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Activity Guides

Sports and Games: The Main Options

A reference of the main Sports and Games options available to a child aged 9–12 in Singapore, by where it comes from — school, community, or private.

Prepared by The Editorial Team

Updated 28 September 2026

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

At a glance: where each activity covered below is available, from a school CCA through to private lessons. Some means at least one school’s own page confirms it; a note in brackets says where the page doesn’t say which age group or style. A dash means this guide doesn’t cover that route, not that it doesn’t exist.

Activity MOE school CCA International school CCA Junior Sports Academy Federation or national programme Private
Football, Basketball, Netball, Badminton, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Track and Field, Floorball, Tchoukball, Wushu, Gymnastics, Softball Yes, varies by school Some (football, badminton, volleyball) — — Gymnastics
Swimming Yes; also SwimSafer, typically at P3 in PE — — — —
Sailing — — Yes Optimist pathway —
Kitefoiling — — — — Private kite schools (entry point)
Bowling Yes — Yes Development pathway through endorsed academies Through those academies
Fencing — — Yes Federation circuit, incl. Singapore Minime Private academies
Tennis — — Yes STA’s SPEX (Sports Excellence) Junior Tennis Scheme Yes
Golf — — — Junior tournaments and a Future Squad —
Martial arts (taekwondo, karate) Wushu, as a separate CCA — Taekwondo — Yes
Rock climbing — — — — Yes
Rugby Yes Some (age not stated) — — Private clubs
Ice skating — — — — Two venues
Skateboarding — — — — Public skate parks and private lessons
Parkour — — — — Private lessons

School-based (CCA) — MOE schools

The common Sports and Games CCAs across Singapore government primary schools:

  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Netball
  • Badminton
  • Volleyball
  • Table Tennis
  • Track and Field
  • Floorball
  • Tchoukball
  • Wushu
  • Gymnastics
  • Swimming
  • Softball
  • Rugby
  • Bowling

Availability varies by school — not every school offers every option.

Swimming — SwimSafer is the national water safety programme. Primary schools typically offer it at Primary 3 as part of the PE curriculum.

School-based (CCA) — international schools

International schools in Singapore set their own CCA programmes. One large international school’s own CCA list includes rugby, alongside more familiar options like football, badminton and volleyball; its page doesn’t say which age groups take part. Availability is school-specific — check directly with your child’s school.

A broader school-independent pathway: the Junior Sports Academy

MOE’s Junior Sports Academy (JSA) is a separate, selective programme for Primary 4 and 5 students. It runs on Saturdays across two years (P4 entry) or one year (P5 entry), rotating through several sport modules. Students are strongly encouraged to pick sports they aren’t already doing. Entry is by nomination (school or parent) and a selection trial. Current sport modules include Flippaball, Shooting and Fencing, alongside more familiar options like Sailing, Tennis, Bowling and Taekwondo.

Standalone community pathways (outside school, sport-specific)

Sailing — the Singapore Sailing Federation runs a structured Optimist-class pathway at the National Sailing Centre, East Coast Park: Opti Junior (ages 7 to 12) through to a National Squad. Children sign up directly with the federation; see its page for intake dates and requirements.

Kitefoiling — Singapore’s first Olympic sailing medal came from this discipline. Entry is through private kite schools, which run lessons at East Coast Park.

Bowling — the Singapore Bowling Federation runs an endorsed development pathway through private academies, alongside a genuine National School Games bowling category with its own junior division. The National School Games are annual championships in which pupils represent their school.

Golf — the Singapore Golf Association runs junior tournaments for ages 5 to 14, and a Future Squad for selected juniors aged 6 to 11.

Fencing — through private academies alongside the national federation’s circuit, including Fencing Singapore’s own “Singapore Minime” championship for younger age groups (U10, U12 and U14 in 2026).

Private enrichment

Widely available privately-run categories for this age group: tennis, martial arts, gymnastics, rock climbing and rugby. Tennis includes the SPEX Junior Tennis Scheme, for ages 6 to 18, run by the Singapore Tennis Association. Martial arts include taekwondo and karate, alongside the Wushu some schools already offer as a CCA. Gymnastics is also a school CCA at some schools, and rugby runs through private clubs as well as school CCAs. Ice skating is also available, at present through two venues: a real-ice rink, and a synthetic-ice venue that opened in 2026.

Skateboarding and parkour — skateboarding happens at public skate parks and through private lessons. The parks are government-built; one example is Xtreme Skatepark, opened in 2009. It was a joint project of the National Parks Board, the National Youth Council and the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Sport Singapore also runs a skate spot at ActiveSG Bishan that welcomes beginners. Parkour is available through private lesson providers.

Not covered here

Dance is covered in the Performing Arts 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