So what’s so good about swinging?

Here is a list of the benefits of swinging:

It helps improve coordination and body awareness. It goes without saying that swinging involves the whole body providing an overall great workout for the legs, arms, and core. The longer the rope, the more work swinging takes. Hard swing seats like our wooden swing seat or deluxe rubber swing seat provide a solid base and prevent sagging or poor posture.

Some kids just love the rocking and swinging sensation. For individuals with anxiety, OCD, sensory integration disorder, or autism, a hammock is like medicine. We have reports of parents and carers saying that their child can swing for hours every day.

And some kids just love to chill… cacoons and hammocks swings are perfect for relaxing and de-stressing – some children love to cuddle up with a book or take a nap – others just enjoy watching the world go by.

Gentle swinging can be extremely calming too! The repetitive, smooth motion of swinging is often soothing and helps to ease anxiety.

It improves Sensory Integration which means it helps to get all the senses to work together. Essentially, this happens through the brain forming connections as multiple senses are stimulated at the same time.

When they feel the pressure from the seat around their body, the wind against their face, and hear the swoosh sound as they glide through the air, they experience the full sensation of movement and may even get the feeling of butterflies in their stomach if they go really high. All of the senses are firing at the same time and the more practice the senses have at doing this, the better they will be at working together.

Reduces sensory seeking behaviours. Because the child’s sensory needs are met from swinging, it reduces other sensory seeking behaviors, like hyperactivity and fidgeting. This effect can last for hours after just a few minutes swinging. This, in turn, makes it significantly easier for the child to sit still and focus when it’s important, such as in the classroom.

Adding this to the morning routine may help the child do better at school.

Improves focus and attention. Swinging increases blood flow, including flow to the head, which studies show improve focus and attention.

The perfect pick-me up. Swinging for just a few minutes can raise endorphin levels and wake up a sleepy brain and body.

Experiencing things from a different angle. The ability to understand the world from different planes of motion is important, as we are not always upright, and swinging can help us understand our world and our space from a different perspective.

Sources: www.friendshipcircle.org / www.mind.org.uk / www.hes-extraordinary.com / www.harkla.co / en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_in_early_childhood / www.goodplayguide.com