Is your child begging you to install monkey bars for kids in your backyard? Believe it or not, this type of outdoor play area is one of the most popular gifts out there, and it’s one that your child (and you!) can enjoy for many years to come. The best part? Monkey bars have all kinds of benefits for kids. Let’s take a look at a few of them.  

Development of Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills, or the ability to make movements with the small muscles in the hands and wrists, are critical in the lives of schoolchildren. These skills are involved in all kinds of everyday activities, such as writing, cutting, buttoning up a shirt, or holding a pencil or scissors.

Though doing puzzles, playing with play-dough, and drawing are more common ways to encourage the development of fine motor skills, monkey bars are also excellent for this purpose.
As your child grips the bars, they have to sustain their entire body weight with their hands. This type of activity develops the muscles in the hands that children need for everyday tasks.  

Development of Muscles and Strength

Successfully traversing the monkey bars takes a fair bit of power, for which kids need muscle and strength. For example, they have to keep their lugs tucked while swinging, which strengthens the core muscles. Swinging from rung to rung develops arm and back strength, too--specifically in the shoulders, biceps, and lats.

Monkeys bars are also excellent for children’s gross motor skills, or movements of the large muscles of the arms, legs, and torso. Plus, they encourage agility and hand-eye coordination and bolster blood circulation. 

Correct Posture and Balance

Hanging from the bars is excellent for the spine. This position elongates and helps strengthen the spine, and can help children have better posture in general.

Then there’s the swinging back and forth with their legs up, which requires a great deal of balance. Learning to find the correct body position for optimal balance helps kids develop more awareness of where their body is, allowing for better control over their movements.  

An Excellent Obesity-fighting Activity

Obesity is a rising concern worldwide, especially in Australia, where weight issues and obesity affect 25 percent of Australian children and teens. There are many contributing factors, such as poor sleep, increased consumption of processed foods, and too much screen time.

Unless parents address these problems early, overweight kids often find themselves headed straight down the path to an unhealthy adult life. Encouraging exercise and play in children is critical to combating weight gain, and a swing set with monkey bars is an ideal way to get kids moving. It offers the perfect marriage of playtime with movement.

Why? Because kids don’t realize that they’re exercising when they’re hanging off the monkey bars--they just see it as a place to explore, be creative, and have fun. The more fun that something is for a kid, the more they want to do it, which helps them stay active and burn fat all at once.  

Confidence Boosting

Confident children grow to be capable adults, and one way for kids to build this confidence is by facing their fears and conquering goals. For many kids, the monkey bars represent a significant challenge and therefore an excellent opportunity to develop the problem-solving skills needed to get across.

Knowing how to move your body is not obvious; kids have to learn how to swing, climb, and position their weight. Plus, they have to build the strength to get from one side to another and may only be able to go a rung or two at first. Practice, tenacity, and bravery are required, especially for small children intimidated by the height of the monkey bars.

Once your child is successful, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and know they have the ability to meet challenges in life--which, in turn, leads to confidence and positive thinking.  

Stress and Anxiety Relief

Though it may seem hard to believe, even young children have stress--just different stress than we adults do. Exercise is one of the best ways to relieve anxiety, and having monkey bars provides a full-time stress reliever right at home.

The focus required to get good at the monkey bars takes kids’ minds off other things and alleviates some of the tension they experience daily. It also allows them an outlet to release a bit of the abundant energy they have, helping them be calmer and more relaxed.  

Socializing

Playgrounds are where kids go to socialize, and monkey bars provide an excellent setting to learn to interact with others.

Since only one child should be using them at a time, kids have to learn to take turns. Monkey bars encourage creativity, too, as lots of kids like to invent unique scenarios about why their feet can’t touch the floor--like that they’re crossing a lava field! Monkey bars can be the inspiration for new games and a way to play outside with others--all of which kids need.

Though playgrounds make it easier to meet new people, investing in a set for your background also creates socializing opportunities. Having monkey bars at home will make your kids the envy of the neighborhood, and their friends will want to come over for hours of active fun! 

Versatility

Most people only think of going across monkey bars, but the possibilities merely begin there. Kids can have competitions to see who can hang the longest or use them to work on their pull-ups and chin-ups. Kids monkey bars are also excellent for ab work, as you can work your core by hanging and lifting your knees up to your chest. 

Adults Can Play Too

Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that monkey bars Australia are for everyone--no matter your age! Not only can adults partake in playtime with their kids, but you can also get some exercise and improve your upper body strength too. Just don’t underestimate the strength required--you may have forgotten how difficult the monkey bars are!