"Rosie, at 3.5 years old, has already spend a lot of her life at outdoor climbing crags and indoor climbing walls. She watched many climbing competitions and started showing interest in climbing herself about 6 months ago.

 

My top tips for a fun climbing session with children at the Castle: 

 

• Teach children safe climbing practices before the session. Simple things like being aware of climbers above and not running on the mats underneath. We go through a safety brief on the most important safety rules before we enter the wall, when I can have Rosie’s full attention– laying these foundations makes it easier to reinforce the
behaviours once the excitement is overflowing.  

 

 

• Be realistic about their attention span – most toddler classes are 30 mins long for a reason. For Rosie to stay focused for even this long I have to be inventive with some climbing games, e.g. ‘rescuing’ her toys placed on various holds is Rosie’s favourite.  

 

• It can be fun for them to bring a friend! Just as it is for many adults, social aspect of climbing can be an important part for a fun session. Children like to copy each other and trying to do what the other has done can give them a healthy push out of their comfort zone. Rosie always has most fun when she gets to climb with her friend, but, because of their young age, we always make sure that we have enough adults to supervise them. 

 

• Have realistic expectations about how much climbing you will be able to do yourself if you are planning a climbing session with a child. While Rosie was a baby, she would sleep in a corner of a bouldering

area at the Castle while my friend and I took turns to climb. Now that Rosie can climb herself, I get to do a lot less. I always find it easiest to come with no expectations so any climbing for me is a bonus. 

 

• Make use of Castle’s Kids’ Circuit! Almost every area has yellow and purple swirl holds that are set as easy low-reach blocs for children. Once a child wants to follow colours (we are not there yet with Rosie), kid’s circuits can be a good place to start. 

 

• Don’t focus on lack of ‘reach’. While reach can be a problem for young children climbing on walls set for much taller population, encouraging them to keep trying to find a way will keep your child focused on problem solving and away from feeling helpless. This will set them up for success if climbing turns into their passion.  

 

• Lead by example with your climbing. Be it your climbing etiquette or how you handle your fear, success, and failure – children will learn more
through example more than anything else. It is funny watching our 3.5 year old Rosie making grunting ‘trying’ sounds and 'power screams' while on juggy slab, just because she has seen her parents do it.  

 

• If your child does not share your passion for climbing yet - inspire them through watching climbing competitions, live or online. Rosie has been a spectator in many climbing competitions and after watching a competition on TV one evening, she woke up the next morning and the first thing she said was ‘ I am bigger now – I want to go climbing too’. That’s when we knew she was ready and took her to the Castle for the first time. 

 

Kornelija is Routesetting Manager at the Castle and mum to Rosie, 3.5 years old