School Holiday Camps Singapore: 3 Families Share Real Costs
Every March, June, September and November, the same WhatsApp group chat message appears: "Eh, what camp you sending your kid for the holidays ah?" With both parents working in most Singapore households, the school holidays aren't really a break — they're a logistics puzzle. And a costly one too.
We spoke to three Singaporean households about how they actually budgeted for school holiday camps Singapore parents rely on every year, what they paid, and what they'd do differently. No sugarcoating — just real numbers.
Case Study 1: The Dual-Income Family in Punggol Juggling Two Kids
The Lims, both in their late 30s, live in a 4-room BTO in Punggol and work full-time — him in logistics, her in healthcare admin. With a 7-year-old and a 10-year-old, the June holidays used to mean one grandparent flying in from Johor to babysit. That stopped being reliable after the pandemic, so they turned to camps.
Their strategy: mix cheap and cheerful with one splurge. The younger one went to a People's Association holiday camp at their neighbourhood Community Club — $150 for a full week, 9am to 5pm, covering games, simple craft, and a water play day. The older one, who's into robotics, was enrolled in a 5-day STEM camp at a private enrichment centre in Hougang Mall for $680.
| Item | Cost (SGD) |
|---|---|
| PA community camp (younger child, 1 week) | $150 |
| STEM/robotics camp (older child, 1 week) | $680 |
| Transport (grab to/from camp, 2 weeks) | $120 |
| Snacks/packed lunch top-ups | $40 |
| Total for 1 week of holidays | $990 |
What they learned: the PA camp was a steal, but booking opens fast — slots at popular CCs like Punggol 21 fill up within 48 hours of registration opening online. Mrs Lim now sets a calendar reminder a week before bookings open. The STEM camp, while pricier, was worth it because her son actually asked to go back — a rare win for any parent paying four figures for five days of childcare-with-benefits.
Case Study 2: The Single-Income Household in Woodlands Watching Every Dollar
The Rahmans live in a 5-room flat in Woodlands. With one parent working and three kids aged 6, 9, and 12, holiday camps are a line item they scrutinise hard. Their approach: avoid the big-name enrichment chains entirely and lean on free or heavily subsidised options.
They used the ActiveSG holiday camps run out of sports centres — $80 to $120 per child for a week of multi-sport activities (badminton, swimming basics, floorball) at Woodlands Sports Centre. For the 12-year-old who wanted something different, they found a half-day coding camp at a community library programme that cost just $45 for three sessions.
| Item | Cost (SGD) |
|---|---|
| ActiveSG sports camp x2 kids (1 week each) | $200 |
| Library coding workshop (eldest, 3 sessions) | $45 |
| Packed lunches (made at home) | $0 (already budgeted in groceries) |
| Total for 1 week | $245 |
What they learned: ActiveSG and library programmes are chronically under-marketed — most parents don't even know they exist because the enrichment centres with glossy Instagram ads dominate search results and mall banners. Mrs Rahman says she now checks the ActiveSG and NLB websites religiously at the start of every term, sometimes two months ahead, because the popular slots (especially swimming-based camps) are gone within days.
Case Study 3: The Condo Family in Tampines Going All-In on Enrichment
The Teos, both working in finance, live in a condo near Tampines Mall. With one child, 8 years old, and a household income that gives them more breathing room, their holiday camp budget looks very different — they treat it less as childcare and more as an investment in exposure.
For the November holidays, they booked a 2-week overseas-style immersive camp (actually held locally at a private campus in Bukit Timah) combining coding, public speaking, and a cooking module, at $1,150 for two weeks. Add in a 3-day art intensive at a studio in Katong for $420, and their holiday spend hit four figures easily.
| Item | Cost (SGD) |
|---|---|
| 2-week multi-discipline enrichment camp | $1,150 |
| 3-day art intensive (Katong studio) | $420 |
| Grab transport (daily, 2.5 weeks) | $280 |
| Total for 2.5 weeks | $1,850 |
What they learned: the price tag bought convenience and curated content, but not necessarily better outcomes than the cheaper options. Mrs Teo admitted her son enjoyed the cooking module most — the cheapest-sounding component — and found the public speaking segment stressful rather than enriching. Her takeaway: don't assume higher cost equals better fit for your specific kid.
The Bottom Line: What All Three Families Agree On
Despite wildly different budgets — from $245 to $1,850 for roughly similar time periods — all three households landed on the same core lessons:
- Book early, always. Whether it's a $150 PA camp or a $1,150 private one, popular slots vanish within days of opening, especially anything involving swimming, robotics, or a well-known instructor.
- Mix free/subsidised with paid. Even the higher-income Teo family said they'd consider slotting in an ActiveSG week next time just to give their son variety without blowing the whole budget on one programme.
- Ask your kid what they actually enjoyed, not what sounds impressive. The cheapest activities (cooking, basic sports, library workshops) were repeatedly the ones kids asked to repeat — not the premium ones parents thought would
Image credit: Compagnons / Unsplash
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