The Climbing Triangle

For parents all over the world, the concept of a safe, stimulating play space that allows kids to explore, enjoy themselves and burn energy without leaving the house is invaluable.

The Climbing Triangle, also known as a Pikler Triangle, is an indoor climbing structure that encourages little ones to practice physical challenges and gross motor development skills at their own pace, encouraging curiosity in their own physical abilities. Climbing triangles teach babies, toddlers and older kids how to move, enabling them to safely explore what their bodies are capable of as they reach new developmental stages. From standing and stepping to reaching and pulling, balancing and climbing; kids begin to understand their own strength and abilities and gain better control of their movement.

The Climbing Triangle is a long-time staple in Montessori and Waldorf education, but it is actually based on observations of Hungarian paediatrician Dr Pikler, over 100 years ago. Dr Pikler was a believer in independent play for children. The idea behind the ‘Pikler’, is to empower children to safely explore what their body is capable of, without the intervention of their parents and other adults, fostering self-confidence and curiosity. Although Climbing Triangles are trending in 2021, they’ve been around for decades, only becoming more well-known recently.

The Climbing Triangle has no lower age limit and needs no adjustment as your child grows. Because it works as the foundation on which your little ones reach developmental milestones, you can put it into their supervised play space right away to begin exploring. The Climbing Triangle is so diverse with so many uses. You can begin with it as a play gym, hanging soft toys below it from the rungs above, and when climbing starts at around 6/9 months, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. For younger kids, it’s a great way to test their abilities and learn new movements. For older kids, not only can you watch as they begin to explore climbing up and over, but the triangle is also the perfect starter piece for imaginative play, keeping even the biggest of explorers engaged. Watch as your little ones turn their triangle into a tent, a shop, a fort, a mountain, a boat, a castle, a secret hideaway, a quiet reading space, a puppet show…the possibilities are endless!

There are so many benefits of this exciting piece of play equipment. The Climbing Triangle encourages the development of kid’s movement, agility, and reaction skills. It allows them to learn their own boundaries in their own time, increase spatial awareness and concentration, advance balance and coordination, strengthen limbs and support physical self-awareness and understanding of consequences. It is also a fantastic aid for developing kid’s creativity by offering open-ended play and countless opportunities for building those little imaginations. All these physical and mental skills lead to increased confidence and independence. And the best thing is… our kids learn all these amazing new skills without even knowing it!

One question most commonly asked about Climbing Triangles is, are they safe? Firstly, we must point out, letting your child explore on their own terms is very different from unsupervised play. The Climbing Triangle should be placed in a communal area with an adult nearby at all times. We believe playing on the Triangle won’t encourage your little one to start climbing more than they already do, but it will inspire them to use a more developmentally appropriate place to climb while encouraging their physical skills. We all know that kids are going to climb, whether we give them something to do it on or not. The Climbing Triangle allows little ones to channel their energy into a developmentally appropriate place to do so.

If you’re looking to improve your own indoor activity options for your little ones, Ivy Wild Kids Climbing Triangle is an endlessly adaptable, open-ended piece of play equipment that offers major benefits for kids of all ages and ability levels. Handcrafted with safety and sustainability in mind, our Triangle is made from high-end polished pine wood with attaching 2 in 1 ladder and slide. Our Triangle folds in half for easy storage, a perfect compact addition to any family home. We have purposefully designed a large, affordable Climbing Triangle that will help maximise use for as long as possible – perfect for your baby but will see them right through their toddling years and well into primary school!