A swing in the country is one of the important attributes for families with children. Toddlers under 3 years old and teenagers are equally happy to play on the swing. