Gross Motor Skills — I cannot even begin to stress how important it is to allow a child work on this (For a quick read on what they are and why they’re important, click THIS). By nature, they know. They know they need to move in all sorts of ways (from walking to running to skipping to moving side to side to…falling, yes falling!) so that they can acquire the skills necessary for their own development, and sometimes, as parents, we tend to think that for them to be able to practice all these big movements, we need to provide them with all these expensive gyms and playgrounds for the home.
While there is definitely nothing wrong with providing them climbers, or domes, or playground if you have the space and you can afford them, I always encourage parents to also look at the stuff we already own. There are a lot of practical home items that are actually very helpful even for our own children.
Take this good, old multipurpose ladder, for instance.
I asked my husband how we could make mini monkey bars for our son, seeing how he loves to swing and pull himself up. He thought of all sorts of things that mostly included carpentry work, and then…one day, he told me he figured out something — he brought out his all-around ladder and did this!
Wow! Such a great idea, right? It’s low enough for toddlers and young children, but I tell you, even my son’s 12-year-old cousin enjoys this!
The best part is…it can apparently be setup in different ways, not with children in mind, but for its real purpose – to help you fix your home (whether it be painting, plumbing, etc)!
You can set it up in an /m/ shape (two ways).
Or you can also make a longer slanted ladder.
I’m not sure we’ve even covered all the ways to set this up, so if you have more ideas, let me know, but of course, you can also use it the usual way it’s used — in straight and vertical form.
The upsides of this ladder:
* It’s so much cheaper than buying a gym / indoor playground for your child.
* It can be used up to adulthood and for adult-work.
* It’s very sturdy.
The downsides:
* It needs to be setup to get a specific look (not really sure if this is a downside — it depends on you)
* It needs space. It probably won’t work in a small condo unit, not for all the possible configurations, atleast.
WHERE CAN YOU BUY THIS IN THE PHILIPPINES (IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE YET):
Hardware Stores including mall-based hardwares like Ace Hardware, True Value, DIY Hardware, and Handyman.
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If you’re from the US, I am attaching what I found on Amazon (using my affiliate link — by purchasing directly from my link, I might earn commission through Amazon credits):
We are using a 12.5 ft ladder. Here are two possible options: LuisLadders | Safeplus
Hope you have fun with your ladder as much as we do! Till next time.
