The monkey bars are a structure that can look like a horizontal ladder or be formed by handles so children can hang, move, and play. The monkey bars are usually imaginative structures that stand out in the playgrounds as one of the most entertaining games; besides that, they give children great self-confidence and teach them various valuable skills. In this post, we will know the physical, social, and emotional benefits that monkey bars bring to children.
Upper body development
Besides being extremely fun, monkey bars allow the development of strength and endurance in the upper body, exercising the arms, chest, back, and abdomen muscles when swinging from bar to bar or hanging from the rungs. It also works the lower part of the body when jumping, hopping, or leaning, which is why monkey bars are an indispensable part of playgrounds and gyms for children.
Helps channel energy
Children are always active and in motion, so it is essential to find activities that help them release and channel that energy healthily, especially if it helps them improve other skills. Using the monkey bars is a demanding activity since it is a complete exercise that helps physical development and encourages active play, so the high effort that is made is an excellent method to burn the extra energy of children, which will help them to fall asleep more easily, increase their attention and focus on the activities they perform, be calmer and improve their performance.
Helps with coexistence
Children’s games always encourage children to integrate and play together equally; in the case of monkey bars, children must take turns and use the equipment in an orderly manner to avoid accidents, so children must learn to respect the time and space of others, to maintain order, and to comply with the rules because otherwise, they will have consequences that may affect others or themselves. Even among themselves, they can remind them of the rules of use to learn together and comply with the rules for a healthy game, learning to live together in respectful environments.
Stress and emotion management
With monkey bars, the children must learn to wait for their turns, comply with rules, and respect the time of others in their turn, so they must also learn to be patient and control their anxiety since getting desperate and throwing tantrums for wanting to use the bars faster or skipping turns before other users will not allow them to see the other children.
Additionally, the monkey bars help to deal with emotions of sadness and frustration, for example, not making the entire course of the bars because they fall, a lack of strength, endurance, or fear of heights, emotions and fears that are controlled and overcome as the child uses the game to overcome their limitations and reach the goal.
Support and empathy
Crossing the monkey bars can be difficult for some children, whether they are not strong enough yet, consider it too high and are afraid of heights, or are intimidated by the shape of the structures. Children can learn to give positive support by encouraging each other to use the bars, being empathetic to children who do not make it across, and encouraging them to keep trying and not give up.
What do you think about this topic? Do you think monkey bars are important in playgrounds?
If you want to know more about monkey bars for playgrounds, you can visit the following link.
