A Guide to Buying a Climbing Frame for your Kids

Climbing frames are tremendous fun and develop all sorts of healthy skills and characteristics in children, regardless of their age.

Climbing frames are fantastic pieces of outdoor play equipment that will keep the kids entertained in the healthy outdoors for hours while helping to develop their social skills, improve their resilience and enhance core fine motor skills, co-ordination and balance.

What Are the Benefits of Climbing Frames for Toddlers & Young Children?

1. Because They Will Love It

As you may know there can be a big difference between giving someone a gift that "will be good for them" and giving someone a gift that they will love.

The beauty of getting a climbing frame for your kids is that it will deliver in spades on both. Not only will your children love the climbing frame to bits, but it will be so immeasurably good for them, as we will explain below.

2. Develops Physical & Mental Agility

Playing on a climbing frame is great physical exercise giving the whole body a workout from the legs and arms, even down to their fingers and toes.

By spending time on the climbing frame your children will develop their physical abilities and will become faster both in how they move and even think.

3. Gives Them A Reason to Get Outside

Most children don't need any more reasons to stay inside as they have their phone, their tablet, their X-Box, the TV, Netflix and so many distractions that will keep them stationary sat on their bum for hours on end.

Instead what they do need is a reason to get outside, to get amongst it, having fun, playing with friends and generally having a good time, and doing what kids are supposed to do.

4. Builds Resilience

Sitting indoors does not generally build resilience, instead your kids are relying on the comforts of central heating and 24/7 entertainment. Spending time outdoors on the other hand does build resilience.

While playing outdoors your children will develop grip strength, work out their leg and arm muscles, develop some resistance to cold weather, and breath some fresh air, while entertaining themselves, with games, make believe and time spent with friends and siblings.

5. Harnesses Imagination & Creativity

Your children's creativity and imagination are fantastic, and a climbing frame and the games that will ensue around will just serve to harness and foster that imagination and creativity.

As you will know, watching 10 episodes in a row of a TV show will do little to stir their imagination, whereas after 10 minutes on the climbing frame they will be building whole new worlds.

6. Enhances Social Skills

It is when children are playing outdoors with other children, that they have an opportunity to develop their social skills.

Time spent playing with other children where they have the time and space to discuss things between themselves, to resolve disagreements, to negotiate, take turns and share resources can be key learnings that will be to their credit in later life.

7. Makes Your Children More Confidence

When your children feel physically able and capable this can give their confidence a tremendous boost and when they have the flexibility and ability to do things on the climbing frame that perhaps others cannot, this is very beneficial for their self-esteem, and their relationship with their parents -

"Mum, dad look at what I can do!"

8. Climbing Frames Are Built to Last

It is true that climbing frames can be more expensive than other outdoor toys but they are built to last, and your children will be much more likely to get a childhood out of it, than a few months or even a season.

For hardwearing, long-lasting outdoor toys a climbing frames is one of your best options.

What are the different types of climbing frames available?

1. Basic Starter Climbing Frames - Small

Your standard climbing frame starts with an A-frame or a platform and some of the more common add-ons or accessories include -

swings,
slides,
cargo nets,
rock walls,
monkey bars,
tower,
fireman's pole,
picnic table,
mud kitchen,
playhouse and more.

See our Starter Climbing Frames HERE.

2. Mid-Size Climbing Frames

Mid-range climbing frames typically have a larger footprint, taking up more room in the garden and offering more options for the kids to play on.

Additional options on mid-range climbing frames include -

closed tube spiral slides,
pirate boat-themed climbing frames,
twin towers and triple towers connected with rope bridges

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR MID-SIZE CLIMBING FRAMES

3. Large Climbing Frame Structures

Once again the larger and higher-priced climbing frames take up a bigger footprint in your garden and offer more options and play stations for your children and their friends to enjoy.

The aspects that increase the prices are things like double and tripe towers with rope bridges, a bigger overall structure involving more timber and related play stations.

VIEW LARGE CLIMBING FRAMES HERE.

4. Themed Climbing Frames

Kids love to roleplay and to play games, and when you have a themed climbing frame it just makes everything that bit more fun.

Popular themed climbing frame options include -

1. Boat-themed climbing frames - pirate ships and The Titanic,

2. Lorry & Tractor themed climbing frames.

See our themed climbing frames here.

Climbing Frame Options Table - If Your Children Like..

ACTIVITY	OPTIONS
Slides	Wave Slides, Straight slide, Spiral Slide, Closed Tube Slides - Straight, Wave or Spiral.
Swings	regular swings, baby swings, tyre swings, gymnastic rings, trapeze bar, nest swing/ pizza swing seesaw swing, glider swing, button swing, wooden swings.
Climb	monkey bars, cargo nets, rock walls/ climbing walls, fireman's pole, towers & rope bridges, 5 rung and knotted rope ladders
Play	Mud Kitchens, Sandpits, Playhouses, Picnic Table/ Table & Chairs, Steering Wheels.

Best Surfaces for Underneath the Climbing Frame

1. Grass - usually already in place, so the cheapest option,

2. Rubber Mulch - one of the best, clean during wet weather and very soft,

3. Rubber Matting - equally one of the top surfaces for climbing frames, soft, clean and level,

4. Sand - very soft, can be messy in wet weather,

5. Bark - again a very soft and popular option, but can be a little messy during wet weather.

How to Decide Which Climbing Frame Will Be Best for Your Kids?

There are a number of important factors to consider when deciding which climbing frame will be best for your garden.

1. How Big Is Your Garden?

Not only how big is your garden, but how much space do you want to devote in your garden to the climbing frame? Climbing frames can take up quite a lot of room, and its important to allow adequate space around the climbing frame so your kids can enjoy it fully, and be safe when doing so.

For smaller gardens the BERG Playbase can be an excellent space saving climbing frame.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE NEW BERG PLAYBASE CLIMBING FRAMES.

2. How Old Are Your Children

This is an important factor to consider as it will determine what you would like on the climbing frame. For example mud kitchens and playhouses may be perfect for younger children while children of all ages can enjoy and play on a set of monkey bars.

3. How Many Children Do You Have?

What we're really getting at with this question is how many children would you expect to use the climbing frame at once. The more users that you would expect to have then the larger the frame that we would recommend.

4. What Do Your Kids Like to Do?

If your children love to go on the swings wherever they see them, then this will be a good investment, however if you have kids who only love to climb, then this will influence the climbing frame that will be right for you.

When possible, (if its not a surprise that is) it can be great fun to involve your kids in choosing a climbing frame and deciding together which options that you would like to include.

5. Invest in Quality

Whichever climbing frame that you decide to buy it is likely to grace your garden for many years to come so we recommend buying a high-quality frame that will stand up to lots of wear and tear from your children for years.

Buy something that you will be proud of and pleased to look out at.

6. Climbing Frame Materials

Material	Advantages	Disadvantages
Metal	easy to clean can be space saving low maintenance	can be a harder surface than wood or plastic
Wood	blends into the garden natural looking durable and hardwearing	requires period maintenance including painting or staining
Plastic	easy to clean easy to build	may age quicker and not last just as long as metal or wood

Take a look at our range of climbing frames on our site to choose the right one for your family, or phone 01 960 1641.