For example, Wang Shuzhen, Chief Occupational Therapist at Wanfang Hospital’s Rehabilitation Department, published an article titled [Tactile Stimulation and Brain Development Trends] in a newspaper, stating: “…According to statistics, about 10–15% of children in Taiwan have issues with poor sensory experiences… Infants and toddlers with poor sensory experiences often develop learning or emotional disorders… Positive sensory experiences can foster healthy personality and cognitive development in babies… Children with dulled tactile senses may exhibit slow reactions, underdeveloped motor skills, and weak brain learning and discrimination abilities… Parents should make good use of our natural environment—including sunbathing, swimming, playing, walking on gravel paths, and climbing activities—to expose children to diverse tactile stimuli and not deprive them of these developmental opportunities.” It is evident that engaging children in climbing activities during their growth period can enhance their brain’s learning efficiency, and rock climbing represents the most intimate interaction between the human body and natural rock surfaces. By using their hands and feet to explore rock textures, finding cracks or handholds, and maintaining balance on the rock face, children engage in highly engaging and positive sensory experiences.
Additionally, children in the early elementary school years experience almost daily physical changes—limbs grow overnight while their brains remain accustomed to yesterday’s dimensions. The brain commands the hand to grab a cup, estimating it needs to extend 30 centimeters to reach it, only to find the hand has already grown longer and knocks the cup over instead. During this stage, children frequently fall or knock things over, not out of choice but due to issues with mind-body coordination. Rock climbing is one of the best sports to address this, as it requires the eyes to spot holds on the wall, and the hands and feet to coordinate in grasping them to move upward. Through consistent practice, children learn to understand their body’s changes at each stage and gain better control over their movements.
The psychological benefits of rock climbing for adolescents are even more profound. In developed countries, education authorities have long recognized that appropriate risk-taking activities are essential for cultivating well-rounded personalities. Thus, from primary school onward, they incorporate “adventure education programs” into the curriculum to encourage adolescents to face challenges, overcome difficulties, and develop resilience and a fearless, aspirational spirit. Rock climbing, due to its accessibility (artificial climbing walls can be set up on campuses) and sufficient thrill (safe yet challenging), is often used as an effective tool for adventure education. In contrast, Chinese adolescents are discouraged from engaging in any risky activities, especially those with potential danger in school settings, which are generally unwelcome among teachers and parents. While this approach may simplify student management and reduce accident risks, it also leaves these overly protected students completely unprepared to cope with academic or life challenges. Therefore, integrating safe, controllable risk activities like rock climbing into formal education should be a key consideration for the education sector.
Currently, in Shenzhen, 60% of children are reported to have “mental health issues,” primarily manifesting as excessive movement, slow speech, picky eating, and restless sleep. A recent child health screening by Luohu District Maternal and Child Health Hospital showed that preschool children in Shenzhen exhibit prominent psychological and behavioral problems, with approximately 67% of children facing varying degrees of mental health issues—far higher than other major cities in China.
Recently, pediatric psychologists at Luohu District Maternal and Child Health Hospital conducted a psychological and behavioral survey among 3- to 6-year-old preschool children in the district by distributing questionnaires to parents and kindergarten teachers, collecting nearly 9,000 valid responses.
After analyzing the questionnaires, Dr. Gong Jianhua, Associate Chief Physician with 16 years of clinical and research experience in child psychology, concluded that 67.4% of children exhibit varying degrees of mental health issues—significantly higher than the national average of 30–50% in other major cities. In some kindergartens, this proportion even reaches 90–92%. The top five most common issues, in order of prevalence, are: behavioral problems (25.8%), emotional disorders (21.3%), language development delays (17.2%), eating disorders (16%), and sleep disorders (6.7%).
It is reported that this screening of nearly 9,000 cases of child psychological and behavioral issues is rare in Shenzhen and provides a relatively accurate reflection of the mental health status of preschool children in the city. Among those identified with issues, about 15% require treatment, and the process for correcting psychological and behavioral problems is complex—the earlier the issues are detected and addressed, the better the outcomes.
Among the top five psychological issues, behavioral problems rank first, and climbing training is precisely an important method for addressing such issues. Surveys of eight schools where we installed climbing walls (China University of Geosciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Sun Yat-sen University Zhuhai Campus, Guangdong Experimental High School, Nanning No. 3 High School in Guangxi, Guangxi Normal University Affiliated Foreign Languages School, Jiangyin No. 1 High School in Jiangsu, and Chongqing People’s Primary School) show that climbing training is highly popular among students and greatly contributes to the healthy psychological and behavioral development of adolescents and young children.