White paper

Climbing clever

How novel movement patterns benefit the brain

Climbing can make us clever. It is an essential and fun developmental activity for children to strengthen motor skills and muscles. But climbing also connects body and mind.

This white paper aims to:

  • Establish understanding of the link between motor skills and cognitive development

  • Describe the popularity of climbing among different age and user groups

  • List 5 important features for climbing playground equipment that develop children's brains

White paper

Climbing clever

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Connect ##body and mind## through climbing

5 important features for climbing clever playground equipment

  1. Present age-appropriate novelty to the children, so that new ways of moving benefit working memory skills.

  2. Offer graduated challenges and multiple pathways to extend play and develop skills.

  3. Feature entry points and ground-level activities accessible for children of all abilities.

  4. Enable the movement and coordination of multiple body parts at once, for example with kids climbing nets or the pieces in a wooden climbing trail playground.

  5. Have meeting points and social spaces in the climbing playground equipment.

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