In our last article on enrichment classes, we talked about the benefits and options of academically-related classes in Singapore.
But after-school classes shouldn’t just be about hitting the books. By having fun and expressing their creativity, your children will develop more holistically.
So here’s a guide on picking the right non-academic options — specifically sports and arts courses — for your kids. It also includes our estimation of the costs of these lessons for children aged four to 12.
Why Enrol?
Sports classes help your children to develop an active lifestyle, especially at a time when children have been spending more time indoors. Having an active lifestyle lowers the risk of obesity and a myriad of other health issues, while building fitness, memory, and energy levels too.
Meanwhile, arts classes help children to develop their expressive side, an important social skill, and also learn to think out of the box.
It’s also entirely possible your children really enjoy the activity and consider pursuing it as a career choice. Athletes, artists, and performers often kick-start their career early on, with the encouragement of supportive parents.
Sports
Here is a list of sport activities you can consider. Some of them are offered as co-curricular activities (CCAs) in school, so you can encourage your child to join them instead. These lessons are offered at discounted rates or even for free, and your family does not have to travel elsewhere to attend these sessions.
If you have questions about the sport, you can reach out to other parents or former sportspeople for information. For example, you could message members of the Singapore Baseball and Softball Association on Facebook to find out which centres offer lessons, or how to make a pro career out of the sport.
Water Sports
Swimming
Swimming outfits and goggles should cost less than $50, while entry into public pools costs about $0.50 to $1 for a child, and an extra $1 to $2 if you tag along.
All primary schools are required to offer a swimming programme by the end of Primary 6, but if you want your child to swim more regularly, you can consider taking outside swimming lessons.
Singapore Swimming Academy offers lessons to kids from $100 per month. The Singapore Sports Hub also offers swimming classes that cost $470.40 for 12 sessions for younger kids.Classes by private coaches taught in condominium pools, such as the ones offered by SwimRay cost $280 for one-on-one classes, but you can opt for classes in a group of four to bring the cost down to $120.
One additional perk of learning how to swim is that it opens up the possibility for other water sports, such as kayaking, water polo, and synchronised swimming.
Racket Sports
Racket equipment prices vary greatly depending on the brand and quality. Think carefully how often the equipment will be used, and if your children intend to play competitively. They have to be replaced frequently, so take this into consideration too.
If your child wants to play outside of lesson time, consider the cost of booking courts too.
Badminton
Rackets cost anywhere between $20 to $100, and a tube of shuttlecocks cost $10 to $20. Badminton shoes cost $25 to $100. However, running or sports shoes also work for the casual learners. Popular brands include Yonex, Victor, and Li-Ning.
The average cost of enrolling in badminton lessons is around $35 per hour, but it can range depending on the coach and school offering it. BG Badminton offers classes for all levels at $20 per hour. ST Badminton academy offers group-of-four lessons at $130 a month.
Badminton courts booked through ActiveSG cost $3.50 per hour for non-peak periods, and $7.40 per hour for peak periods.
Tennis
Rackets cost anywhere between $20 to more than $100, and a tube of tennis balls cost $5 to $20. Tennis shoes cost $25 to $60. Popular brands include Wilson, Babolat, and Head.
Tennis courts booked through ActiveSG cost $3.50 per hour for non-peak periods, and $7.40 per hour for peak periods.
Table Tennis
Rackets cost anywhere between $20 to more than $100, and a tube of table tennis balls cost less than $10. Table Tennis shoes cost $25 to $60. Popular brands include Butterfly, JOOLA, Mizuno, and Double Happiness.
Table Tennis courts booked through ActiveSG cost $1.50 per hour for non-peak periods, and $3.20 per hour for peak periods.
Ball Sports
Ball sports are typically played in larger teams, making it a great avenue for your children to socialise with others.
Soccer
Soccer cleats will cost between $25 to more than $100. A football can cost between $10 to $40. Popular brands include Nike, Under Armour, Riddell, and Adidas.
Soccer lessons are generally more expensive than other sports.The French Football Academy offers classes for outfielders at a rate of $500 per term, once a week. For goalkeepers, it costs $350 per term, once a week. A more affordable option would be to sign up with ActiveSG Football Academy, which will cost you $130 for a 10-week term, with three training sessions every week.
