Around we go – play this game to practise climbing

What you need 

• A climbing frame  

What to do 

• Tell your child that you’re going to give them a challenge. Let them climb to a comfortable spot on the climbing frame, then stand a little further round with a gap between you.  
• Tell them they need to climb around the climbing frame to you, without touching the floor.  
• They don’t need to be high on the climbing frame for this, even one or two steps off the floor works well! They can climb around the outside, rather than over the top. 
• Stay close and watch as they take on the challenge.  
• If they get stuck, make simple comments to help them think about what to do next. For example, “Your foot is near that bar.”  
• Sometimes gently touching the foot you’re talking about can help them think about their position. This helps them decide where to move to next. 

Good to know 

Climbing doesn’t always need to involve getting high up, your child can develop the skills they need to climb by climbing around an object. If you don’t have a climbing frame or time to get to the park your child can develop their climbing skills at home.  

To climb they need good control of their body, and an awareness of the position of their body. Giving them time to get themselves on steps, furniture and climbing up and down stairs (while you supervise) will help them develop these skills.