Gone are the days when children's wooden swings were commonplace and most decent, respectable households possessed at least one. There is a scarcity of this simple yet very beneficial toy, which can also be appreciated by some adults. Most of us of a certain age group...will remember spending relaxing, fun and enjoyable times on childrens wooden swings. A simple yet fulfilling pleasure, which has a range of benefits that perhaps are not often thought about except by childcare professionals.
Apart from being relaxing and fun, wooden swings can help with a child's development of balance. With the ears and eyes being the major organs when it comes to balance, swinging helps the eyes to become trained and exercised and as well as this the fluid of the inner ear is constantly swirling back and forth, which is excellent for the development of balance.
In eye development, the changing of the depth of focus starts at six months and completes during a baby's second year. During this period watching television should ideally not play any part in the child's routine, or at least very minimal. On the other hand swinging is one of the best ways of helping to develop this ability as a baby is moving back and forth constantly changing the depth of focus.
From the point of view of coordination at the age of about four years old a child should be able to swing themselves and this should be encouraged, as it is a great way to encourage the development of full body coordination.
When a child is on a swing, both the vestibular and proprioceptive system are being activated. What is the
vestibular system? This system is comprised of several structures within the inner ear, and what happens is when the head tilts in any direction fluid moves small hairs within these structures and their movement lets us know our position in relation to the earth's gravity. The proprioceptive system gathers information from the muscles and joints which informs us about our body position and posture.
There are studies that also show that swinging activates the language part of the brain. Some education professionals will have swings for these varying reasons, but some will also have a swing hung up inside the house for times where the weather restricts outdoor swinging activities.
Swinging slowly is rhythmic and calming, whilst fast swinging is alerting. Encourage your child to try various types of different movements such as side by side and untwisting after you've wound up the swing ropes. Depending on the child these movements will get varying reactions and if a child needs a lot of calming down after an untwisting movement then it is better to encourage and help them with the more rhythmic, calming type.
From a parents point of view there are times when you may need some space, just to relax or you need to concentrate on the job in hand. This is a great time for your child to swing, you can get them into this routine at a time that is mutually beneficial. This could be when you need to cook dinner and they have done their homework and need to relax. Every household will have its own best time, but there is no doubt that wooden swings should be in every garden.
Author Resource:-
For handmade customised wooden swings go to MadMolly.co.uk
Jackie de Burca is co-owner Creative Web Advertising, who specialise in search marketing with realistic business goals.
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