¬RUNNING FREE FIRES THE BRAIN
Combining a parkour activity course, where youngsters have to use problem-solving skills to get around, with traditional lessons is bringing a new buzz to learning for participants in educational workshops in Dubai, Nadeem Hanif reports
Parkour workshops for children provide mental and physical exercise,
DUBAI // Parkour is being used to help children jump, climb and roll their way towards academic success. Youngsters at the Wisdom Warehouse tutoring centre have taken part in workshops that mix the energising effects of parkour – negotiating obstacles by running, jumping and climbing – with subjects such as maths and writing.
The children have to negotiate an obstacle course while being encouraged to solve problems or apply knowledge they learnt in a lesson. “We ran a workshop last month where we had a group of children take part in parkour while learning mathematics and problem solving,” said Jamie Musacchio, director of Wisdom Warehouse.
“I came up with the idea a while ago as a way of getting more engagement during lessons and it has been well received by those who have taken part.” The monthly workshops are held at Parkour DXB in Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz.
The last session focused on writing skills.
“The children have parkour obstacles to overcome,” Ms Musacchio said.
“We play music and once that stops, the kids have to stop their movements and answer a question or apply something they have been learning.
“For example, the children were writing a story as they progressed on the parkour course. One time the music stopped they were asked to use adjectives in their story.
“Physical activity of this kind not only energises a child’s body but also their mind and they have fun during the lessons.”
The workshops run for 90 minutes, with a 45-minute introduction to the lesson followed by the parkour.
Andrea Brooks, head coach at Parkour DXB, oversees the workshops. “We begin by getting the children warmed up and used to working with the movement,” she said.
“The course has about six obstacles and the children have a number of ways to get through – be that climbing, jumping or scrambling.
“The great thing about parkour is that anyone can do it and its movements are completely natural, so it’s very accessible.
“Children have a sense of curiosity and like to push themselves, so parkour really fits in with that, and it is all done in a safe environment.”
Parkour encourages those taking part to think in creative ways, Ms Brooks said. “When you’re faced with an obstacle and aren’t sure the best way of overcoming it you have to be creative and experiment,” she said. “One of the main things you learn while doing parkour is that it’s OK to fail as long as you pick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again.”
Elias Moosman, from the United States, took his sons to the workshop last month and was impressed. “It’s a really unique place and it gives children a way of learning that they perhaps would not normally get,” he said.
“My eight and six-year-old boys took part and both enjoyed the experience. It is something I think other parents should consider, as the workshops have a unique way of helping the children learn that they don’t normally experience in the classroom.”
For more details, see wisdomwarehousedubai.com.