Merida unveils a psychomotor playground

Authorities want to emphasize the role of games and playing in children’s development

Last week, Merida’s municipal website informed the public that a second psychomotor playground had been completed in that city. Located in Parque de la Argentina, it represents a circuit of drawings, which stimulate one’s imagination to move. All of which stems from the theory that learning and growing up for youngsters cannot happen optimally if there is no physical activity involved.

‘Psychomotor’ refers to the way the body learns through movement

Learning, becoming smarter or more mature is far from an issue that solely involves cramming books and studying on one’s laptop. A lot of the cognitive acquisitions that we go through in our lives happen through non-verbal means, starting with our ability to crawl and walk. At first, it is hard until it is not and we do not even think about it when we do it anymore – the knowledge of it stored somewhere deep in our bones and muscles.

Faced with a summer season of idleness, the Merida City Council has undertaken an educational initiative that places the emphasis on promoting playing. Playing in a way that excludes sexism or violence, and makes space for imagination, creativity, cooperation, respect and tolerance.

As the city delegate of Citizen Participation, Ana Aragoneses, pointed out, "not only toys are important in childhood education, so are games." For this reason, the City Council has opted for the installation of illustrated urban psychomotor circuits, aimed at all audiences. Playing on them is meant to develop motor, expressive and creative skills, based on the body and mind, in a free and non-gender specific way. 

The two circuits (the first one in Parque de las VII Sillas) have a surface of about 30 square metres. They were painted by local artist Ironeva and the authorities have plans to create them in other districts, as well.