Besides being the coolest parent at school with the house that all the kids want to visit, there are plenty of reasons to invest in your own backyard monkey bars. With home blocks shrinking more and more in Perth, we all know how difficult it is to find a substantial outdoor living area. If you have the space, why not use it to get your kids outside?Monkey bars are a great way to turn a bland backyard into a fun oasis that your children will actually want to spend time in. Here are a couple of other reasons to invest in a monkey bar set.

1. Promotes healthy exercise

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1 in 4 Australian children are obese or overweight, and the numbers have continued to rise significantly since the 1990s. With the increase in screen time and poor eating habits, the youth of today is being set up for unhealthy adulthoods. Any way that you can encourage your kids to play outside and exercise is a step in the right direction. Monkey bar sets are a kid magnet and can help develop their growing muscles.

The monkey bars are generally seen as one of the best fun exercises for young children as it works their gross motor skills, arm and core muscles, and hand-eye coordination. The best part is that using monkey bars feels more like play rather than exercise. It is a playground staple and will get more use when easily accessible.

2. Helps build confidence

Self-confidence is an invaluable skills for both adults and children. It can help you in all facets of life, no matter your age. A great way to improve confidence is through achievement and conquering goals. Monkey bars are not just physically challenging but also mentally challenging. It can be daunting when you are young and can’t touch the ground below. Some kids might be too scared at first or resist to try.

Monkey bars are not a skill that kids innately know how to complete. It often takes practice and determination, but there is a sense of accomplishment one they learn how to get from one end to the other. The same goes for learning how to swing, how to climb, how to hang upside-down, and other valuable childhood skills.

3. Improves fine motor skills

From holding a pencil to doing up buttons or using scissors, fine motor skills are incredibly important for schoolchildren. While it may not seem obvious at first glance, monkey bars can help develop overall physical strength as well as fine motor skills. Gripping the bars and supporting your body weight helps build the muscles in your hands, which is essential for fine motor skill development.