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From fencing to CrossFit - classes which parents are signing their children up for
Parents are signing their children up for unusual sports enrichment classes, which can range from fencing to CrossFit sessions
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Eight-year-old Ted Ng goes to the same CrossFit gym as his dad Ng Eng Chuan. Other than helping him bond with his father, the sessions together have also improved Ted's fitness.
ST PHOTO: ZHANG XUAN
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SINGAPORE - Six-year-old Max Cheong used to play with foam swords as a toddler. Now, he has taken up fencing instead.
When he was younger, he would watch his sister, who is 12 years old, at fencing classes, mimicking her moves as he peered at the action from behind a glass wall.
"He kept asking for lessons," says his mother, Ms Angela Low, 44. She and her husband, a 45-year-old lawyer, have another daughter, aged 14.
Max has been taking fencing lessons at Z Fencing for the past two years, since he was four.
Ms Low, a stay-at-home mum, says her son was ready at that age as he was able to follow instructions.
She sees the benefits of the sports enrichment programme and will let Max keep at it as long as he remains interested.
She says: "Fencing involves fine motor skills, agility and hand-eye coordination and the children do a lot of fitness work, which is important for their development."
In the last five years, Z Fencing, which runs the fencing school that Max attends, has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of young children, aged four and up, enrolling in fencing classes, says Z Fencing's director and principal Teo Ah Heok.
Young children use fencing foils and masks made of plastic, instead of the heavier metal masks and weapons adults use, Ms Teo adds.
Parents in Singapore are increasingly enrolling their young children in sports enrichment programmes, according to service providers interviewed by The Straits Times.
Pre-schoolers and toddlers, some as young as 11/2 years old, are taking part in sports that are less common for this age group, such as rugby, cricket, volleyball and capoeira, a Brazilian martial art.
Taking part in sports enrichment classes "encourages children to be active", says Dr Tammy Lim from the Child Development Unit of National University Hospital.
When he was younger, he would watch his sister, who is 12 years old, at fencing classes, mimicking her moves as he peered at the action from behind a glass wall.
"He kept asking for lessons," says his mother, Ms Angela Low, 44. She and her husband, a 45-year-old lawyer, have another daughter, aged 14.
Max has been taking fencing lessons at Z Fencing for the past two years, since he was four.
Ms Low, a stay-at-home mum, says her son was ready at that age as he was able to follow instructions.
She sees the benefits of the sports enrichment programme and will let Max keep at it as long as he remains interested.
She says: "Fencing involves fine motor skills, agility and hand-eye coordination and the children do a lot of fitness work, which is important for their development."
In the last five years, Z Fencing, which runs the fencing school that Max attends, has seen a 50 per cent increase in the number of young children, aged four and up, enrolling in fencing classes, says Z Fencing's director and principal Teo Ah Heok.
Young children use fencing foils and masks made of plastic, instead of the heavier metal masks and weapons adults use, Ms Teo adds.
Parents in Singapore are increasingly enrolling their young children in sports enrichment programmes, according to service providers interviewed by The Straits Times.
Pre-schoolers and toddlers, some as young as 11/2 years old, are taking part in sports that are less common for this age group, such as rugby, cricket, volleyball and capoeira, a Brazilian martial art.
Taking part in sports enrichment classes "encourages children to be active", says Dr Tammy Lim from the Child Development Unit of National University Hospital.
"Not only does this contribute to physical wellness - a healthy weight, cardiovascular fitness, bone health and reduced risk of myopia - children also develop social skills when playing with other children," she says.
"Children who are physically fit are also more likely to do well academically."
But some medical professionals question the need for young children to take part in formal sports.
Mr Micheal Lim, head and senior clinical exercise physiologist, Family Medicine Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, advises that children "should accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily".
However, he cautions that children should "avoid early specialisation in sports".
He says: "Specialising in a single sport and starting intensive training too early can result in the risk of overuse injuries, mental stress and burnout."
An overuse injury is a muscle or joint injury caused by repetitive strain.
Dr Natalie Epton, a paediatrician and neonatologist at SBCC Baby & Child Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, says parents have to observe their child in sports enrichment programmes to assess whether the child is enjoying the activities.
Increasing frustration at being unable to perform a particular physical task in a sports enrichment class indicates the child may not be ready for it, she adds.
Dr Epton says that outdoor play can be as beneficial.
"It's great to start to do different activities but you don't need to do something that is particularly structured (like sports)," she says.
"Give your child space to explore something with his imagination; go to the park for a run. You don't have to spend money on enrichment for the same benefits."
Sports enrichment programmes can cost several hundred dollars a term.
The vendors emphasise, however, that their programmes are modified to age-appropriate levels for the little ones and that children learn general physical skills relating to motor skills, balance and coordination, for instance.
"All our activities, equipment, language and objectives are age- and developmentally appropriate," says Mr Alpesh Puna, director of Sport at Shaws Little League.
Shaws Little League offers sports programmes for children from two to 12 years old, including a multi-sport programme for under-fives, which exposes the youngsters to volleyball, tennis, basketball, baseball, rugby, hockey, cricket, soccer, golf and athletics.
The two-year-olds use smaller, lighter equipment, such as hockey sticks or baseball bats, compared with the three-year-olds, says Mr Puna.
"Children who are physically fit are also more likely to do well academically."
But some medical professionals question the need for young children to take part in formal sports.
Mr Micheal Lim, head and senior clinical exercise physiologist, Family Medicine Service, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, advises that children "should accumulate at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily".
However, he cautions that children should "avoid early specialisation in sports".
He says: "Specialising in a single sport and starting intensive training too early can result in the risk of overuse injuries, mental stress and burnout."
An overuse injury is a muscle or joint injury caused by repetitive strain.
Dr Natalie Epton, a paediatrician and neonatologist at SBCC Baby & Child Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, says parents have to observe their child in sports enrichment programmes to assess whether the child is enjoying the activities.
Increasing frustration at being unable to perform a particular physical task in a sports enrichment class indicates the child may not be ready for it, she adds.
Dr Epton says that outdoor play can be as beneficial.
"It's great to start to do different activities but you don't need to do something that is particularly structured (like sports)," she says.
"Give your child space to explore something with his imagination; go to the park for a run. You don't have to spend money on enrichment for the same benefits."
Sports enrichment programmes can cost several hundred dollars a term.
The vendors emphasise, however, that their programmes are modified to age-appropriate levels for the little ones and that children learn general physical skills relating to motor skills, balance and coordination, for instance.
"All our activities, equipment, language and objectives are age- and developmentally appropriate," says Mr Alpesh Puna, director of Sport at Shaws Little League.
Shaws Little League offers sports programmes for children from two to 12 years old, including a multi-sport programme for under-fives, which exposes the youngsters to volleyball, tennis, basketball, baseball, rugby, hockey, cricket, soccer, golf and athletics.
The two-year-olds use smaller, lighter equipment, such as hockey sticks or baseball bats, compared with the three-year-olds, says Mr Puna.
