rediscover silliness and spontaneity is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming.
And when they make a joke that brings the room down? Priceless level-up moment.
Bonding moment idea: Do a short “interview” after the class over kopi: “What did you enjoy most today?” Record it. These captured smiles are memories future-you will treasure.
Just a Space Studios, 141 Cecil Street
Till 20 March 2026
Find out more here
Celebrate Singapore's rich culture through this hands-on bonding experience. You and your grandparents will learn to throw and paint your very own kopi-style cup with iconic local themes, from hawker delights to nostalgic patterns. No experience is required, so don't worry if you're a beginner.
Bonding moment idea: Treat your grandparents to a cup of kopi after the class, served in the cups you made together.
Arudio Ceramic MacPherson, #08-07 LTC Building C
Till 28 December 2025
Find out more here
Additional text by Janelle Yong
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