10 Best Ways to Teach Your Kids to Use the Monkey Bars

Are your child’s monkey bars a source of joy or dread for them? Swinging on the monkey bars is an exhilarating balancing and agility challenge for some kids. Others may find them stressful because they are intimidated by them or feel them to be excessively difficult. 

There are ways to make your kid feel more secure and at ease, regardless of whether they are terrified or simply need practice getting used to the kid-sized monkey bars. The secret is to create a suitable setting where your youngster feels secure enough to try out new talents. You can teach your kids how to use the monkey bars in the following ways.

1. Supervise Them 

Find a playset with characteristics you like so you can participate in the excitement. Parents frequently watch their children from the sidelines while absorbed in their phones. Utilize these chances to get some exercise or play. For their first time using the monkey bars and until they develop the upper body strength to make it across, supervision is very crucial.

2. Choose Monkey Bars That Are Suitable for Your Child’s Age

The monkey bar rungs must be no higher than 5 feet above the ground for children ages 2 to 5. The suggested height from the ground for children aged 5 to 12 is 7 feet.

3. Arrange the Stage

The first thing you should do if your child is extremely afraid of employing monkey bars is to make the surroundings as secure as you can. This may lessen your worry about going to the bar. To achieve this, look for a playground with a secure layout. The best playgrounds will have a soft surface, such as chipped wood or natural sand. 

As a result, they will be less harsh on joints and delicate areas like the knees and elbows. Put a mat down to offer some padding if you are in a park with a firmer surface. You could also request that the person in charge of the playground turn down the sound system’s volume.

4. Ask Your Kid to Hang Their Feet and Get Onto the Monkey Bars 

So long as they can, exhort them to hold on. Both their upper body and grip strength are strengthened as a result. While they are doing this, support them since positive feedback will make them feel more confident.

5. Go Slowly and Begin with Holding and Balance Positions

Start by having your kid keep their position at the bar for extended periods of time if they are terrified of the bars. This will enable them to become accustomed to their position and the sensation of the bar supporting them. You can encourage your kid to pay attention to their breathing.

They will feel less worried and more rooted as a result of this right now. Before they climb or while they are gripping the bar, you can have them do this. You can advise them to look down and keep their head still while they are holding. They can also concentrate on a particular area of their body, such as their feet or the area between their toes.

6. Allow Your Kid to Select a Hold That They Are at Ease with

Some children will incline instinctively toward one grip or another. Others might not be as certain about their goals. Here, you can let your kid choose the hold they wish to try on their own. You can assist your youngster in selecting a simple hold to start with if they are feeling uncertain of themselves. 

This may give them the boost in self-assurance they require to feel prepared to advance to holds that are more difficult.

7. Encourage Your Kid to Try Out Different Holding Angles

Encourage your kid to try various holding postures as they get more at ease, like bending their legs straight in front. Or they could raise their legs up to their chest. They can be encouraged to swing as well. They will be able to gauge the bar’s momentum better as a result.

To check if they can shift their legs to the opposite side of the bar, you can also urge your youngster to do that. This may give your youngster a better sense of control over the bar and a better understanding of how it moves.

8. Ask Your Kid to Stretch Out Their Legs and Arms

Shake out your kid’s arms and legs to assist them in eliminating any additional tension in their muscles before allowing them to walk along the bar from one side to the other. Injury risk will be decreased as a result. Additionally, it will keep kids calm and attentive. This can assist your child in maintaining concentration on the work at hand and lessen the likelihood that they will feel stressed or overburdened.

9. Allow Your Kid to Go Through the Bar by Walking from One Side to Another

Your kid can move around the bar from one side to the other once they are calm and focused. They will get a better sense of balance and get more accustomed to the way the bar moves as a result. Tell your kid to concentrate on moving their legs to keep their balance after that.

10. To Prevent Falls, Build Safe Surfacing

Injury risk can be drastically decreased by using an impact-attenuating surface, including those that are suggested. Playground equipment should never be placed on asphalt or concrete, and even some lawns can become rather compacted and provide little cushion for a fall. The impact can be lessened by adding some tiles made of rubber or a thick layer of mulch.