Climbing provides great fun for every child and even many adults. Depending on their age, the objects that children choose as their climbing targets change. First, climbing on the parent, on the sofa, on a chair or on the windowsill. For several-year-olds, a slide, climbing wall, ladder or tree is attractive. However, climbing is not only great fun, but also a great way to ensure the correct psychomotor development of your child.
Planning a movement, estimating distances, heights and one's own strength and abilities - all of this is achieved through climbing. In addition, every climbing success gives children confidence and pride in overcoming their own fears and anxieties. By overcoming more and more advanced obstacles, children begin to believe that nothing is impossible for them. Let me explain to you why seemingly insignificant climbing is so important for every little one!
First attempts at climbing - a natural stage in a child's development
Children around the age of one are usually charged with incredible energy and ideas. They explore their surroundings with great curiosity about the world and no less fierceness. They crawl, crawl, stand up and walk sideways on the furniture and... they climb. On the furniture, on the parent, on everything!
If what the child is interested in is too high - the child pulls himself up on his hands, throws one leg over the obstacle, attaches the other leg and is already on top. If your child has already discovered the magic of climbing, he or she will do it over and over again. The climbing phase is an important stage in a child's development. It satisfies his curiosity about the world and opens up further places, hitherto unrecognised, to him.
This frantic climbing, combined with a lack of awareness that he or she could be hurt, gives us a ready recipe for disaster. Well, unless the parent vigilantly and persistently protects the little peak conqueror so that no harm comes to him.
Why shouldn't children be stopped from climbing?
Firstly, it doesn't make any sense at all, because the child will climb everywhere anyway with the stubbornness of a maniac and will make these attempts all the time. Secondly, by preventing them from climbing, you are blocking the child's proper development.
Of course, not restraining the child does not mean not restraining the child. Safety is key and on this point there is no doubt. To be clear - bans won't achieve anything. Instead of banning these climbs, mature the value of them and the impact on the harmonious development of the child.
What does climbing give a child?
All of these elements are practised by an infant who is climbing for the first time in his or her life, and then by a several-year-old who is perfecting this skill on the playground.
- Large motor skills - absolutely all the muscles in the child's body are involved in climbing (deep muscles, spine, arms, hands, shoulders, legs and abdomen). Strong postural muscles have an impact on the child's correct posture in the future. Joint stability and mobility are improved.
- Small motor skills - little hands grasp the sofa, the edge of the table, the chair, the windowsill, tablecloths, curtains and bedspreads. With incredible strength and resourcefulness, they pull themselves up, grabbing anything that falls into their hands. Small motor skills play a very important role in learning the next, increasingly advanced manual activities: crushing, grasping, catching, eating, drawing, writing.
- Improves the child's stamina, flexibility, agility and agility.
- Steadfastness in pursuit of the goal.
- Ability to think logically - Children, if they can't climb up where they would really like to, start to think up and invent other ways. Their creativity and lack of fear can give parents a heart attack.
- Self-confidence - the child does not take into account that he or she might not succeed.
- Alternating movements - When climbing, the child performs alternating movements, just as when crawling and quadrupling. The alternation of movement affects the connections between the two hemispheres of the brain, which translates into the ability to think logically and learn.
- Vestibular system - or sense of balance, which helps to coordinate body movements, spatial orientation and the integration of sensory stimuli.
- Proprioceptive system - responsible for the ability to feel our body in space. It helps coordinate limb and whole-body movements and is essential for planning and controlling precision movements. It is also responsible for muscular tension.
- Praxis - i.e. motor planning, the ability to plan and execute complex motor activities.
- Concentration, movement planning, decision-making - The climbing wall is recommended for children with attention problems.
What happens if we prohibit a child from climbing?
- The child will frustrated, irritable, tearful.
- Lack of self-confidence in the child - will not believe in their own abilities.
- It will have difficulty in assessing one's own limitations. We learn from experience whether we can get there, climb or reach something.
- It may have learning difficultieseye-hand coordination problems, and problems with maintaining a stable sitting position.
- It may have sensory integration disorderif it has not had the chance to train the vestibular and proprioceptive systems.
How to keep children safe when climbing?
Assurance - the best support
Applies to toddlers. Older children should be taught to assess the risk themselves - whether it is worth trying or whether the risk is too great.
Backwards descent from height
For me, it was a game changer. I will never forget the relief I felt when my children got off the furniture backwards for the first time. After many weeks of saying: "Backwards, Natalka come down backwards, Nadia - not head down! You'll kill yourself! First the bottom, then the head, backwards, backwards...". - SUCCESS!
It is absolutely necessary to teach a child to descend backwards from a height. It won't be quick, it won't be easy, but it's definitely worth it.
Every child develops at his or her own pace
Every child has its own rhythm and development plan. It is enough that we adults simply we will not be disturbed child in its implementation.
When should climbing be of concern to parents?
- If a child tries to climb but fails and gets very frustrated.
- If he grasps with his hands but cannot join the movement with his leg.
- If he climbs with only one arm or leg.
Then it is worth consulting a specialist such as a paediatric physiotherapist.
Harmonious development of children and climbing
Let us allow children to develop at their own pace. Let's not block them with our fears. Climbing works almost all muscles and develops agility, balance, coordination and stamina. The child overcomes their own fears and learns their capabilities. Whether he or she is 9 months old, 2 years old or 5 - let him climb.
Climbing promotes a child's harmonious development and provides lots of fun and benefits.
Have fun - see you in the playground or on the climbing wall!
Photo source: Freepik.com
Anna Bernaś
Paediatric physiotherapist
