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Activity Guides

Pets, Animals and Wildlife: The Main Options

A reference of animal-focused options for a child aged 9 to 12 in Singapore: a school wildlife programme, animal charities, and horse riding and pony clubs.

Prepared by The Editorial Team

Updated 30 September 2026

Details checked September 2026. Programmes change, so confirm with the school or provider.

In the table, Some means at least one organisation’s own page confirms it, with a note in brackets on how it works. A dash means “not covered here”, not that the option doesn’t exist.

Activity School programme Charity or national body Private lessons
Wildlife conservation projects Some (schools sign up) Yes (ACRES student projects) —
Animal welfare — Yes (SPCA Youth Ambassador) —
Horse riding — Yes (National Equestrian Centre) Yes
Horse care (pony clubs) — — Yes

Through school: Mandai Action for Wildlife

Mandai Wildlife Group runs a wildlife project programme for primary and secondary schools. Students choose one of three native-wildlife issues, such as animals being hit by traffic or conflict between wildlife and people, then research it and propose solutions. Mandai supports them with workshops, question-and-answer sessions with its wildlife experts and a closing showcase. The programme runs from March to August and costs $25 per primary pupil from 2026. Schools sign up, and nine primary schools took part in 2026; there is no sign-up for individual families. Places for 2026 are full, and schools can register interest for 2027.

Animal charities

SPCA Youth Ambassador Programme. The SPCA’s programme for ages 7 to 16 costs $20, and families sign up directly. It comes with a year’s SPCA junior or youth membership and discounted rates for the SPCA’s youth programmes, which the SPCA says it runs in the school holidays and term breaks. Its next listed youth event is a storytime on 10 October 2026 for ages 5 to 12, and a parent must stay for the whole session.

ACRES student projects. ACRES, a wildlife rescue charity, invites students under 18 to help through projects, such as collecting items on its wish list, raising awareness or fundraising. A project brief on its website sets out what it needs.

Horse riding and horse care

Riding lessons. The National Equestrian Centre, a public riding school under the Equestrian Federation of Singapore, runs riding programmes for children and adults. Its beginner course has seven lessons, which children join once they meet its age, height and skill criteria; its page doesn’t state the age. Private riding clubs also teach children. At the two clubs whose pages we read, lessons start from age 6. One club’s group beginner course is eight 45-minute lessons, and it also offers one-hour taster lessons. Pony rides for younger children, from age 3 at one club, are a separate, shorter activity.

Pony clubs. Both clubs also run pony clubs that non-members can join, where children learn to look after horses and are tested on what they learn. One takes children from age 5; the other is for ages 6 to 21.

Not covered here

This page doesn’t cover animal-assisted therapy programmes, which schools or care agencies arrange rather than families directly. It doesn’t cover fishkeeping or aquarium hobby groups, private pet-care or wildlife classes, or talks and tours that schools book with animal charities. Riding through schools and the National Equestrian Centre’s pony programmes aren’t covered either. A children’s wildlife school at Mandai, for ages 3 to 12, had no camps with dates listed when we checked, so it isn’t included. None of the 39 primary schools’ CCA lists we checked has a club focused on animal care; nature and environmental clubs are in the STEM guide.

This page doesn’t say whether any activity is offered as a Direct School Admission talent area. Each secondary school sets its own talent areas for each year’s exercise, so check the school’s own DSA page and MOE’s DSA-Sec information.

Sources