Considering its size – only 42km from east to west and 22km north to south (though growing bigger by the year!) – Singapore is bursting with fun activities, both outdoors and in, making it one huge playground for all. Here’s a roundup of some of the many sporting and community activities on offer to keep the children moving – and off those electronic devices.
Tennis
Established in 2011, The Tennis Club aims to show kids how much fun playing a sport can be, while at the same time improving their general heath and physical well-being – all while conducted in a fun, indoor environment by lively, qualified and experienced tennis coaches.
Tennis lessons are provided for all ages and levels, with tennis for tots starting from 18 months up to five years old, and juniors’ tennis from ages six to 10. Kids have the opportunity to learn basic tennis skills, which help in the development of hand-eye coordination, movement and balance, as well as listening skills, team work, social skills and the ability to follow instructions. And if your child shows a natural flair – or signs of being the next Maria Sharapova – The Tennis Club can coach them all the way up to tournament standards.
200 Turf City, 6466 2643
Football
Cosmo United Football Academy (CUFA) provides football training for tots to teens, with an emphasis on teaching football skills in a professional, individualised, fun and stress-free environment. Year-round training sessions are held at Turf City’s Premier Pitch or at Bukit Timah Field (corner of Swiss Club Road), and CUFA students can also play matches as part of the Alliance Youth League Singapore, whose season runs from September to May.
CUFA also holds regular camps during the school holidays. Bookings can be made on a weekly basis. Three-hour sessions include training and games, and snacks, water and soft drinks are provided.
9821 3869
Gymnastics
Gymnastics isn’t just fun, it helps develop fitness, balance and flexibility skills, as well as confidence and discipline. Sky Gym, which is specially catered to younger children – from 12 months to seven years old – has opened its doors in the newly developed area of Loewen Gardens, and is offering three main programmes:
Gymtots
A one-hour parent-child class for ages one to three and a half years old, this class is a structured introductory programme for children to learn basic gymnastics skills.
Kindergym
This session for children aged three to six focuses on strength, flexibility, and coordination, with music and dance activities to keep things fun and exciting.
Recreation
This introductory course is for beginners aged five and above.
Sky Gym also offers fun and affordable birthday parties, jam-packed with games, relays and obstacle courses planned around your child’s age and interests.
75 Loewen Road, Loewen Gardens, 6255 4230
CrossFit
Innervate CrossFit is the newest CrossFit gym to hit Singapore and the first to offer specialised classes for kids and adults, as well as a dedicated self-defence programme. CrossFit Kids aims to promote useful life skills and values such as determination, teamwork, confidence and integrity, with classes conducted in a fun environment. Of course, classic elements of CrossFit remain – using constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensities, for instance – but they’re masked by methods in which kids feel more like they’re playing than training.
994 Bendemeer Road
Taekwondo
JH Kim Taekwondo offers beginner, intermediate and advanced level classes for kids, teens and adults looking to practise the martial art in both group and private settings. Santos Rivas arms his students with confidence for real self-defence situations while at the same time helping them get fit. Their primary objective is to teach kids how to listen, focus and achieve self-discipline through taekwondo practice. The physical benefits include improved strength, fitness and self-defence, while the mental aspect of taekwondo teaches kids respect, confidence and other valuable life lessons.
There are four JH Kim Taekwondo locations in Singapore. To find your nearest branch, call 6299 0495
Surfing
With its own private beachfront area and kid-friendly wading pool, Wave House Sentosa is a great place to spend a hot Saturday afternoon – especially if your kids want to learn how to surf.
Kids of all ages particularly love riding Wave House’s Double FlowRider, which creates a safe, non-curling, endless sheet of water. Riders can carve up and down the surface and perform many tricks similar to other board sports. It’s a great way for kids to improve their balance, agility and coordination, and learn how to be comfortable in the water, and with the waves.
One of Wave House’s most popular events – held every third Saturday of the month – is the Girls Learn To Ride clinic, taught by the top female instructors. In addition, there are other surf clinics held on a monthly basis, as well as national and regional level competitions.
36 Siloso Beach Walk, 6238 1196
Rugby
Centaurs Kids offers professional rugby coaching for boys and girls aged three to 18 in a safe and fun environment.
“Our coaches instil the five core values of rugby as highlighted by the IRB,” says Charlie Lambert, Centaur’s Senior Events Manager. “Best coaching practice, best sportsmanship and responsible sideline behaviour are all hallmarks of professional rugby, and at Centaurs, we pay attention to how kids learn these ethics and apply them beyond the field.”
In addition, Centaurs Touch offers professional touch coaching for players from the age of six, up to players competing at the highest level of adult completion in Singapore. In fact, Centaurs Touch is a founding member of the National Touch Championships 2014.
6468 9851 | centaursgroup.com
Rock Climbing
For an island with not many hills, there’s a lot of interest in rock climbing in Singapore and a good selection of climbing facilities – of the artificial kind, of course. Find out more: A Google search will throw up many options but a couple of kid-friendly places that offer instruction include The Rock School at Bedok and Kinetics Climbing at Paya Lebar, as well as Climb Central at the new Kallang Wave Mall.
Sailing
Surrounded by a very accessible body of calm-ish water, Singapore is an ideal place for children from around the age of seven to learn to sail. Find out plenty of useful information on the Singapore Sailing Federation‘s website.
Find out more: Mana Mana on the East Coast offers weekly and school holiday programmes in dinghy sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding and windsurfing (6339 8878). SAF Yacht Club at Sembawang offers a beginners’ course in the school holidays (6389 3750).
Hash House Horrors
Think mud, water, jungle and the occasional insect bite – this is the closest you’ll get to Mother Nature – in a one-hour organised run/walk through Singapore’s green tracts of land. As with the adult version, a few orienteering skills will help so you don’t get separated from the pack. Finish the trail with a juice for the kids, cold beer for the adults and an on-site hot meal. Suitable for kids up to 11 years. Not suitable for prams, so very small children will need to be carried.
Saturday Sports
From early 2015, Camp Asia will be expanding to offer a Saturday Sports programme for children aged three to sixteen. The exciting new programme will cover eight sports: baseball, basketball, cheerleading, soccer, swimming, tennis, golf and judo. Sporty kids will be coached at Stamford American International School, which has state-of-the-art facilities like indoor sports arenas, dance studios, three swimming pools and more.
279 Upper Serangoon Road, Campasia.asia
Ice Skating
There are a handful of ice skating rinks in Singapore (check out our ice skating guide here), with The Rink at JCube in Jurong being the only one with real ice and the best for group and solo lessons in Singers. Check out their website for booking details – there are heaps of sessions with their professional trainers.
Trampolining
Amped is Singapore’s first indoor trampoline, that’s stuffed to the brim with the things. We’re talking full floors of trampolines for kids to enjoy – either in classes or at leisure. Check the Amped website for locations and details on coaching sessions.
Insider Tip
Kids can try out a new sport each week– from beach volleyball and basketball to bossaball and tennis – by signing up for Learn-to-Play sessions at the new Singapore Sports Hub.
Visit sportshub.com.sg/experiencesports for details
This oh-so-handy story was first featured in Expat Living’s brilliant Kids’ Guide, which offers mums in Singapore valuable advice and information about daily life on the island, from finding a great school to fun activities. For more articles like the above, simply pick up a copy from EL’s online shop now.
