/Why Kids Love Ropes And Swings
Why kids love ropes and swings

Why Kids Love Ropes And Swings

Getting kids active is important, and when you help your child to get – and stay – active you are helping give them the best chance to help their body develop. Play helps children to learn, to feel safe and gives you the opportunity to show them that they are loved.

Play helps your child to develop intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically. Your child will be healthy, happy, confident and feel loved; all this helps build the foundations for learning, communicating and moving.

It’s the small skills kids who learn when climbing ropes and swinging on swings – this helps them to learn body skills, coordination, and build muscles. It’s important for younger children that you stay close or interact with them while they are climbing and swinging, they feel safe, but can explore and have fun. Kids love that you push them on a swing, but imagine how excited they become when they learn to move themselves on a swing, and how their momentum and skills can make them swing higher and higher. If they can’t get up the rope today, maybe next week, or the week after – feelings of success, are just as important as gaining upper body strength.

Children love to hang and to climb and to swing; it helps them to develop strong muscles in their arms, shoulders, hands and fingers. The Wildnet Konnecta is the perfect place to start. With this module, you can add more and more to the set, start with a rock wall and slide and add the spider web or some monkey bars, saddle net or rung climb. The choices are endless and are perfect for the family. Children have hours of fun, out in the fresh air, hanging, –  with friends, being kids and letting their imaginations *run wild*.

Swings and ropes are great, and you can play too, which is even better! Here are a few games you can play with your child to make time spent outside more fun and exciting.

  • SUPERMAN – have your child lay down on their stomach on the swing and to lift their arms and legs up – like they are flying, as your child swings see if they can catch a ball you toss to him, can he throw the ball back to you, or at a target. This is a great game for learning coordination, but it also strengthens the back and shoulders.
  • TORNADO – great for anyone who has a rope swing in their backyard. Stand close by and either turn or help your child turn the swing around in circles a few times – then let go and let that *tornado* swing.
  • TUG-O-WAR – for a new twist of the swing, have your child lay down on the swing, on their stomach, hold one end of a skipping rope and give the other end to your child, have them hold it with both hands, move back and pull the rope to start your child swinging!
  • TOWER TUMBLE – kids of all ages will love this one. Get some old, empty cardboard boxes. They don’t have to be big; you can use shoe boxes or even cereal boxes. Build a small *tower* in front of the swing and have you child swing themselves hard enough so he or she can kick the tower down. You can also have him, or she try knocking down the tower with their hands, by laying down on the seat on their stomach and reaching out as they swing.
  • HIDE AND SEEK – stand in front of your child when they start swinging, get them to count to five and close their eyes, while still swinging. Move to another area in the yard and when they open their eyes, see how quickly they can find you.
  • BLAST OFF – kids can pretend they are a rocket, just let them push off from your hands with their feet. Every time they swing back have your hands ready and give them another big push off with their feet.

Kids will love being outside, having fun, using their imagination and spending time with you. Try and set aside 10 minutes every day to play with your child outside, encourage their imagination and have fun, they are only little for such a short while.