How Parkour Can Pull Your Child Away From Their Screens

In today's age, it can be difficult to take a break for more than a few minutes without checking your phone. For kids, this urge can be stronger, especially during empty afternoons or moments of passivity. Parkour offers a different type of excitement that can fill your child’s time, as it provides new and exciting challenges that utilize both your body and brain. This sport turns movement into play by turning activities such as running, jumping, and climbing into physical puzzles through obstacle courses and urban spaces. 

At Vortex Freerunning, our team strives to use parkour as a tool to enhance the athletic and cognitive development of children, allowing them to grow into greater versions of themselves. Each class presents a new mix of physical challenges, mental coordination, and peer support, allowing your child to burn their extra energy off while taking their attention away from their screens. By enrolling your child, you are not just giving them a healthy outlet for their movement and energy, but a skillset that will continue to benefit them over time. 

Why let your child continue to scroll mindlessly when you can give them an activity that can actually keep them engaged? Sign up for a free trial class today to see what parkour has to offer! 

The Struggles With Screen-Time

As technology has become more accessible to increasingly younger children, the term “iPad kid” has become more widespread. Social media and online gaming can become addictive, leading to longer daily screen time and the inability to stay focused. This heavy reliance has been associated with several negative connotations, including depressive symptoms, hyperactivity, low self-esteem, and overall poorer psychosocial health. (Stiglic and Viner)

Additionally, teenagers with higher levels of non-homework-related screen use were more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, such as irregular sleep routines, weight concerns, and infrequent physical activity. (Zablotsky, et al.) 

Enrolling your child in extracurricular activities can help pull them away from their screens by forcing them to spend their time on more enriching, fulfilling, and productive activities. It forces a natural break from technology, as well as a break in their schedule, by giving them something to look forward to. It provides a greater sense of routine in your child’s life while allowing them to explore their interests in a structured setting. 

Why Parkour May Appeal to Kids More Than Exercise

Parkour is a great activity to enroll your children in after school. Parkour is more than just mindless climbing and jumping, but a sport that develops both your child’s mental and physical abilities. This sport utilizes natural movements to get from one point to another most efficiently. Athletes use urban environments as natural playgrounds, engaging each muscle group as they navigate new obstacles and land new skillsets. 

Parkour often appeals to children more than the idea of traditional athletic programs, as it often feels more like an adventure rather than a workout. Parkour allows children to test their limits and take risks in a safe and supervised environment, utilizing their creativity and problem-solving skills as they face new challenges and tricks. It also helps release their physical tension and extra energy, allowing them to return more focused and calm. Rather than repetitively running drills and exercises, your child can spend their time moving in a way that leaves them feeling excited, empowered, and confident. 

Social Connection Kids Can’t Find Online

Parkour provides in-person interactions that cannot be recreated online, connecting your child to a greater community of like-minded peers. Each class is designed to bring every child closer together, fostering communication alongside a sense of teamwork. The shared experience of learning new skill sets and reaching new milestones fosters a greater sense of belonging. Other parkour athletes can also lend advice along the way, turning classmates into newfound friends. These connections can also help bring more anxious or shy kids out of their shells, allowing their personalities to flourish. 

After-School Parkour Classes in North Hollywood and Thousand Oaks

At Vortex Freerunning, we offer varying parkour classes and memberships to help provide an enriching activity for your child to engage in. Our memberships include weekly coach-led sessions that include either one, two, or three classes per week, allowing your child to attend sessions with flexibility. Every class consists of a 1:5 coach-to-student ratio to provide personalized attention, and is separated by age to provide progressive classes for children ages four and over. Each membership also includes access to supervised drop-in sessions, which are open hours where your child can come in and practice their skills outside of classes, giving them another tech-free activity to do in their free time.

For further information or additional questions, please contact us online.

References

Stiglic, Neza, and Russell M Viner. “Effects of Screentime on the Health and Well-Being of Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of Reviews.” BMJ Open, vol. 9, no. 1, 3 Jan. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6326346/, https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023191. 

Zablotsky, Benjamin, et al. “Associations between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes among US Teenagers.” Preventing Chronic Disease, vol. 22, 10 July 2025, www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0537.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com, https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd22.240537.