With Urban Climb you can boost your schools physical education programme by opting for indoor climbing. Our instructors will take you through a number of exciting challenges to get your students focussed, determined and challenged.

Safety: At Urban Climb, safety is our first priority. We only use the safest specialist equipment and all of our staff are fully trained on artificial surface climbing as well as vertical rescue and we always have a senior first aid officer on site. All students undergo a safety demonstration and have to be passed by our staff in order to climb in the gym.

The psychology: Research of the late twentieth century established climbing as a developmentally beneficial activity for children. A number of requirements for climbing contribute to children’s cognitive development and of course their physical development.

The benefits of climbing are linked to the benefits of play, which have been greatly recognized in recent years. Play has been linked to an increase in confidence and the resilience against stress and depression in later years.

The benefits of climbing can be split into three main areas:

•    Physiological
•    Psychological
•    Psychosocial

Physiologically the benefits of climbing like any physical activity are quite obvious, children will see benefits in the endurance both from a strength perspective and cardiovascular. Children can expect to improve their strength, flexibility and balance with the co-ordinate movement of climbing stressing both the upper and lower body simultaneously. Obviously these improvements can help with childhood obesity and physical confidence which are two problem areas seen in children today.

The other physical benefits are seen on a neuromuscular level. Climbing develops gross motor skills through agility, speed, and power. Climbing has a cross patterning requirement which helps develop both sides of the body, which is rare in many sports.

These physiological adaptations are strongly linked to the psychological adaptations. Memory, problem solving, and imagery/visualization, are all parts of climbing along with an improvement in spatial awareness. Climbing has a problem solving element due to its technical nature. Often at first glance a climb may seem impossible, but through moving the body differently and taking a different approach it becomes possible. This leads to the development of resilience and coping mechanisms when faced with a height that may normally cause stress or anxiety. Some studies have even linked the cross patterning nature of climbing to developments in left and right brain interaction. This interaction is helpful with learning and especially with children who are dyslexic.  With reports of teenage depression increasing it is becoming more and more important for children to take part in regular physical activity; regular activity has been shown to have a similar affect as anti depressants in some cases and obviously produces a mood enhancement. This is not only vital for children in a learning environment but also for children generally to lead healthy happy lives.

The final area of interest when considering climbing for children is the social aspects of climbing. Children are often required to work together and encourage each other to succeed in climbing challenges, team work is imperative as is communication and responsibility. All in all climbing is a fantastic sport for children that have many benefits that stretch far beyond the simple benefits of exercise and activity.

Costs

Costs for schools depends on the age, the length of the program and the amount of children as well as the amount of visits. To get a quote please give us a call on (07) 38442544 or email us at info@urbanclimb.com.au