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Phuket is the perfect place for children of any age. Thais have a very fun-loving nature and family plays an important role in Thai life, children are cherished and welcomed everywhere. Phuket has a large, English-speaking expat community and it caters well for foreign families in the school system with a number of international schools. There are also many activities available for teens and toddlers. Throughout the whole year, the island offers so much more for children than the habitual fun things such as sandy beaches and water sports.
Phuket has a number of parks with play areas specifically for children. In some parks there are even paddling pools.
Many local superstores such as Big C Supercenter and Tesco Lotus have an indoor commercial play area, usually near the food court.
Both of the above examples are fine in the short term, but what if you’re an expatriate family living in Phuket, or you’re a family that’s decided to stay here for the entire 2 months of the school holidays. What can you do to keep the kids busy? Don’t fret: There’s plenty to do, and here are just a few activities that your kids will love!
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Arts & Crafts Activities
Kid’s arts and crafts activities provide hours of fun not only the kids but also the parents.
At Hands on Arts Studio they offer clay and creative art classes for children and adults such as “Hands on Clay”, an educational program which uses polymer clay to help children improve recognition and perception of colors and their ability to understand amounts and proportions.
The activity also improves a child’s concentration and EQ, as well as aid personal development. “Hands on Clay” is an effective educational tool helping children to grow intelligently and creatively, allowing them to make delicate works such as ; models, sculptures, souvenirs and jewellery, along with numerous other things.
Hands on Clay Teaching Plan
- Begin with basic sculptures, progressing to 3D clay art.
- Mix techniques sculpturing.
- Colors and mixable colors.
- Shapes and proportions.
- Working step by step.
Benefits include:
- Extending their thinking across multiple patterns of intelligence
- Develop higher thinking skills
- Build self esteem
- Gain positive emotional responses to learning
- Engage through a variety of learning styles
Hands on Arts Studio
Zone A – View Planet @ Central Festival Phuket
Tel/Fax: +66 (0) 76-307062 or Mobile: +66 (0) 81-4762614
Open Daily from 9.00am – 7.00pm
Website: www.craftphuket.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/craftphuket
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Tennis
Tennis isn’t the easiest sport for young children to learn, but if you start kids right, they’re likely to be lifelong players. Phuket Lawn Tennis Club’s junior tennis program offers a fun, organized place for children 3 and up. Their goal is to foster a lifelong love of tennis in all their students in a fun, energetic atmosphere that emphasizes sportsmanship as well as athletic and technical skills.
In all of their quick start classes they stress the athletic development A, B, C’s: agility, balance, coordination and speed. Within each age group students are placed with others of the appropriate level.
Class Descriptions:
Little Tennis and Sports Skills (Ages 3 – 5): The relaxed environment will help participants to establish a base for gross motor and athletic skill development. Development of general athleticism is more important for kids of this age than tennis specific skills.
Tennis for 4 – 5 year olds: This class introduces children aged 4 and 5 years old to tennis in a fun and supportive way using scaled down courts and equipment. Each class uses a games based approach to tennis instruction with the emphasis on development of general motor and athletic skills.
Tennis for 5 – 6 year olds: This class teaches children 5 and 6 years old tennis in a fun and supportive way using scaled down courts and equipment. Each class uses a games based approach to tennis instruction and the development of general motor and athletic skills.
Tennis for 7 – 12 year olds: This class introduces tennis to children ages 7 to 12 to tennis and reinforces skills to children who have previously taken a beginner course. Instruction emphasizes a systematic, modern, fun, games based approach and uses scaled down equipment and courts to allow children to experience a great deal of success.
Phuket Lawn Tennis Club
Dumrong Rd, Taladyai, Phuket (Opposite Phuket Provincial Hall)
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Ballet
Ballet is a fun, yet challenging after school activity that has many benefits for young children – some of which they will appreciate for the rest of their lives.
It is one of the most physically demanding of all dance styles, and as such, is a wonderful way for young children to gain strength, improve flexibility and stay fit. It teaches them how to stand correctly and walk with grace and poise – qualities that will be of benefit to them for years to come, even if they choose to explore other activities.
Ballet is the ideal activity for children who do not do well academically or find it difficult to concentrate in class. By joining a ballet class they will be mentally challenged in different ways, as they learn to put steps into a sequence and remember routines. It also teaches them coordination and how to identify the left and right hand side of the body.
Interacting with other children in this fun environment will also help develop their social skills and greatly improve their confidence. As they learn to hold themselves gracefully and move with purpose, their whole countenance will begin to change. This is particularly noticeable in children who are shy or timid.
It is also an excellent activity for hyperactive children as it channels their energy in a positive way and teaches them to focus and co-operate with others.
PIDA (Phuket International Dance Academy) offers warm and welcoming classes designed to introduce children aged 3 upwards to ballet techniques and allow them to explore the joy of dancing. The small classes, limited to 10, are well structured and aim to develop physical strength, coordination, musicality, confidence and creativity. Classes are taught by our specialist instructors who will gently introduce your child to the world of dance and performance.
PIDA – Phuket International Dance Academy
158 Yaowarat Road Talad Yai, Muang Phuket
Tel: +66 (0) 76 209 151
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pidaphuket
YouTube: PIDA PHUKET Phuket International Dance Academy
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Swimming
Swimming is a competitive sport played around the world and on many different levels. It’s also an easy sport for kids to do by themselves, for fun and for exercise.
Many doctors agree that swimming is one of the best workouts kids can give their body, because it works almost all of their major muscle groups at the same time. Since they float in the water and are not in contact with any hard surfaces, there’s less pressure on their joints and bones. They’re a lot less likely to suffer certain kinds of injuries than with other sports. However, the first thing they need to do is learn to swim.
Each and every parent of young children will have to address the issue of their child learning how to swim. The question then becomes – who can do a better job of teaching the child to swim – the parent, or a swim instructor? A parent can do a lot to prepare their child for the water. On the other hand, a swim instructor can teach swimming strokes and advanced lessons more thoroughly.
The advantages of lessons
Bonding with your child while teaching them water skills can be fun, but there are some significant reasons to sign up for swim lessons.
While a parent may be limited in their knowledge of proper swim techniques, an instructor knows the proper swimming strokes and how to teach them.
Lessons can help the child develop skills which will reduce their fear of water. A child who has to sit by the side of the pool while others swim is only adding to fears they might have about the water. With a solid knowledge of swimming strokes, that fear is reduced.
An experienced instructor who is committed to the success of their students can greatly increase a child’s self confidence, by helping them master swimming skills, and by honoring each success.
By developing swim skills, swim lessons encourage a child into a more active lifestyle than sitting in front of the TV playing video games.
If you don’t have a pool at your house or apartment to swim in, there is a public pool facility here in Phuket which offers lessons. The Phuket City Home Swimming Pool can tailor lessons specifically to your child’s needs and abilities. Their well trained, enthusiastic and caring instructors are eager to teach your child to swim. They teach year round and enrollment is continuous, so there is no need to wait.
Phuket City Home Swimming Pool
Ruam Phatthana Rd, Rassada, Muang Phuket, Phuket, 83000
Tel: +66 (0) 80-5472061 or +66 (0) 89-6479689
Lessons times: Monday – Friday: 16:30pm – 20:30pm & Saturday – Sunday: 09.00am- 20.30pm