Take any primary aged child to the local park and they’ll instinctively head straight for the climbing frame. There’s something alluring about getting off the ground and tackling the challenges that climbing frames pose. Children love them and that’s a good thing because besides being great fun, they are also incredibly beneficial for kids of that age. It’s no surprise, therefore, that climbing frames have become one of the most popular forms of playground equipment found in UK primary schools. To understand why so many schools opt for them, here are six benefits they offer to infant and junior pupils.
1. Growing Independence
Pupils should leave the education system as well-rounded individuals prepared for the wider world. Integral to this is being able to think and act for themselves. The journey to personal independence begins in primary school and can be nurtured by participation in free play.
Equipment like our Free-Flow climbing frames is ideal for this purpose as pupils will need to be self-reliant and make their own decisions about how they navigate the many possible routes and negotiate each of the exciting obstacles they have to overcome.
2. Accepting challenge
Getting children to accept challenge is important if they are to meet and exceed expectations. While some children arrive at school with this trait, others need to acquire it. Climbing frames provide a fun way to do this as pupils and their peers often set themselves challenges in how to tackle the different routes around the structure. A child who has successfully managed the challenge of the jungle bars or traversing wall at break is going to be more self-confident when it comes to taking on the maths challenge in the next lesson.
3. Onboarding of learning skills
Some essential skills are best learnt not in a classroom but in the playground and in unstructured time. Three good examples of these are concentration, teamwork and resilience, all of which are vital for a child to learn well and succeed.
When children play in groups on a climbing frame, they can develop all these skills and do so in a way that comes naturally to them. For example, when playing on a Trim Trail obstacle course, they will need to develop concentration to master each of the obstacles, they will have to collaborate with friends to help the team complete the course and, until they master all of the physical skills needed, they’ll need to develop resilience when they initially fail at some tasks. The benefit is these skills are transferable and can be used to help the children study and learn better back in lessons.
4. Bolsters social skills
Climbing frames aren’t just for climbing, some have themed designs that are specially created to motivate role play. Taking part in such action adventures, with children adopting different personas in a range of made-up situations, requires a lot of social interaction. This develops social skills like communicating, negotiating and turn-taking while enabling the children to have empathy for and understanding of others. At the same time, they’ll discover the need to set rules and boundaries and learn how to resolve fallouts.
5. Promotes physical health
Playing on a climbing frame is akin to having a physical workout. Children will naturally run, jump, swing and climb in order to get from one part to the next and this requires significant physical exertion and the use of virtually all the muscles. In doing so, the activities improve cardiovascular health, increase muscle strength and enhance general fitness. They also burn calories, helping children to maintain a healthy weight.
Perhaps what’s even more appealing for the school and parents is that installing a climbing frame can motivate children to be even more active. According to Liverpool John Moors University research, when climbing apparatus is installed in a playground children increase their participation in moderate to vigorous activity by around 30 minutes per week. As a result, over 70% of pupils show an improvement in their health and fitness.
6. Good for mental wellbeing
The mental health crisis is a national issue at the moment and this affects children just as much as adults. According to the NHS, in 2017, 1 in 8 five to nineteen-year-olds had at least one mental condition, with emotional, behavioural and hyperactivity disorders being the most prevalent. While there are many possible causes of mental health disorders, children from low-income families, those under pressure to do well in examinations and those with identity or self-image issues are particularly at risk.
The issue is compounded by the lack of adequate mental health services and so schools, which look after these children on a daily basis, get very little help. Although it is not a panacea, providing young children with the opportunity to take part in physical activities, such as playing on a climbing frame, has been shown to have a positive impact on mental wellbeing.
The moderate to vigorous activity undertaken on climbing frames helps to increase endorphin levels, lifts mood and reduces stress. This can help children to be calmer, less anxious, more focussed and even better behaved. Indeed, those who take part in regular physical activity have less chance of developing a mental health condition.
Conclusion
Children are naturally attracted to climbing frames and the challenges they throw at them. Putting one in your playground offers far more than just fun, though. It helps with physical and mental health, develops social and learning skills, increases personal independence and fosters a more positive attitude to accepting challenge.
To enable your pupils to enjoy these benefits, take a look at our wide range of climbing frames.
