Children's street swing

It is difficult to find a child who would not like to spend time on a swing. Experts say that children's street swing is not only a way to kill time and improve mood, but also health benefits. If the housing presupposes the presence of its own backyard territory, you can make kids and even older family members happy by setting up simple swings for adults and children, but first you need to understand the subject.

To begin with, make sure that the swing for the street represents a real benefit for children. It should be noted that this very design, and not some other carousel, received the maximum approval of specialists, and that's why:

• Physical development. If a child has reached at least the age when he is already close to the first trip to school, then on a swing he, more often, swings himself. Therefore, for this you need to make your own efforts, which helps to strengthen the muscles of the arms and legs.
• Brain development. A newborn baby doesn’t really own his muscles, his motility develops gradually, and the swing is a great way to learn how to use different muscle groups for harmonious work.

• The development of the vestibular apparatus. For self-riding on a swing you need a developed sense of rhythm, the ability to maintain balance - all these skills come in the process of riding. At the same time, the vestibular apparatus becomes accustomed to overloads - the child will be better able to withstand motion sickness in transport.
• Improving communication skills. A single swing will not help here, but if the construction involves simultaneous skating of two or more people (not separately, but in a swing like a “swing-boat”), the kids will have to learn how to work in a team and communicate.

• Opportunity to have fun alone in the fresh air. Parents cannot devote to children absolutely all the time, because they also have their own concerns, including those associated with children. Riding on a swing, a child can occupy himself without distracting his parents, nor does he sit indoors. Such skating is clearly not the worst pastime, especially - if the design involves proper concern for the safety of children.

Parents usually choose a swing according to the age of the child, starting only from the safety needs of the baby. In fact, at different stages of life, children have a completely different perception of this attraction, which is why they prefer one or another of its varieties. The recommendations below are not an axiom, but are worth listening to:

• Up to a year. Even babies have their own options. swing, namely - electric swings. In essence, this is not so much an attraction as a lullaby with a motor, which frees the mother from the need for manual motion sickness, but the essence, in general, is similar. The cradle, of course, provides for the most reliable fixation of the child, and the swinging amplitude is minimal here.

• Up to 2 years. When the child is already able to sit confidently and start walking all the better, it’s time to use a hanging swing made of any materials. By design, they should resemble a highchair, that is, have a back, side rims and a front stopper with a vertical divider for the legs.Although the child seems securely fixed, the presence of the parents is imperative - both for security control and for rocking.
• 3-5 years. Some experts believe that already at this stage, children can safely do without a front stopper, and even without a back. This is partly a fair statement, but the smaller the degree of fixation, the more necessary the presence of adults, so that the baby does not sway too much.

• 5-7 years. It is believed that at this stage there are practically no restrictions on the types of swings for children - they are already large enough and trained to successfully cope with any variety of them.
• From 7 years old. Children of school age often perceive this attraction as a challenge to strength and dexterity, therefore, either they accelerate their usual swing swing to the maximum, or they change over to structures that require real skill. A well-known “tire on a rope” can be a good example, although a tire can, of course, be replaced with anything.

There is no need to be too afraid for the child - by this age he should be ready for such tests.

Swing is often considered only a suspended structure, but in fact it can be called any attraction involving rocking. Accordingly, you can select a number of possible options each of which has its own characteristics:

• Stationary swing with a spring. Such an attraction is quite often found on public playgrounds, but so far not very popular in individual use. His seat is stylized either as a vehicle (motorcycle, boat, car, plane), or as a “childish” animal (duckling, dolphin). It is mounted on a large spring, firmly mounted in a concrete or other foundation, similar in reliability. You can swing in any direction, including up and down, and the help of parents is not needed here - the kid rolls by his own efforts. It is convenient to hold onto specially mounted handles, the child's legs hang from different sides, which is also useful for fixing.

• Pendulum or balancer. Children love this design very much, but it requires the simultaneous participation of two kids. They sit on opposite ends of a long lever, the middle of which is attached to the base, and in turn raise and lower each other, pushing with their feet off the ground. This variety requires quite a lot of space, and is recommended rather for children of approximately the same age (kids of different sizes will not be able to swing equally).

• Suspended swing. Actually, the classic is what each person represents at the mention of the word “swing”. You can make it yourself, but you can buy it in the store - thanks to its wide popularity, this attraction is made by manufacturers for the needs of private buyers. Most often produced single model, but there are also double. The latter include, first of all, “benches” - with a wide seat and two suspensions, a third suspension is also possible in the middle, so that each child can hold with two hands. They are good because they are taught to work in pairs, and with sufficient size of the seat, they allow more children to ride at the same time.
• Alternative option - mirror swings: in them two seats are located opposite each other, and between them there is a common area for the legs. Children should take turns in motion, which also teaches interaction, but at the same time one child can ride this variety - if, of course, they have enough strength to shake the massive structure alone.

Even the material from which the swings are made plays an important role, and you need to pay attention to this when buying or ordering a product:

• Plastic. This material is valued, first of all, for its maximum brightness, which will greatly delight the little ones. At the same time, the plastic swing is strong enough for kids (although the frame may require additional reinforcement with a metal base), but for children of at least older preschool age, they are unlikely to fit. Choosing plastic for a swing, you need to make sure that it is environmentally friendly and resistant to fading colors.

• Tree. Wooden swing is an eternal hit, because this material is suitable for creating all types of attractions, as well as 100% safe for humans and looks very cozy. In addition, it is almost the only material that allows for independent production of the product, since even if there are no boards in the farm, they can be cheaply purchased anywhere in the country, and practically every man has the skills to work with wood. Another thing is that wood should be chosen carefully, giving preference to durable species, and also skillfully selected safe dyes and varnish to protect against moisture.

• Metal. The swing made of metal is an option for ages. Metal structures can easily withstand extreme loads, therefore, designed for heavy weight skating people or constant use. The material itself is harmless person, but again - you need to pay attention to the coating used. Iron products are not so much afraid of moisture as wood, but they are also able to rust and quickly break.

• Unexpected materials. If decided make a swing with your own hands, it is theoretically possible to use absolutely anything. Actually, this is how the famous “tire on a rope” was invented, which you just need to fix on one rope or piece of metal chain. If the suspension options are not too many, then the seat can be made from everything - even from ordinary sticks, competently connected and securely attached to the suspension.

It doesn't matter if you choose a swing in the store or do it yourself - some rules should be followed when choosing and installing. We have already considered some of them, but there are several more that are formulated more simply:

• The higher the frame of the suspended attraction, the better it is. For a child, this can be used, despite the rapid growth (the seat can be pulled up higher), for an older child, height means a good length of suspension, and, therefore, swinging amplitudes.
• If there is at least a small chance that the suspension will jump off the seat, then such a swing can no longer be considered safe.

• It is considered that only the suspension that can withstand the weight three times the weight of the rider is reliable. A child grows, not one can climb onto a seat - all these parameters must be taken into account, therefore any product must confidently withstand at least a couple of quintals.
• When choosing a space to install a swing, give preference to a territory with a reserve of space. Measure the length of the suspension - at least such a length should have a platform both ways from the frame, because kids can disperse the attraction to the maximum. At the same time, the front of the space should be much larger, because many children love to jump from the seat at the moment when it goes as far as possible forward.

How to make a garden swing with your own hands, see the next video.