Basketball
Basketball shoes cost between $25 to more than $100. However, running or sports shoes also work for casual learners. A basketball costs between $20 to $30. Popular brands include Nike and Adidas.
The Singapore Sports Hub offers group basketball lessons at $400 for eight sessions, with a one-time $25 registration fee. ActiveSG Basketball Academy charges $130 for 30 sessions, which includes a top, shorts, and a basketball.
Baseball
A bat can cost $30 to $90, while gloves can cost $20 to $80, and a batting helmet costs $40 to $90. Baseballs cost between $20 and $30 each, and baseball shoes cost anywhere from $40 to over $100. Popular brands include Adidas, DeMarini, Easton, and Rawlings.
Baseball lessons offered by Infiniti Sports start at $150 a month. Lessons run by Eagle Club baseball team start at $1,700 to more than $3,000 for biweekly sessions over 32 weeks.
Martial Arts
Community centres (CCs) offer martial arts at affordable rates. You can find CCs and training academies in your neighbourhood that offer the martial arts class on the OnePA website.
Taekwondo courses offered by the Singapore Taekwondo Federation costs $5 to $10 per session, depending on the location and instructor. Material fees, including a gi and belt costs an extra $81.
Karate courses offered by CCs cost between $5 and $14 a session. Wushu courses cost between $8 and $17 per session, and Aikido courses cost between $10 and $17 per session, depending on the location and instructor.
Private martial arts academies charge roughly $120 to $150 a month. For example, Aikido Shinju Kai charge around $20 to $30 for one class.
Art and Music
Instruments
Musical instruments themselves are a hefty investment, but they will pay off if your child is serious about learning.
Remember to consider the cost of replacing instrument parts, music books, additional music theory lessons, and examination costs.
There are many credible music academies with competitive fees. Aureus Academy of Music, for example, charges $235 for four 30-minute lessons, $349 for four 45-minute lessons, and $469 for four one-hour lessons. There are also many private music tutors available.
Student violins cost between $100 and $600, while higher-end violins cost a couple of hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Cristofori, one of the most well-known music schools in Singapore, offers violin lessons between $45 and $65 per lesson.
Piano
A digital piano costs anywhere between $300 and $9,000. Upright pianos cost $4,000 to $56,000. Purchasing second-hand pianos is an option if your children are just starting out.
Cristofori offers piano classes for around $120 per month. Yamaha, another big music academy in Singapore, charges $171.20 per month for individual piano lessons for beginners. Private piano teachers often charge between $40 and $100 per hour.
Guitar
An acoustic guitar costs $100 to more than $1,000. Electric guitars are more expensive, costing around $500 to more than $2,000, and amps cost $60 to more than $100.
Individual beginner lessons cost around $140 to $300 per month. At Cristofori, 30-minute group guitar lessons start from $22 a lesson, while individual lessons start from $27 a lesson.
Percussion
An acoustic drum set costs at least $1,000, while digital drum sets start from $400.
Besides the music academies mentioned above, My Drums School offers lessons ranging from 30 to 45 minutes, for between $200 and $385 per lesson.
Performing Arts
Centre Stage and MaddSpace are schools that offer dance and other performance arts classes. There are also extra things to buy, like shoes and costumes.
Ballet
Ballet shoes cost between $45 and $125. Leotards and skirts from Sonata Dancewear start from $20 to $30, while tutus usually run from $100.
CCs offer ballet lessons that start from $10. There are plenty of other dance studios to choose from too. For example, Dance Arts charges $300 to $400 for a three-month term, with a registration fee of $20.
Contemporary Dance
You can sign up for creative dance classes from $100 four sessions hosted by YMCA. The Singapore Sports Hub offers Bollywood dance classes for $225 for eight sessions. You may also want to check out the variety of dance classes offered by All That Jazz.
Theatre / Speech and Drama
The Wild Rice theatre academy offers theatre classes for $674.10 for a three-month term. Act3 International is another reputable academy offering term classes from $310 per three-month term. YMCA also offers speech and drama classes for $88 for four sessions.
Conclusion
Remember to budget recurring lesson costs, as well as fees for other materials and examinations. You can always have your children start in group lessons, or classes offered by the CCs if you are unsure if they will commit to the activity.
It is important that you help your children do well academically. But it is equally important they discover and explore their favourite hobbies too. Enrichment classes are a good start.
