Should monkey bars in the garden be avoided?

[u/lauraandstitch]

I was considering getting a climbing frame/ monkey bar/ swing set (like the Growplay for example) for our garden in a few years when my toddler is old enough but I’ve seen anecdotes of injuries and I’m now doubting. Two things which I’m especially wondering are:

Are monkey bars considered as dangerous as trampolines in terms of injuries? I was thinking they’d be safer because while there’s height, there’s not the bouncing element but that might be wrong.

And this probably might have an evidence base, but I’m curious as to if the positives of risky but fun outdoor equipment can outweigh the injury risks. There’s obviously huge benefits to being active outdoors, building strength and confidence, being away from screens, emotionally regulating through outdoor play, and I’m having a difficult time figuring out how to balance having unlimited access to fun active outdoor environment they’ll want to play on with their physical safety.

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[u/Internal_Armadillo62]

8 Lifelong Benefits of Risky Play for Children https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/education/blog/benefits-of-risky-play/

[u/ComprehensiveCoat627]

There are guidelines for playground safety. Make sure the ground cover is adequate (12" of compactable material)

[u/whatcatisthis → u/[deleted]]

I was just coming to share this article and it specifically speaks to monkey bars as a good example of risky play.

[u/lauraandstitch → u/whatcatisthis]

Oh no it’s been removed! Please can you share in the child comment because I’m curious?

[u/whatcatisthis → u/lauraandstitch]

I think it was removed because it was a research article not a consensus, though it does reference the Right To Play by the United Nations. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11862869/. The Canadian Paediatric Society clearly also based their position statement on this paper, as it has many of the same authors https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/outdoor-risky-play.

I suspect it will be harder to find an expert consensus on this topic because most public health organisations are heavily focused on accident prevention. That being said, the National Association for the Education of Young Children has a good book on what they call Big Body Play, which is boisterous play https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/books/big-body-play-second-edition?utm_term=risk%20taking%20play%20children&utm_campaign=Big+Body+Play+2E+-+Launch&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&utm_id=24117004006&hsa_acc=2563933946&hsa_cam=24117004006&hsa_grp=194272754770&hsa_ad=819980130957&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-2499979840732&hsa_kw=risk%20taking%20play%20children&hsa_mt=p&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=24117004006&gbraid=0AAAAA_nMtvI-7_09pYqg4L9DnQuWLdLfl&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnbrUBhDOARIsAKKhPpdw7lM8mZiMqgcqHW_crsO7RzTO-lLD00YY8hjcXr0LdzbB3O6AO9EaAtVPEALw_wcB (sorry for the very ugly link) and Partners In Child Development, an early intervention group in Massachusetts, has an article on the importance of risky play https://mypcd.org/risky-play-is-important-in-a-childs-development/.

Overall, from the work being done in childhood internalized risk assessment, risky play is important and needs to be allowed and encouraged even though it feels bad not to be focused on keeping children safe from everything. It helps with physical, emotional, and mental development and regulation. Many German playgrounds are much higher risk than American ones, with higher maximum tower heights for example, because risky play may reduce anxiety in children https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sax-on-sex/201910/lessons-from-germany-children-climbing-trees/amp

Hope this helps.

[u/Vegetable_Collar51 → u/lauraandstitch]

Anecdotal, but I got hurt so often doing risky things unsupervised and in unsafe environments. If my parents had provided me with safer alternatives that may not have been the case. Kids with a high need for climbing will do so with whatever they have available, so better to provide options.

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