Dubai-based Hoopla focuses on mental wellness tools for children and parents – The National

Dubai-based Hoopla focuses on mental wellness tools for children and parents – The National

UAE start-up Hoopla aims to create a space for children and their parents to find moments of calm by focusing on the regulation of emotions, mental well-being and bonding through fun activities.The mental wellness app's tagline is “navigate big emotions with positive screen time” through exercises focused on mindfulness, meditation, movement and breathing for children and their parents.Founder Jacqueline Perrottet, a mother of two daughters aged five and seven, says the app seeks to blend playfulness and mental wellness by harnessing the technology of smartphones. This means they benefit from a positive digital experience without the guilt of screen time, she says.If their child is having a tantrum, instead of just handing their phone and going to YouTube, what if we could create something that builds interaction between the parent and the child?Jacqueline Perrottet, Hoopla Ms Perrottet understood early on in her motherhood journey the importance of tools that help young children and parents regulate their emotions, especially during stressful moments.The entrepreneur found a shortage of mental wellness tools that are affordable, accessible and easy to carry outside the house.Market research and discussions in online parenting groups led her to establish Hoopla in March 2023 to plug the gap.Company ProfileCompany