Do you want your kids to be able to express themselves effectively and to build their self confidence? Speech and drama classes are a fantastic way to develop these skills in a fun environment.
Be it public speaking, musical theatre, or drama classes, these are all great programmes that not only give children the chance to express themselves creatively, but also help them to learn important life skills such as effective communication, leadership skills, and the ability to work with others.
To make it easier for parents to decide the right school for your child, here's some of our favorite speech and drama programmes in Singapore.
1. Centre Stage School of the Arts
2. Act 3 Drama Academy
3. Julia Gabriel Centre - Drama & Communication Programs
4. Wild Rice Academy - Wild Kids: Weekly Drama Classes
5. MADDspace - Theatrical Crew: Stars on Broadway
6. Lorna Whiston Schools - Speech and Drama Class
7. LoveKids - Specialized Speech and Drama Programmes for Preschool
8. Helen O'Grady Drama Academy
9. Young People's Performing Arts Ensemble - Voices of Children
10. Speech Academy Asia - Children Public Speaking Class
Centre Stage School of the Arts has one of the most comprehensive course offerings in Singapore, with over 20 courses ranging from Creative Drama and Musical Theatre, to Dance, Music, and Singing Courses.
The school has an extensive early years programme where children from as young as 6 months old can participate in parent-toddler classes or pre-school style programmes.
Students are taught by professionally qualified staff who have all trained as performers and completed courses in UK or Australian drama schools and universities. In addition, many of the school's teachers have practical experience working in theatre and television.
The teachers at Centre Stage School of the Arts also win rave reviews for their enthusiasm and friendliness.
With its very own in-house Black Box Theatre, Centre Stage School of the Arts is one of the few schools in Singapore which is able to give its students a chance to perform in front of live audiences in fully staged productions.
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Run by Act 3 International, one of the leading arts company for the young in Singapore, Act 3 Drama Academy offers drama programmes for kids from 18 months old through to their teens.
Drama for the very young (Ages 1.5 to 3) - A parent accompanied programme where children can experience and enjoy drama through structured dramatic play.
Drama for young children (Ages 3 to 7) - Using drama principles and experiences, this programme helps students to develop their thinking and social interaction skills.
Drama for older children (Ages 8 to 15) - In this programme, children are given many opportunities to engage in the theatrical, artistic, and literary aspects of the drama-making process as they become more independent.
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Julia Gabriel Centre's Drama and Communication Programmes are action-packed and full of fun!
Specialist teachers employ a variety of methods such as drama, poetry, musical theatre, mime, puppetry, role-play, storytelling, reading aloud, and creative writing to teach communication, problem-solving, and group interaction skills.
Children will love the challenge and excitement of learning new skills in an environment that encourages creativity and imagination while cultivating the appreciation of rhythm, sound, and language.
Julia Gabriel Centre's EduDrama® methodology focuses on empowering individuals with crucial life skills. Its educators strive to teach students to be lifelong learners and leaders who are able to make positive contributions to their home and community.
The EduDrama® pedagogy also enables the mastery of skills over time through practice within a happy and safe environment.
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At Wild Rice Academy, children are encouraged to try new things and explore their creative abilities.
Experienced Teaching Artists guide children to discover themselves and the world around them through storytelling, theatre, and performance.
Drama classes are fun and engaging, and are designed to develop confidence, creativity, and social-emotional skills of children.
By participating in drama games, role-playing activities, and performance arts, your child will be building up their self confidence while picking up key language and literacy skills.
Ages 5-8: Classes revolve around storytelling, improvisation, and role-playing exercises. Children are also introduced to original stories and scripts which will help them to learn core language and social-emotional skills as well as cultivate their imagination and creativity.
Ages 9-12: Students will be focusing more on creativity and critical thinking, while also honing their ability to express themselves effectively with their bodies, voices, and faces. They will also have ample opportunities to showcase their creativity.
Location: Wild Rice @ Funan, 107 North Bridge Road #04-08 Funan Singapore 179105
Music, dance, and acting are all great ways for your child to learn how to express themselves better!
Suitable for kids from 6-12 years old, this foundational level program focuses on preparing students for end of term performances and mini musicals.
One of the leading performing arts studios in Singapore, MADDspace aims to produce students with a sense of self-confidence, discipline, respect, and humility.
The school works closely with parents to develop your children into responsible and confident individuals, capable not only of shining on stage, but also excelling in life's future challenges as well.
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Lorna Whiston's Speech and Drama programme focuses on building creativity, communication skills, and confidence.
Using drama as a tool for learning, students become more aware of their body, voice, and performance space, turning them into confident and effective communicators.
Programmes are geared towards individual age levels and are available for kids 3 years old and up.
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LoveKids' Speech and Drama classes encompass both intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ).
The programmes focus on developing speech, reading, and public speaking skills, turning your child into a confident communicator.
Kids are taught dramatic speech and how to present with expression, essential skills for getting an audience's attention and keeping them engaged.
They also learn to read through a combination of word recognition, sight words, and memory, as well as to pronounce sounds accurately. This serves to provide them with a strong foundation for them to express themselves clearly and confidently.
Creative drama and improvisation are used to help students learn soft and social skills such as group dynamic skills, presentation, empathy, and decision making.
Location: 24A Maju Avenue, Serangoon Gardens, Singapore 556696
The Helen O' Grady Drama Academy uses drama as a tool to teach necessary life skills to children.
Speech and drama classes are available for a whole range of age groups from kids aged 2-18.
Programmes follow a meticulously designed structure that focus on developing confidence, self-esteem, creativity, and communication within a fun environment.
Every lesson is different and it's possible to attend the Academy from age 2-18 without repeating any lesson!
Students will put on a performance at the end of every year, a chance for them to show off the skills they've learnt and celebrate their progress in the programme.
Location: Mountbatten Centre, 231 Mountbatten Road Block B #03-03 Singapore 397999
Founded in 1973 by the former Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, the Young People's Performing Arts Ensemble (YPPAE) is one of the most established Chinese children's performing arts company in Singapore.
Every year, YPPAE produces hit Mandarin children theatre productions ranging from plays and cross-talk shows, to choral concerts and musicals. It has also developed supplementary resources for Singapore's Ministry of Education (MOE).
Voices of Children (VOC) is YPPAE's flagship training programme. Drawing upon Chinese cultural and Confucian values, VOC provides students with a Mandarin theatre and performing arts education in a fun and engaging environment.
The programme aims to develop students' creativity, linguistic skills, and expressive abilities, while grooming them to be professional and versatile artistes.
As standard Mandarin is used for all activities, it's a great programme for parents who want to cultivate your child's interest in Mandarin, as well as to let them learn the language through creative drama in a fun setting.
YPPAE offers a number of programmes based on the age group of your child.
As they progress through the programme, students will also improve their literary comprehension skills through exposure to stories, poems, and rhymes.
At the end of the semester, parents will be invited to attend the Open House - Ding Dong Stage where you can take part in interactive lessons with your children and enjoy performances presented by them.
Location: 90 Goodman Road, Goodman Arts Centre Blk M #03-53 Singapore 439053
Empower your children with the courage and confidence to speak up and turn them into confident communicators.
Developed by experts, Speech Academy Asia's curriculum contains over a thousand methods for improving speech crafting, body language, voice tonality, and emotions.
Experience trainers integrate engaging games into classes, enabling children to develop public speaking skills in a fun manner.
Students will learn unique powerful life skills speeches every month and you'll also get to watch them present live to you.
Locations: 5 branches in Jurong, Tampines, Marina Parade, Toa Payoh and Woodlands
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