There's more to outdoor play on your swing set than just swinging back and forth.
Spend enough time reading parenting blogs – the way we do – and you'll see that there are a lot of fun, developmental activities for kids that involve swing sets.
Whether you’re a fan of vinyl or wooden swing sets, there's something on this list from The Inspired Treehouse to help your child grow and have fun.
1. Feats Of Strength
This is a great activity for families with an elaborate outdoor play set. Your kids can improve their grip and shoulder girdle strength by seeing who can hang from the trapeze or monkey bars the longest, work on their core and lower body strength by seeing who can climb UP the sliding board the fastest, and work on upper body strength by measuring who climbs furthest across the monkey bars.
As The Inspired Treehouse's Lauren Drobnjak puts it, "your kiddos won’t even realize how hard they’re working because they’ll be having so much fun!"
2. Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Have your kids play Superman by laying on the swing on their stomachs, lifting their arms and legs as high as they can. While they're in motion, see if they can grab a ball or toy from your hand, or toss a ball to you. This is a neat sensory experience, but it also strengthens the back and shoulders.
3. Obstacle Course
Turn your vinyl swing sets into a variety of obstacles. Here are their instructions.
- Start by climbing up the slide
- Crawl down the ladder
- Get on a swing tummy first and fly (the Superman move)
- Hang from the trapeze bar for five seconds
- Swing on your knees two times.
- Climb the ladder facing backwards
- Go down the slide on your tummy
- Give me a high five!
Once again, it's a way to keep them exercising and active while also having fun.
4. Play Tug Of War
Another way to get a workout when using wooden swing sets: Have your child get on their stomach again, like the Superman game. Hold one end of a jump rope and have them grab the other with both hands. Pull on the rope to get the swing in motion. Then try holding still and have your child pull the rope to move the swing, or get them to "climb" the rope hand over hand to get closer to you.
5. A Game Of Hide And seek
Did you know you could play hide and seek on a swing set? Well, a version of the classic game, anyway. Start by standing in front of your child when they're swinging. Tell them to close their eyes and count to five. Move to the side, or behind them. When they open their eyes, see how long it takes to find you.
How does this qualify as exercise? In this case, your child is working a part of their brain called the vestibular system, which controls balance and spatial relations. Besides, they're still getting a physical workout by pumping their legs to move the swing.
And because we want your children to enjoy their wooden or vinyl swing sets, it's ok if they just want to get on them and, well, swing.
From the simple to the complex, we're sure a visit to Swingset & Toy Warehouse will let you find the outdoor play set to keep your kids active, while still having fun.
