How To Teach Kids To Pump A Swing In The Playground

As adults things like cycling, swinging and sliding down a slide may seem like no-brainers, but for a little child, these tasks are much more daunting! If you want to teach your child to use a swing, you first need to understand how to break down the motion. Let’s look at how your child can learn to pump a swing with ease.

As your child turns 4-years-old, he can keep himself in motion on a swing all by himself. Here, we list some easy tips that can help you teach your kid to pump a swing in the playground. Scroll down to discover them.

1. Choose A Low-Hanging Swing

Initially, make your preschooler sit on a low-hanging swing so that he can sit on and get off it all by himself. Being on a low-hanging swing makes it easy for your preschooler to reach the ground to jump off, which otherwise was difficult with a high-hanging swing.

2. Feel The Motion Of The Swing Alone

Once your preschooler sits on the swing, tell him to hold and pull on the chains or ropes of the swing. Now, ask him to lean forward and backward all by himself by holding onto the ropes. When this motion continues, the swing tends to move with the weight of the child, slowly increasing in speed.

3. Bend Knees And Kick The Ground Backwards

As your preschooler learns to move the swing slightly by leaning forward and backwards, teach him to enjoy long swings forward and backwards. Tell him to bend his knees and hit the ground with his toes and ball of the foot backwards. This will make his swing propel forward at a greater distance. As your preschooler swings far forward, he is bound to swing back automatically. As he swings back, tell him to bend his knees and continue enjoy swinging.

4. Use ‘Kick and Bend’ Trick To Pump a Swing

If your kid is finding it difficult to learn to swing easily, try this trick. Stand at a safe distance in front of your preschooler who is sitting on the swing, stretch your hands flat forward, and tell your little swinger to kick your hand. This will make your preschooler put his feet up high in the air and then bend his legs to pump the swing. Make another grownup person to stand at a safe distance behind your swinging preschooler. Tell your little swinger to bend his knees as he swings backwards, after hitting your hand in the front. Repeating ‘Kick and Bend’ trick will train your preschooler to pump a swing on his own and enjoy swinging without your assistance soon.

5. Demonstrate Swinging

Watching others swinging and learn to swing simultaneously is a brilliant idea to teach your preschooler pump a swing all by himself. If you find an empty swing next to your preschooler’s swing on the playground, sit on the empty swing and demonstrate step-by-step swinging to your kid. First, demonstrate slow motion swinging and then fast swinging. Tell your preschooler to follow your lead and swing side-by-side to help him understand the technique till he gets it.

6. Praise Your Child

Make sure you appreciate your preschooler’s efforts to pump a swing on his own. A little encouragement from your side can boost his confidence. Appreciate even the smallest improvement made by your child, it does wonders for overall physical and emotional development.

Pumping a swing is a delightful pastime that your kid is ready to enjoy anytime. As your preschooler enjoys swinging, you can find a pleasant smile and happiness on his face. Pumping a swing is not only a fun activity but also a great way to hone your preschooler’s large muscles of his legs and arms, improve coordination, and promote the development of his gross motor skills as your child learns to pump a swing.