Rock Climbing for Kids: Instruction and Guidance

Rock climbing is a great activity for people of all ages. My children enjoy going to an indoor rock-climbing center every week. It gives them exercise, interaction with peers and it builds skills that help them in other areas of life as well.

Rock climbing is a wonderful way for your child to build self-esteem and learn to trust themselves and others. Just like with any sport, preparing for the adventure will make things go much smoother and easier.

When kids are climbing, they need to have guidance and instruction from an adult or other experienced climber nearby to help them along the way. Here are some ways to provide that guidance to kids who are climbing:

• Make sure he understands the basics of rock climbing and everything that it involves. For example, explain that he will climb up to the top and then repel back down. Let him watch others do it for a while and continue to go over it until he understands.
• Explain the safety gear to your child. Teach her how to strap on the helmet correctly and how to use the harness to its full potential.
• Give him time to get use to the harness and ropes before venturing too high. He will have more confidence and be able to climb better if he feels comfortable with the gear.
• Don't forget to teach her how to descend before she gets to the top of the wall and doesn't want to come back down. For many people, coming down is the scariest part.
• Teach him proper positioning of his body. In other words, show him where his feet should be on the wall and how to create a 90-degree angle.
• Always have patience with your child. Rock climbing is meant to be fun and exciting so don't get in a hurry and start rushing her.
• Teach him how to push off with his feet and how to avoid hitting his head on the ledges.
• Correct any mistakes she makes as she is making them.

Teaching your child to rock climb correctly right from the start is important. Once they pick up bad habits and do things the wrong way, it's difficult to go back and teach them the right way later. When you repeatedly do something a certain way, it naturally becomes a habit. Therefore, if she is doing it right from the beginning, then proper techniques will become a habit.