ENRICHMENT courses such as public speaking and acquiring money skills are fast gaining popularity in Singapore.

Last year, Adam Khoo Learning Technologies’ flagship programme “I Am Gifted!” saw a record growth of 83 per cent.

The programme consists of over 115 hours of training, coaching and mentoring children over a period of 40 weeks. It is targeted at students from primary school onwards.

Mr J.D. Lee, its head of youth division, says: “At our institution, we strive at preparing the child for today and for the future. We believe that every child is gifted and with proper strategies, getting As in school and life is possible.”

“I Am Gifted!” covers three aspects of a child’s development: Learning mastery, which focuses on proven accelerated learning strategies that allow a child to engage in “whole brain integrated learning”; personal and life mastery, which uses experiential training techniques and personal transformation techniques to empower a child with the winning mindset to overcome setbacks and motivate himself towards success; and communication and relationship mastery, which focuses on effective communication and relationship management.

At MindChamps, children from Primary 1 level can enrol in programmes such as Sparks of a Champion, which seeks to nurture three key areas of a child’s development: emotional intelligence, application of learning techniques to school curriculum, and thinking and creativity strategies for problem-solving.

A MindChamps’ spokesman says: “Sparks of a Champion gives your child the opportunity to develop the thinking techniques of the most successful learners right from the start of their academic journey.

It restructures the brain, creating the ideal platform on which to construct a successful future, in education and beyond.”

This article was first published in The Sunday Times.