Created by a top neuropsychologist, San Diego’s Superminds Academy turns screen-free family time into a 90-minute blindfolded sensory challenge

Finding activities for your little ones that don’t include screens but are still engaging and boundary pushing can be a struggle. That’s where Superminds Academy in San Diego comes in. At this trainer-led event children work through a series of sensory challenges involving colors, numbers, patterns, and everyday objects, all without one crucial thing — sight.

When the blindfold is on it is down to you, the parent, to describe objects and their orders for your child to follow, an incredible challenge to strengthen trust and communication. You might find yourself describing colors and textures, or trying to turn a simple instruction into something your child can actually use.

What is especially incredible about this experience experiencing firsthand how, when sight is removed, sensory perception of the world changes, becomes heightened, and you just might ‘see’ something new altogether.

What is Superminds Academy San Diego?

Created by neuropsychologist Dr. Ann DeSollar and educator Elena Restrepo, Superminds Academy is a 90-minute family workshop built around guided sensory activities completed without sight.

Children begin with 2D exercises using color and number cards, then move on to tactile activities involving cups, sorting tasks, and smaller 3D objects. As the session progresses, there are also fine-motor challenges and exercises where children recreate drawings by following spoken instructions. And you’re doing it with them, building trust and communication skills along the way.

How are parents involved at Superminds Academy?

Instead of adults dropping the kids off or watching from a chair, parents are right in the middle of the action. Parents work alongside trained facilitators throughout the workshop, handing over materials, describing what’s in front of their child, and helping them navigate each task.

The result can get surprisingly absorbing. Without sight to fall back on, a familiar object becomes something to investigate. A matching game requires more patience. And a parent who usually gets away with saying “that one over there” suddenly has to find a much better description.

Plus, the whole experience is genuinely screen-free. There are no tablets driving the activity and no digital reward waiting at the end of a level. The challenge is right there in your hands, and the person helping you solve it is sitting beside you.

Superminds Academy isn’t built around getting everything right first time, either. Children work at their own pace, with the emphasis on staying curious, listening carefully, and trying another approach when something doesn’t work.

While the blindfolds may be the thing that catches your attention first, the workshop is really about what happens once they’re on: talking more, listening harder, and working through something together. For a San Diego family plan that involves considerably less screen time and considerably more teamwork, that’s a pretty refreshing trade.