Enrichment classes for kids is booming. If you ever to join any parent groups, enrichment classes is a very hot topic. Being a kiasu society, no parents wants their child to lose out. So to make sure their children have a head start in life, many Singaporen parents spend a lot of money to sign up their kids to multiple enrichment classes. Some classes is for babies as young as 4 months old. CRAZY RIGHT?!
Well, that’s what I thought BEFORE I have children of my own. And when my first son was born, Kay and I too was sucked in to this idea and YES, we did signed him up to some enrichment classes. We went for quite a number of enrichment classes and many more trial sessions.
Always sign up for trial session before committing to any enrichment classes. All kind of enrichment classes should have trial session so please ask.
Pak Melepak (2020)
So in today MELEPAK session, I will be sharing what classes we decided to sign him up, why I sign him up and more importantly, the cost of these enrichment classes. So hope you enjoy this post. Let’s MELEPAK guys!
BabySPA – Water Confidence for Babies
Being a first time parent, we wanted what’s best for him. So when he was 6 months old, we decided to sign him up for his first enrichment class. We wanted him to have water confidence and so signed him up to BabySPA.
About BabySPA
BabySPA is basically getting your kids to wear a neck float and place them in water. The idea is to expose them to water at a young age. In addition to that, BabySPA also offers baby massage and haircut. They have 6 outlets all over Singapore:
- Harbourfront Centre #03-11 Tel: 62720061
- Northpoint City (South Wing) #02-161 Tel:62546500
- Plaza Singapura (Dhoby Ghaut) #03-30 Tel: 62386003
- Punggol Oasis Terraces #04-05, Tel: 62448700
- Westgate (Jurong East) #04-34 Tel: 64659459
For more information, you can visit their website: https://www.babyspa.com.sg/
My Personal Review
Simply put, I did not sign up for my 2nd child. BabySPA service is top quality. But ultimately, I did not see much benefit for my son. It is fun and exciting the first few session but after the 6 sessions, the novelty dies down and it becomes a hassle to bring him to the session. In the end, we did not complete all 20 session and decided to forgo it.
So if you are considering BabySPA, my advise would be to try the trial session and DO NOT sign up for a big package. If there is a 5 session package, you definitely should take that. If not, the 10 session package is a better option. (Do not be tempted with the freebies)
Enrichment Class Cost Breakdown
We signed up for BabySPA when our first son, Dom, was 6 months old. We were unsure if we should sign up so we tried the trial session ($75). During the first trial session, the service rendered was great. Although Dom did not enjoy it (he cried most of the time), we decided to sign him up as we really want him to love being in water.
BabySPA offered a number of packages based on the number of sessions we want.
- 10 session package + 2 massage session @ $420
- 20 session package + 5 massage session @ $750
- 30 session package + 8 massage session @ $990
We decided to sign up for the 20 session package (comes with a free gift but can’t remember what it was). So total amount spent for BabySPA Enrichment Class was $825.
TOTAL COST: $825
MyGym Classes
The next enrichment class that we signed up for him is My Gym. We wanted him to develop a good fine and gross motor skills and toughen him up. So we felt that My Gym would be good for his physical development.
About My Gym
My Gym originated from US and has more than 600 outlets all over the world. In Singapore alone, there’s 7 outlet:
- Rochester Mall
- City Square Mall
- Great World City
- Westgate
- Parkway Parade
- Oasis Terrace
- Income@Tampines Junction
They are well known to develop kids social skills, confidence enhancement, cognitive skills and fine motor skills. My Gym have a friendly staff and have a small teacher to kids ratio. They created a lot of songs that kids can sing along and every session will be different. Every My Gym outlet is well equipped with interesting things. What really sold me to My Gym is that they have trampoline for kids!! Haha.
They have a wide range of programs catering to the different age group – Little Bundle (3-7mth) to Whiz Kid (5-8yrs).
For more information about My Gym, you can visit their website: https://mygym.com.sg/
My Personal Review
Personally, I enjoyed My Gym session. For the first few terms, 1 parent have to accompany and take part in the session together with the kid. I enjoyed the most when the staff setup obstacle course for the kids to go through. It was fun and they celebrate the effort the kids put in which is great.
Another point to share about My Gym (at least for the outlet we went), the staff are very friendly and they took the effort to get to know the kids and know their name and this makes the kid very comfortable to attend the session.
So My Gym is a thumbs up for me and recommended. Will definitely sign up for my 2nd son soon.
