How having a climbing frame saved us during Lockdown!

This post is in collaboration with Wickey

The last 15 months have been hugely challenging for us all. Spending significant amounts of time at home, juggling work and childcare commitments and attempting to home school two children has been a huge emotional drain. That said, I know just how lucky I have been and compared to many, I have had so many luxuries that have helped me cope better during the pandemic. From flexible and supportive employers, access to lots of local woodlands to explore and friends and family that live close enough to walk to for driveway visits, there are various things that helped my family cope better during this period of unknown.

Without a doubt, with two young children at home, one of the biggest things I am most thankful for during covid times is having access to a big open garden with our own climbing frame. I can honestly say, our garden has saved all of our sanities during lockdown.

Photo of MultiFlyer courtesy of Wickey

If you don’t yet have a climbing frame or swing set in your garden and you are considering taking the plunge, here are just a few of the benefits we found from our climbing frame during the extra time we spent at home.

• Screen Free Fun – Home schooling was hard on all of us, and that, balanced with the fact I was also working from home and regularly on video calls myself meant that the girls had far more screen time (TV or iPad) than I would normally allow. Having the ability to quickly and easily get the girls outside, active and away from screens was a huge positive and helped me manage my guilt levels too!
• Encouraging active and healthy lifestyle – Playing on a climbing frame in the garden doesn’t feel like exercise to a child, but trust me, it 100% is! Not only did the girls run around after each other, climb the stairs to the slide, dig in a sandpit, navigate up the climbing wall and learn to pump their own swings, they also created games around which the climbing frame den was at the centre, encouraging them to get up, get active and keep moving!
• Stimulating their imagination – During lockdown, our climbing frame wasn’t just a climbing frame – oh no. It was a lookout, a pirate’s lair, a makeshift den covered in blankets, a reading nook and even a restaurant (I got the lucky job of waitress). It was so lovely watching the girls use their imagination and be creative – a skill that should definitely be encouraged!
• Improving their confidence – Features such as the climbing wall and swings have really encouraged the girls to nee  persistent, not give up and accept a new challenge. At the start of lockdown my youngest was nervous to try the climbing wall, but after facing her fears, practising and slowly increasing in confidence, she is now up and over to the top in a flash. Her pride in this accomplishment is huge.
• Improves their strength / motor skills – again, over the last year our children have been far less active than normal, and with extended periods of sitting down not always broken up by playtime or activity, their overall fitness levels could easily have reduced. The climbing frame has allowed the girls to improve their overall strength, pulling their own body weight up and holding on to overhead bars etc.
• Logic and problem solving skills – tackling the climbing wall takes far more than just physical skills, learning how and where to place their feet as they navigate their way up to the top also takes logic and problem solving, figuring out where best to move in order to reach the top.
• Distraction / Reduced anxieties – when the world got a little scary and the breaking news updates became too much (for all of us!) heading out to the garden, enjoying some fresh air and having the distraction of the climbing frame was a huge benefit for all of our mental health. It allowed us to forget (at least for a little while) about the fact they were missing their friends or their usual routine and embrace a new one instead.
• A better nights sleep – Finally and perhaps my favourite(!) was that after an afternoon in the garden playing outside, the girls always slept much better. Exercise is proven to help releases endorphins into the bloodstream and can help with the production of melatonin  – the sleep inducing hormone which helps them switch off more quickly and settle down to a peaceful nights sleep! On the days where we had been stuck indoors for a prolonged amount of time, the climbing frame was a great way for the girls to burn off some of that excess energy and tire themselves out before bed! The more active they were, the more quickly they got tired and the more relaxation time we got as parents as a result.

Photo of SeaFlyer courtesy of Wickey

Without a doubt, investing in our garden and making it a child friendly space has been one of the best decisions we ever made when updating our home.

If you’re looking for a great place to start, check out the wide range of wooden activity centres, swing sets and climbing frames including The MultiFlyer and SeaFlyer at Wickey.co.uk.