Crossing the monkey bars is one of childhood's big milestones. It looks like one skill, but it is really five working together: gripping, hanging, swinging, reaching and letting go. Children who practice each one separately get across sooner and fall less. Here is how to build each skill through play, which equipment works at home, and how to keep hanging and swinging safe.
When Can Kids Do Monkey Bars?
Most children are ready to try crossing monkey bars somewhere between about 4 and 6 years old, when grip strength, shoulder strength and coordination come together. Playground safety guidance generally treats overhead equipment as suited to children around 4 and older. Younger toddlers can still practice the first skills, like gripping and short hangs, on low bars with an adult close by.
The Five Skills, and a Game for Each
1. Grip
Everything starts with holding on. Game: Tug of war with a towel. Pull gently against your child while they hold a rolled towel with both hands. Climbing a Pikler triangle or a ladder builds grip too.
2. Hang
Hanging with arms straight builds the endurance to stay on the bars. Game: Hang and count. Your child grips a low bar with feet touching the ground, then lifts their feet and counts how long they can hang. Beat yesterday's number. Stay close and spot at the hips.
3. Swing
A small swing of the body creates the momentum to reach the next bar. Game: Pendulum. While hanging, your child swings their legs forward and back, small at first. Trapeze bars and rings are perfect for this.
4. Reach
Letting go with one hand to grab the next rung takes confidence. Game: One hand, then two. Starting from a hang, your child reaches one hand to the next rung while you support at the hips, then brings the second hand across.
5. Release and land
Knowing how to drop safely matters as much as crossing. Game: Soft landing. Practice letting go from a low bar and landing on both feet with bent knees, onto a mat.
Indoor Monkey Bars for Kids
Monkey bars at home mean children can practice every day, whatever the weather.
On a jungle gym: the Magnolia and Bush include monkey bars at a lower height for younger climbers, and the Chestnut adds monkey bars, gymnastic rings and a disc swing for ages 2 to 8.
On the wall: the Grove combines monkey bars and rings in a wall-mounted gym that folds flat, for ages 2 to 11. If you have a Walnut Swedish ladder, the Monkey Bar Attachment adds an overhead set, with a step platform to start from, for the 79 inch and 94 inch ladders.
Pull-Up Bars for Kids at Home
For older children ready for a bigger strength challenge, a pull-up bar builds arms, shoulders, grip and core. Our pull-up bar attachment mounts to a Walnut, Betula or Neem Swedish ladder, for kids 8 and up, and it is strong enough for parents to use for stretches too. Several of our wall gyms, including the Walnut and Betula, include a pull-up bar.
Why not a doorway bar? Doorway pull-up bars press against trim and frames that were never designed to hold a swinging child. A bar mounted to a wall gym that is already anchored into wall studs is far more stable.
A pull-up bar for toddlers? Toddlers are not ready for pull-ups, but they can practice short hangs on a low bar or a climber's rungs with an adult spotting.
Outdoor Monkey Bars
Backyard monkey bars usually come built into a playset. The Sycamore Large has overhead monkey bars alongside a slide, a climbing wall and swings, the Outdoor Chestnut puts monkey bars at a height little ones can reach, and the Hawthorn pairs classic monkey bars with an octagon climber and a swing.
Monkey Bar Safety
Cushion the ground. Falls from overhead equipment are a common cause of arm injuries, so use a thick mat indoors and deep protective surfacing outdoors, never grass alone.
Spot at the hips, not the hands, while children are learning, and let them take their own weight.
One child at a time, moving in one direction.
Dry hands, and no climbing on top of the bars.
No bike helmets or clothing with drawstrings, which can catch on equipment.
Anchor wall-mounted bars into studs as the manual specifies, and follow every product's age range and weight limit.
Your Monkey Bar and Pull-Up Bar Questions, Answered
What age can kids do monkey bars?
Most children can start crossing monkey bars between about 4 and 6, once grip and shoulder strength develop. Younger children can practice hanging and gripping on low bars with an adult close by.
How can I help my child learn monkey bars?
Practice each skill separately: grip, hang, swing, reach and release. Short daily hangs, swinging on a trapeze or rings and reaching one rung at a time with support all help.
Is a pull-up bar good for kids?
For older children, yes. Hanging and pull-ups build upper-body strength, grip and core. Choose a bar designed for kids and mounted securely, like an attachment on an anchored wall gym, rather than a doorway bar.
Can you put monkey bars indoors?
Yes. Indoor jungle gyms and wall gyms with monkey bars bring the same practice inside, with a thick mat underneath.
What are the benefits of monkey bars?
Monkey bars build grip, upper-body and core strength, coordination and confidence, and crossing them for the first time is a real milestone children are proud of.
For more ways to build strength through play, see our guides to gross motor skills by age and kids climbing walls.