Enrichment Class Cost Breakdown
My Gym charges termly which includes 10 session @ $585/term. We love this class and signed Dom up from 9 months old to 24 months. So he started from Tiny Tykes program and ended in Gymsters program. In total, it was 5 terms costing us $2925. I was certain there was a promo when we signed up but can’t remember how much exactly. So for the sake of this post, let’s put our total cost with My Gym at $2750.
TOTAL COST: $2750
HeGuru Education
Around the same time as his My Gym classes, we signed him up to HeGuru Education. We have covered his physical fine-motor skills with My Gym and felt that HeGuru will help develop his mental development.
About HeGuru
HeGuru originated from Japan and focuses on children’s right brain development. They have won numerous awards (voted the best enrichment classes for kids by a lot of mummy bloggers) and their courses are specifically designed to nurture high EQ children who are sharp-thinkers and confident. (At least that’s what their website claims)
HeGuru have courses for toddlers, preschool and primary level. For toddlers (the one we signed up), the primary focus is to develop these abilities below among others:
- High Speed Processing Thinking Ability
- Photographic and Long Term Memory
- Numeracy and Linguistic
- Spatial Recognition
- Improved Attention Span
The classes is a quick 1 hour session and they conducted more than 20 activities within that 1 hour. So you can gauge how fast each activities are (this is the part for high speed processing). For more information, do check out their website: https://www.hegurueducation.com.sg/
My Personal Review
Not sure if it is coincidence or the result of sending him to HeGuru, but we do noticed Dom having good memory and attention span. Even his teachers in school comments that he is very attentive and will always be the one who answers questions. He is also able to sit throughout his lesson in school.
Maybe we are being biased but we do feel that he is smart for his age and he is able to pick up things fast. So probably, sending him to HeGuru does have a part in this (probably). But other than the result, we felt that the classes was conducted well and there is constant feedback from the trainers. We were also given tips on how to help him develop these skills at home which we find useful.
As such, overall, I personally feel that HeGuru is one of the better enrichment classes for kids. And we more likely to sign up our 2nd son to HeGuru when he reached 1.5 years old.
Enrichment Classes Cost Breakdown
We started sending Dom to HeGuru when he was 1.5 years old. So from 1.5 years old, our saturday schedule was to send him to MyGym, went for lunch and followed by HeGuru classes. Crazy!
Anyway, we signed him up for a year which equates to 4 terms. HeGuru charges $599/term. So our total investment on HeGuru is $2396.
TOTAL COST: $2396
Little Quran Kids
Of course in life, we wanted a holistic learning for our children and our son enrichment class journey wouldn’t be complete without a religious component. So we signed him up for Little Quran Kids. The idea is to get him to love and memorize the Quran. We heard many good things about Little Quran Kids and how children love their classes.
When we first wanted to sign up, the classes were over-subscribed and there is no slot for him. Fortunately, they decided to open up another class due to the high demand.
About Little Quran Kids
Little Quran Kids (LQK) is founded by Ustazah Su’aidah Salim. The objective for LQK is to help kids memorize the Quran (Juz Amma) using kinesthetic movement and ultimately, to instill love for the Quran in the kids’ heart. They uses music and actions to help kids understand and memorize the Quran. Currently, LQK offers 4 different curriculum for kids between 3-6 years old. All their classes are conducted in 3 centres:
- Soul Project Centre (Woodlands)
- Little Sahaabah Centre (Tampines)
- Bugis Centre (Bugis)
LQK is a 2 hour weekly class. Each lesson is divided into 5 parts:
- Freeplay Time
- Zikir Time
- Wudhu & Solat Time
- Surah Time
- Art Time
For more information about Little Quran Kids, you can check their website: http://littlequrankids.com/about-us/
My Personal Review
LQK has been great for Dom. He enjoys the classes and learns a lot of Arabic. He sing songs that he learnt in class and more importantly, he started to memorize a lot of the different surahs in the Quran. The classes taught them the meaning of each surah and break it down into simpler movement to enable him to memorize it.
This year is his 2nd year with LQK and we intend to sign him up till he is 6. So for Muslim parents who are considering a religious class and wants to expose your child to Islam at a young age, LQK is 100% recommended.
Enrichment Class Cost Breakdown
LQK is a weekly class and the fee is $120/month. As of July 2020, Dom has been attending LQK for the past 18 months. As such, our total cost for LQK is $2160.
TOTAL COST: $2160
Silat Martial Art Self-Defence Classes
When he turns 4, we decided that we wanted him to learn martial art as a form of self defence and also to boost his confident. As I was silat trained in my younger days, I wanted Dom to learn silat too. So we enrolled him to Silat classes near our place.
About Silat
Silat is a form of martial art that develops self-defence skills. But more than just being able to defend oneself, it builds up one’s confidence just knowing that he can defend himself if need to. On top of that, it also promotes discipline and hard work. Almost all Silat classes are conducted in community clubs including the one we sent Dom. There are many Silat ‘schools’ (Perguruan) and the one that is closest to our place is Persilatan Seligi Tunggal Angkatan Singapura.
My Personal Review
I am bias as Silat was the only ‘enrichment class’ that I went for when I was a kid. And I truly benefit from it now as I am more assure of myself knowing I can defend myself if need to. So I would definitely want my children to learn martial art.
However, the one that I signed Dom does not have a proper structure to teach toddlers and it becomes more of a play time at times. So even though I strongly for the idea of signing up martial art classes for my kids, I would probably delay it till they are in primary school instead of at a young age.
Enrichment Class Cost Breakdown
The class charge a monthly fee of $50 plus a one time registration fee of $30 and uniform fee of $65. We started the class when he turns 3 (2019) and stops during the Circuit Breaker (Have yet to resume).
So total cost for his martial art classes is $445.
TOTAL COST: $445
Happy Fish Swim School
Another life skills that Kay and I deemed necessary is swimming. Personally, I love to swim and I can swim for hours on my own. So naturally, I wanted Dom to be able to swim too. We were considering a few swim schools and Happy Fish was recommended by a friend. After doing some research and a phone call, we signed him up for swimming lessons with Happy Fish.
About Happy Fish
Happy Fish is an established swim school that conducted their classes in their exclusive heated pool. They cater to kids as young as 4 months old (accompanied by 1 parent) to 13 years old. Happy Fish have a professional and dedicated team of swim coach. They have 6 outlets in total:
- Wild Wild Wet
- Bedok
- Jurong East x 2
- Horsecity
- Bukit Timah @ Duke’s Road
Each classes is 45 minutes long and the max number of students per class is 6. This allows the coach to give enough attention to every kid. For more information about Happy Fish, visit their website: https://happyfish.sg/
My Personal Review
I have nothing but praises for Happy Fish. Having gone through the whole process of toddler to now kids, Kay and I feel that Happy Fish has done a great job. Their swim coach are professional and their program ensures kids learn in stages and more importantly, learn the correct technique.
The only tip is to choose the best outlet that both you and your kids love. They have 6 outlets in total and throughout our 2 years with them, we have gone to 3 of them. So my advise is to visit a few outlets that is near your place and recce.
I would totally recommend Happy Fish to any parents.
Enrichment Class Cost Breakdown
After we stopped his HeGuru classes and MyGym classes, we felt that it is time for his swimming lesson. Kay and I felt that 2.5 years old is appropriate age for Dom to start swimming lesson. At 2.5 years old, I have to join in the swimming classes together with him. It was a weekly affair. We are glad that he enjoys his swimming class and is now able to swim on his own. He is still attending swimming lesson with Happy Fish till now (4.5 years old).
For Happy Fish, the fee is $428/term (Each term consist of 10 weekly sessions). So for 2 years, it has been 8 terms with Happy Fish for a total investment of $3424 and still counting.
TOTAL COST: $3424
Overall Cost of Enrichment Classes for 1 Child (0 to 5 years old)
| Enrichment Class | Total Cost |
|---|---|
| Baby SPA | $828 |
| My Gym | $2750 |
| HeGURU | $2396 |
| Little Quran Kids | $2160 |
| Martial Art – Silat | $445 |
| Hapy Fish Swim School | $3424 |
| OVERALL ENRICHMENT COST | $12003 |
From the table above, you can see that Kay and I have invested more than $12,000 on Dom’s enrichment classes. This is for a time period of 5 years. To be honest, I was shocked when I compile this numbers. Didn’t realized how much we have spend over the years. $12,000 is not a small sum for us (It is the same amount as my website investment which gives me an ROI of 30% and also the same amount for my yearly Great Wealth Advantage premium) but at the end of the day, we can just hope that these enrichment classes helps him to develop into a better person holistically.
If you have read till this point, I appreciate it and I hope my sharing gives you an idea on the cost of enrichment classes for kids nowadays. I would love to hear your own child’s enrichment class journey. Please share with us in the comment section below. Thank you and that’s the end of today’s MELEPAK session. Take care.
