It’s no secret that children love to explore using different kinds of playground equipment that allow them to be physically active and test their capabilities and popular choices include a cubby house, swing set, monkey bars or climbing frame. But there’s one type of outdoor climbing equipment that most kids would probably rank high when it comes to having fun, and that also can test their physical and cognitive abilities in ways that few other pieces of outdoor equipment can: an outdoor climbing dome.
A climbing dome is a geometric play structure that gives kids the ability to scale, climb, explore, and interact with other children all at the same time. But as we’ll soon see, installing a climbing dome for your backyard for your kids and their friends could offer several more benefits that go beyond the fact that it’s fun.
Below you'll find our teams top nine reasons to consider installing an outdoor climbing dome in your backyard. You can also view our full range of climbing domes here. The Summit 2m Dome with Slide, from Lifespan Kids, is a firm favourite with our team (& their families!).
1 - Enhances Physical Fitness and Strength
Perhaps the most important advantage that a climbing dome offers is how it can help enhance the physical development of your children. This is because climbing domes offer kids the ability to play while getting whole body exercise in the process. As children ascend and criss cross the dome, they have to engage their arms, legs, and torso all at the same time to remain in proper balance. They’ll develop stronger grip strength as they grab onto the handholds and stronger arm and leg strength as they lift themselves up as well.
2 - Encourages Social Interaction with other Kids
Most outdoor climbing domes are designed to have multiple kids play on them at a time. As a result, they can serve as an excellent ‘central hub’ in your backyard where your children can play together. They can work together to figure out different ways to climb the dome, and as we’ll touch on below, there are several different kinds of games and activities that they can play on the dome as well. In any case, if you want your children to learn the values of communication and teamwork with other kids during outdoor play, a climbing dome is an excellent way to facilitate that.
3 - Improves Cognitive Coordination
It’s not just your childrens’ bodies that will get a workout when they play on a climbing dome. Their minds will get a workout too! That’s because climbing up, down, and sideways along a geometric dome naturally requires navigational and dexterity skills. Children will have to plan the routes they take as they climb the structure and make quick decisions. The cognitive skills they develop here will last them for a lifetime.
4 - It Can Fit in Small Spaces
Another big advantage to climbing domes is how compact they are. They’ll take up a lot less space than most other types of outdoor play equipment so if you have a small backyard, a climbing dome will be a great fit.
5 - They Can Be Portable
Not only are climbing domes relatively small, they’re also lightweight and easy to move around. All it takes is for one or two people to lift up a climbing dome and transport it to another area of the yard. Alternatively, you could even take it over to the home of a friend or family member.
6 - It Offers Children Multiple Play Scenarios
There is no shortage of games and activities that children can imagine and play on a climbing dome. Examples of games that kids may play on a dome could include races to the top, pretending they’re in a space station, balancing games, tag, or treating the dome as part of an obstacle course.
7 - Easy to Upkeep and Maintain
Most outdoor climbing domes are built out of very durable materials that are able to resist ongoing weather conditions. Once they’re set up, they require very minimal upkeep and shouldn’t need any major ongoing repairs.
8 - Gives Kids a Confidence Boost
The very act of climbing to the top of a climbing dome can give kids a serious confidence boost. When they get to the top, they’ll feel like they’re on the top of the world and feel a proud sense of accomplishment. Climbing back down to the ground will likewise help them feel like they’ve succeeded at something.
9 - They’re Safe
Last but certainly not least, contrary to what many people think climbing domes are actually designed with safety in mind. That’s because they are built with very durable connections and rounded edges, along with non-toxic coatings over the materials of the dome itself. Children can play energetically on climbing domes without running any serious risks.
Conclusion
As you can see, if you haven’t thought about ordering an outdoor climbing dome to put in your backyard for your kids, you may want to reconsider! Or alternatively, you may at least want to check out some of the additional pieces of fun outdoor climbing equipment that we have available as well.
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