A few weeks ago Hadassah started trying to climb everything. Everything that was unstable, that is! Knowing it was important to let her get out her energy and develop her climbing muscles, but not wanting to have to hover over her as she attempted on things too high or too wobbly, I decided to give her a safe outlet.
I briefly searched for toddler indoor climbing toys online, but quickly decided I didn't want to spend hundreds or even a thousand dollars on something that she'd grow out of and would take up space. But, the pictures of what I saw gave me some ideas...
It's nothing fancy. There are 5 boxes, held together with masking tape, down the middle and around the edges. She's pulled some of that off in the past few weeks, so it will need to be retouched soon, or I may just make a new one. That's the beauty of making things for free!
The box at the end is turned so she can climb into it. She LOVES it!
Almost every time we've been out, as soon as she gets inside, she'll go and sit in it for a few minutes. She brings her favorite dolls and stuffed animals in with her, and sometimes I see her just playing or cuddling with them as she sits in it. So sweet to see her have "her" spot.
At first she didn't climb on it much, so I thought about moving it - after all, it's not that pretty and takes up space. But now she's on it multiple times a day, allowing her to move and get energy out, which is especially nice on the days we can't go outside.
She's learning about depth in getting off of things, and how to climb things of varying heights. Through it she's learned to back down stairs, though she still goes head first plenty of times too. And it's not too high, so that if she does fall (which she did once...) it's a bump but no lasting damage.
It's a blessing to be able to turn something that arrives free (with online orders) into something Hadassah enjoys more often than any toy we've bought her new!
This is Helen-
ReplyDeleteThat is so creative! Can't wait to see what you will make next!