After-school activities
1. Cooking
Knowing how to cook is not only an essential life skill, but it can also be a lifelong source of enjoyment. Cookiteca offers a 10-week course for children aged six to 12, during which they will learn how to create a different, healthy dish each week. Participants learn how to follow recipes and use basic kitchen utensils, furthering their knowledge about food, and developing their creativity and ability to work in a team. All the dishes are easy to recreate at home, so you might even get a night off while your little one dons the chef’s hat.
2. Creative Arts
There’s nothing quite as wild as a child’s imagination, which is why it’s important to let them be creative. Bricks 4 Kidz uses simple Lego bricks to teach kids about architecture, engineering and technology. Along with stimulating the imagination, this helps develop fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities and teamwork. Bricks 4 Kidz runs one-off workshops as well as six-week blocks of after-school sessions. Collage, in Gràcia, uses arts, crafts and drama to facilitate English learning. Different classes cater for various age groups and language levels, including bilinguals, encouraging children to express themselves naturally in English.
3. Computer Skills
Most children love to play on their computers and tablets, so why not turn that hobby into a useful skill? With the tech industry one of the fastest growing fields across the world, programming is a valuable skill for children to learn in the digital age. The Barcelona Code School offers after-school classes for nine to 14-year-olds, introducing them to modern programming fundamentals, with an emphasis on web and game development, app building and robotics. Kids Hack Club covers similar subjects in its classes, with an additional focus on developing interactive storytelling skills.
4. Dance
Dance is an integral part of Spanish and Catalan culture, whether it be traditional dances or more contemporary urban dance, people throughout the country value rhythm and movement. Dance Emotion gives classes for kids aged three and up in different styles of dance, from ballet and hip hop to jazz and musical theatre.
5. Skateboarding
Barcelona is home to an influential skateboarding community. In fact, the area around the MACBA is considered one of Europe’s most iconic skateboarding hangouts. Learning to skateboard is ideal for active kids who aren’t interested in more traditional sports. Skate schools Al Carrer, the first skate school in Barcelona to take place in the streets, and Doctown both offer courses specifically designed for children, allowing them to get started at an early age in a safe, fun environment.