3 Things You Should Spend Money On Instead of Tuition
Many people complain about the raising prices of flats, cars and expenses in Singapore, but little actually knows that raising a kid is one of the most expensive thing to do in Singapore. One main reason might be the amount of money spend on tuition for the kids.
7 in 10 parents send their kids to tuition classes in Singapore, and many parents spend $400 a month per kid on tuition classes, some even more. But kids do not benefit from so many hours of tuition a week, in fact, only 30% of parents seen improvement of their child's results after spending thousands of dollars of tuition!
Some of us have been through tuition classes ourselves or even been a tutor, and we can see and empathize with the kids. Attending more lessons after a long day of school, most of the kids struggle to stay awake and to retain any information taught.
Here are some things parents can spend on other than tuition classes that can also benefit their kids:
Swimming Lessons
The number of kids involved in near-drowning experience has increased throughout the years. If you stay in a condo, take note as approximately 50% of these incidents happened in a condo pool.
Nope, kids are not spending more time in the pool, contributing to the raising stats.
Children are not always taught how to swim before entering the pool, and parents might not pay enough attention when their kids are playing in the pool. Basic swimming skills are neccesary, most of us do not know this but a friendly breath-holding competition under the water can potentially cause serious water injury.
Even if you do not have a pool nearby, or in your condo, it is always a good idea to get your kids familiarized with the water. There is no need to spend more money on infant swimming lessons, starting early at the age of age 5 to 6 is perfect.
Child proofing your Home
Every now and then, we receive news of children falling from HDB flats and it is heartwrenching to hear. Even if parents were to supervise their kids all the time, there will be times when they will be out of our sight.
It is also not possible to depend on your helper to look after your kid 24/7, keeping an eye on them all the time, especially with all the work they have to do on top of taking care of the kid.
Safety always come first, use some of the tuition budget to child-proof your home. Replace old and unstable furnitures, install grills on your windows, get non-slip shower matts, tie up loose cords, just to name a few. And for all their crawling baby brothers and sisters, here is a very comprehensive childproofing list for crawling babies.
Sports Equipment and Facilities
Long hours of school, followed by brain sapping tuition, and when their brain is already at their insanely saturated state, they have to do their homework. There is no doubt why their health is deteriorating so quickly!
A study claims that teenagers in Singapore do not participate in suffice physical activities, and this can lead to health issues later in their adult life. There is no waiting for your child to only start exercising after only after exams, after graduation or after they land a good paying job. Lack of exercise in their youth will increase their risk of stroke, heart problems, and diabetes.
Do not let the authorative parenting side of you take over and use this opportunity to get them a swimming coach and start training them to be olympic swimmers! Give the kids some time to find what they enjoy the most, which they can do it actively. Never restrict them to 'safe', non-competitive sports, a game of soccer or basketball can be safe and also lots of fun!
You can also spend your tuition budget wisely on some gifts for your kids to make them smarter!
