Jeddah - Post Report Question and Answers
Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
Yes, there are a lot of football programs, and many children practice other sports as well. I would look to book through the international schools where possible. - Oct 2022
I hear that schools offer a range of classes and afterschool activities. - Aug 2022
Compounds and schools provide a variety of sports and activities for kids and students. My children enjoyed soccer, ballet and tennis at the compound, and also swimming, soccer, and ballet at school. Gymnastics and competitive sports are also common at international schools. There is a baseball league available at one of the compounds. For leisure activities, there are several indoor activity centers with mazes and trampolines, an ice skating rink, and some indoor playgrounds. Snorkel and sailing lessons are possible through Silver Sands, one of the western-access beaches. The British Embassy hosts an English-speaking infant/toddler/preschooler playgroup weekly. - Nov 2020
There are lots of activities for kids, including sports classes in English. Parkour, soccer, gymnastics, taekwondo, etc, are all available, though they tend to be somewhat expensive. Every mall has a playspace/arcade, and some malls also have carnival rides, trampoline parks, bowling alleys, softplays, ice skating rinks, etc. - Oct 2019
Depends on the compound; my sense is there is more going on for kids at one compound (Sierra) than the other (Basateen), but I could be mistaken. Because the consulate is physically so far away from the housing clusters there's not a lot of kids activities there (there was one movie night when I first got here, and nobody showed up), though the CLO tries to arrange some weekend trips. This may change when we move. - Mar 2019
Swimming classes on housing compounds, gymnastics, soccer, horseback riding, etc. - Jan 2019
Not to much at school but at the compound they have soccer, basketball, they can take tennis, swimming, gymnastic,ballet, zumba, tae kwan do. The Consulate's marines come once per week to the compound to give boot camp to the kids, and they love it. - Nov 2015
Within the compound there are private tennis classes, swimming classes, zumba for kids, gymnastics, ballet, and tae-kwan-do classeA for very affordable prices. - Oct 2015
No. You have to arrange for a private coach to train your kids. One hour costs 100 SAR (around 26.00 US dollars). - Oct 2015
Not that much. In the compound there is soccer and tennis for free but if you want private lessons for you kids, you have to pay a lot. There is no basketball or football at all; there are instructors for ballet and gymnastics for girls. - Feb 2014
Kids can join baseball and football (soccer) leagues through the international schools. We've found the leagues to be unnecessarily expensive so we haven't participated. Also hauling kids through traffic to practices and games seems unpleasant. - Dec 2013
Tons. My son participates in weekly free soccer activities, but there are also paid soccer teams available. You can also find baseball, horseback riding, squash, tennis, swimming, tumbling, dance, etc. Most classes are available on the compound or in schools (which are often attached to the compounds). The heat makes some outdoor sports uncomfortable to play and to watch, but if you're devoted, no biggie, right? - May 2013
At the American school I think there are. - Nov 2010
