4 Benefits Of Toddler Climbing Toys
Among all other activities, climbing is what toddlers often choose as their biggest passion. This intention to climb everywhere usually starts at 18 months when kids gain control over their body movements. At this age, toddlers realize they can run, squat, and pull up. It may seem innocent at first: your kiddo just wants to sit up on the table like mommy and daddy. However, once he finds the power in his body, though, your child may want to explore the boundaries just like he does with everything else.
All in all, parents usually could do nothing with this insatiable desire to climb everywhere. And the main question do they need to do something? Probably no because climbing is beneficial for physical and mental development and toddlers need to climb to explore the world and build muscles.
In this case, it is rational for parents to create all required conditions for toddlers to climb safe and with maximum health benefits. One of the most obvious ways to do this is to buy climbing toys. Let's discuss the benefits these toys have for kids' development.
Benefits of toddler climbing toys
1. Climbing Toys Improve Physical Health
Clearly, the most interesting thing about climbing toys for toddlers is that they are quite challenging to climb. Such physical activity will not only help your child lose baby fat, but it will also help them build muscles and strengthen bones. A climbing activity will help a child develop both upper and lower body strength since they need to both climb up and hold.
Climbing is also great for cardiovascular health. Many studies report that climbing is more effective than running in terms of replenishing the body with oxygen. The children who are physically active when they are young are very likely to lead an active lifestyle when they get older.
2. They Stimulate Mental Development
Besides helping your child build muscles, toddler climbing toys can also stimulate mental development. When playing on such toys children will exercise their motor activities and sensory experiences. In addition, they will also encourage the development of coordinated movements.
3. Building Balance
Climbing toys stimulate the development of a sense of balance. Children learn to keep their torsos balanced as the gravity pulls them down. Climbing a specific playground equipment teaches children great hand, feet and eye coordination. In order to successfully complete their climb, they have to look, plan and then coordinate their hands and feet to get to their chosen spot.
Enhanced coordination skills developed through climbing can also be transferred to many other aspects of life, including other sports. Climbing toys help to reinforce the understanding of left and right. It is recommended that children engage in active play for at least 30 minutes, twice a day to improve their balance skills.
4. Increase problem-solving and decision-making abilities
With climbing playsets there is more than one way to ‘conquer the mountain’. With many possible routes to choose from, your child will have to decide what is going to be their next best move.
At first they will probably make their decisions step by step, but as they become more experienced they’ll be able to visualise a route all the way to the top with just their first step. This is fantastic for building children’s planning and problem solving abilities.
How to choose and purchase toddler climbing toys
In the past few years, toddler climbing toys were seen as something only the wealthy people could afford in their homes. Luckily today playgrounds for home are available for more and more families and you can buy a great wooden playset for kids under $500. If you’re wondering why you would buy such a toy when almost all parks have them, there is one simple answer – it is very likely that you can’t take your child to a park or play area every day. However, if you have these toys in the convenience of your own home, your children can enjoy it all the time.
Another important reason for parents to choose indoor playground rather than outdoor playground is that outdoor play zones are very often not safe and overcrowded. Kids risk to get injured due to the hard ground cover of a playground or because of substandard materials. Playgrounds in parks are made for kids of all ages and it means that they are not age-appropriate. Moreover, older children can offend toddlers. Therefore, it seems to be the best option for parents to purchase an indoor playground with a climbing play feature.
Toddler climbing toys will not only encourage physical development but also mental development and the development of social skills. It means that purchasing an indoor playset with a climbing play feature is a great investment for family. Owning such climbing playset as a toddler jungle gym will enable that all exercises occur on a daily basis and children grown healthy and happy. As a benefit, indoor jungle gyms are usually small which is perfect for people living in apartments and for all those who lack space inside their home. To choose an ideal indoor climber check this article about types of toddler slides and climbers
To sum up, a climbing playset will always give toddlers a chance to indulge their climbing passion. Indoor climbing gym can be a perfect choice for parents who want their kids to lose weight, strengthen their back, and gain muscles while climbing. At the same time, jungle gym will also foster a feeling of community when all the neighborhood kids (and their parents) come to your place to play.
To choose an ideal play gym, check our guide on 6 unusual indoor climbing toys.