41. Emcee for
KidSTART Play It
Forward Festival 2026
Emceeing the KidSTART x SP Group Play It Forward Festival 2026
What a day. I had the joy of emceeing the Play It Forward Festival: a full-day family festival full of play, laughter, and a healthy dose of happy chaos (the best kind).
This was a family event with real heart. KidSTART Singapore, which supports families in early childhood development, joined hands with SP Group to celebrate two things close to my own: play and sustainability. It's exactly the kind of kids and family event I love emceeing!
A festival built on play and sustainability
Here's the idea behind the day: even simple, everyday materials can support a child's learning. That theme ran through everything.
A big moment was the reveal of the refreshed PlayFULL Pack, designed for children aged 0 to 6, now with age-segmented packs so the resources suit each child's stage. From July, it will reach more than 3,000 KidSTART families. SP Group's support made much of this possible, with a contribution of $1.1 million this year, bringing their total to $5.4 million since 2021. Numbers like that turn into real toys, real books, and real bonding time at home.
The Play Scape arch: where the giant glowing "PLAY" could be decorated with sustainable materials to beautify the sign even more!
The show that set the tone
We kicked off the stage programme with Brocolily and their performance, Enchanted Voyages: The Magic Bus, a magical journey with a bus captain, an intern, and a trainee heading off to mysterious places. The little ones were hooked!
A hall full of families, all eyes on the stage.
Where the real fun began
Emceeing for kids is a different sport. You can plan your script all you like, but the moment the mic and programme begins, the children decide where things go!
We ran a high-energy movement game to warm up. And when there was time, I invite some brave kids for a chat! My job? React. When a child tells you their favourite animal mid-sentence, you go with it! When a stray balloon bounces off your head during the chat, you keep smiling and carry on. That's the fun of it, staying playful while keeping the whole room moving!
Beanbags, balloons, and a room ready to play.
Welcoming our Guest of Honour and launching the PlayFULL Pack
For the official launch, we were honoured to welcome our Guest of Honour, Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Social and Family Development. He is an experienced parent of four (!!!) who spoke right through the cheerful noise of a few hundred excited children, and shared his own family stories too.
He was joined on stage by:
- Miss Yew Lay Teng, Chief Human Resource Officer of SP Group
- Mr Jack Lim, Managing Director of Community Chest
- Mr Joel Tan, Chief Executive Officer of KidSTART Singapore
- along with lovely KidSTART parent-child pairs.
We all stood up to do the Play Cheer. Then came the launch itself, where our guests revealed the refreshed PlayFULL Pack together.
Emceeing a community event like this means holding two energies at once: the warmth and play of a children's festival, and the composure of a formal launch. Balancing both, with a stage full of VIPs and toddlers (who were removing the colourful balls from the launch mechanism), is the part I enjoy most. :p
The SP Group team with Guest of Honour, ready to play it forward.
Play everywhere you looked
Beyond the stage, the hall was an adventure. There was the Toy Exchange — KidSTART's very first — where children could swap a pre-loved toy for one that felt brand new. There was a Sustainable Playscape, a Cardboard City, a baby play area, craft stations using recycled materials, and that giant PLAY installation that everyone could beautify with sustainable materials!
A Cardboard City — proof that the best toys are often the simplest!
A grateful thank you
Big thanks to KNOXX for having me on board and for the trust to host such a lively, fast-moving day. Thank you to SP Group and KidSTART Singapore for the meaningful work you do for families, and to every parent and child who clapped, danced, chatted, and played along with me!
Already looking forward to the next one!
If you're planning a family festival, a children's event, or a launch that needs both warmth and a steady pair of hands, take a look at my videos and testimonials — and if it feels like a fit, do get in touch. Please let me know :)