Kids can experience everything from coding to creating an avatar at Dubai Expo 2020

When you go to the world’s greatest show this weekend you'll find there’s a lot to do with the whole family – here’s a look at your options for the very first week.

But first, let’s talk tickets. Kids, those under 18 years, and those undergoing tertiary and higher education students get in free. This first month, guardians can opt for a Dh95 ticket that will allow them entry to the Expo for the entire month. | Above: The Expo 2020 entry portals

Check out ‘Ousha and the moon’: Every night you can catch the fairytale of Ousha come to life at the Al Wasl Dome, the world’s largest 360 projection dome. Watching the 10-minute show, which narrates the story of the Arab poet Ousha, who once dreamed of swallowing the moon, is a fantastic way to start your Expo 2020 Dubai journey.

Fly on the Al Wasl Dome: Step into one of the interactive booths near Al Wasl Plaza and create an avatar on October 1 – this avatar will be projected onto the screen. This is part of the 'Become a Guardian of Al Wasl' activation; each play is about 45-60 minutes long. To take part in it, you will have to be present in Al Wasl at the time of activation and line-up to use one of the interactive pods to take your photo and then have your avatar projected on to the dome. Each avatar will spend approximately 90 seconds on the dome.

See 'Mr Scrap Returns': Al Wasl Dome will, on October 1 and 2, host a 20-minute show that sees mascots Rashid and Latifa battle Mr Scrap to restore the beauty of the planet. The production has theatrics, song and live audience interaction.

See the Spacex Rocket at the USA pavilion: The USA Pavilion showcases the SpaceX Falcon rocket along with exhibits and artefacts, such as pieces of rock from the moon and the US Mars Rover.

Venture into a Mars-inspired playground: Check out the play centre called Latifa’s Adventures, which has a – yes, you are correct – Mars theme. There’s plenty of edutainment on offer here, including trampolines to jump away on.

Save a penguin at the Monaco Pavilion: Kids can exercise their rescue muscles as they play a game of jump and run to guide a baby penguin to safety. Plus, they can see how robot baby penguins are used to observe penguin behavior.

Game on in the Poland Pavilion: There are not only workshops planned for the kids but also there’s a ton of stuff to do there including learning how to code and operate a 3D printer.

Ride around the world on a carousel: Enjoy all the fun of the fair on Around the World, a classic Venetian carousel with beautifully hand-painted images of past World Expos.

Listen to a Beethoven-inspired Robo-band: Fusing classical, acoustic, rock and electronic music, the robot orchestra at the Germany Pavilion’s Culture Lab will put on a performance for the ages.

Design your perfect aircraft at the Emirates Pavilion: Discover the future of aircraft cabin design while designing your very own aircraft at the Emirates Pavilion, experimenting with robotic arms and exploring the innovative metallic and composite materials of the future.

Interact with robots: Terminus Group is deploying more than 150 robots that perform a variety of tasks such as greeting you, providing assistance and performing in special displays, as well as helping with food and beverage delivery and hospitality services.