Play is the work of childhood. Believing and encouraging this lifestyle as parents is a wonderful gift we can give our children.
The days are warmer and longer this time of year, and it’s the perfect time to encourage kids to stay outside a little longer. The Mash kids are 7, 5, and 3, and their favorite outside activities include riding bikes and roller skates, playing basketball, and climbing on their new climbing dome. Our goal as parents is to encourage them to move their bodies naturally and build bodyweight skills like pull-ups and pushups, front rolls, and squats. They are almost always barefoot too, and we don’t fight it.
The climbing dome is the newest addition to their play-training, and it has already proven its worth. The kids, all three of them, wake up and ask to go outside and play first thing in the morning. Their energy is contagious, and getting sunshine on our faces and fresh air before 8 am is good for everyone.
A couple of other items that we have really loved having around for them are a set of homemade monkey bars and a climbing peg board. These two items are housed in our basement and have been really great to have available in the winter and on rainy days.
We don’t have a specific “kid” version of a climbing pegboard. It would make the perfect addition to any home gym.
If you would like to know more about training youth, check out this video on Youtube