If your child is of a certain age, it’s likely they spend a bit of time each week on a swing, but has it ever been on one you have created together?

Rope-swing creation is a favourite at First Steps in Nature. It can initially sound daunting and risky, but with careful consideration and space for creativity, it can end up being a very fun and engaging activity to do together with your child.

Equipment needed

A suitable branch

You will need somewhere to hang your rope swing.

Consider the following;

• is it strong enough to not break when the swing is in use?

• is it high enough to allow the swing to work? (think about how big the child is, how far off the ground it needs to be, is there any danger to the child’s head or fingers when they stand up or sit on the swing?

• is it low enough to be reachable, so you can throw the rope over it?

• can the swing be far enough away from the trunk? When your child swings forward, will they be clear of it or any other obstacle

• is it horizontal enough to keep the rope in place when the swing is in use?

A rope!

We have two ropes in our Nature kit. The first is a twisted rope, made from a synthetic fibre and is quite thick. I found this at an op-shop many years ago. It’s a bit trickier to tie knots in, because it is so thick, but this can be helpful for little hands and can make a very solid swing. It has less stretch, so the rope doesn’t pull down too far when the child sits on the swing.

The second rope is also synthetic, but has two layers - the outside braided layer and an inner twisted layer. It is much thinner, which makes it easier to tie knots in (but can also be harder to undo the knots!). It is also stretchy, so can dip quite a bit lower down once a child sits on the swing. This one was bought from a car accessories shop, as it can double as a tie down rope for trailer loads etc.. It was relatively cheap to purchase.

The kind of rope you use will impact the type of swing you can make.

Consider the following;

• will it hold the weight of the swing/child combo?

• will the knots be able to be tied reliably? and can you secure the knots onto the seat so they don’t slip off the swing when in use?

• is it light enough, in weight, that you can throw it over a high branch?

• Do you want to tie a tyre to the rope? (might need a thicker rope for this one).

• Does your child want to be involved in the knot-tying? (a thinner, more elastic rope might be better for this).

• Does it have any tears in it? or is it old and frayed? Will it be reliable?

• Will your child be standing on the swing? a thicker rope with less stretch might be better for in this case.

Optional extras

Will your swing have a “seat” portion?

Consider the following;

• A strong stick - test it out by trying to break it. If it breaks, it was not going to be a good option anyway, so go find another stronger one! Thicker is better as it also needs to be comfortable enough to sit on.

• A log can work well, as long as it is wide enough to allow strong knots on either side (without fear they’ll slip off the side)

• We have a long wooden platter in our Nature kit, which makes for a sturdy and comfortable seat. Do you have any wooden items at your place that might work?

• We have tried a stick covered in a piece of bark (for comfort).

• An old tyre can be heavy and take a bit more wrangling, but can make a solid and fun swing.

What do you have in your garage or available in your surroundings? .

The most important part for this “seat” section is that it will not break when a child sits on it, and that the ropes can be tied securely on both ends, without slipping off when the swing is in action. Also keep an eye out for little legs or arms getting caught. Keep fingers and hair away from the knots when weight is put onto the rope.

How to make the swing

Use what you’ve got on hand, be creative, ask lots of clarifying questions and test it out before you put your child on it!!

Every time we’ve made a swing at First Steps in Nature, it has been a different creation. We encourage the children to generate their own ideas about what might work, and then test them out. If a child suggests something that all the adults already know won’t work, we still follow the child’s ideas so they can discover why it won’t work for themselves! We use questions to draw their ideas out, so they can come to understand more, in gentle and respectful ways. Not only is this a kinder way to support a child’s ideas, it can also lead to more solid and clear learning. Questions such as “ooh, that is a good idea. Have you considered ….?”. Have you considered whether the stick will be strong enough to hold you?” or “have you considered whether there’ll be room to tie the rope onto both sides and also fit you on it??” “Have you considered whether these knots will hold the stick in place?”

Ask these questions of your own ideas too!! You’ll also have to bring your own knot-tying skills to the task. If you’ve no idea about knots, look up “swing hitch” knot on your favourite search engine. There are a few good videos that demonstrate, slowly and clearly, how to tie the knots. If you’re a real novice with knots, experiment with a teddy or a soft toy on your swing creations first. You really need to know for sure that all the knots will hold, before you put a child on the swing!! Risk is not fun if your child is injured badly. You also may need to hold onto your child on the swing until you can trust that it works and that the knots won’t slip off.

I value risky play and adventure and I’m mindful and respectful of child safety laws and policy. I bring all these skills to rope-swing making. We balance the risks/benefits by talking, questioning, challenging ideas and testing things out. We’ve never had a child fall off a swing, we’ve never had a swing break, never had the rope fail, the branch fail or the ropes fall off the sides of the seat portion of the swing. We’ve never had a finger or hair caught in a knot or an arm or leg stuck in the ropes. This is all by design! Every new creation has been scrutinised, and we consider all these risks every time. I will often watch the way the swings move before stepping back and leaving the children to play. Each child has their own parent too, so we work together to make good decisions for and with the children. We have made many wildly fun creations and we’ve had some less-inspiring creations. We’ve all learned a lot and the children continue to regularly ask to make another swing.

When you’re done playing with the swing, simply untie the knots and pack away your rope. I’ve only ever used these rope swings as a short-term play option and I never leave the child to play on the swing unattended. The swings can be fun to play with for a bit, but I’d never trust them to stay safe for longer-term use! Be aware of older children who are playing too. They may be too optimistic about how well the swing works! Be mindful that the swings that work beautifully for a younger child, may not work as well on an older child who is taller and heavier and may move in wilder ways.

The children have learned so much from these experiments! They have developed skills in;

• being confident when sharing their ideas, openly offering what comes to mind, without fear of being told they are “wrong”

• developing their ideas into something reasonable and effective - not just always jumping in and doing the first idea that pops excitedly into their heads (sometimes we do end up with these ones though).

• sharing ideas and/or quietly observing others

• communicating and collaborating with others

• problem solving in creative ways - every swing is similar in some ways and different in others

• balancing risk - having big ideas and testing them to see whether they’re a good idea to put into action

• taking turns when using the created swing

• muscle strength, core strength and co-ordination - both when sitting on the swing, swinging or climbing on the swing, pulling or pushing others on the swing, getting out of the way when someone is swinging on the swing!

• planning…executing the idea…packing away

• knotting and unknotting (the unknotting tends to be easier for the children, but they all watch closely when an adult is tying the knots. One day they’ll be doing the knots themselves).

• decision-making for themselves - some children help make the swing and are then not interested in using it. They can be very considered about whether it’s right for them on the day. Some like to watch others use it first, and then decide they want to try. Others are content watching the play. Next time we make a swing they may decide to try it out.

Good luck with your swing creations! Be creative, consider big ideas, critique all ideas, keep hair and fingers and limbs out of the knots and test it out before putting your child on it! The swings may look messy, they may not be perfectly aligned and super comfortable. They may not work as you think…so you may need to have another go!! I hope you all have a whole lot of fun.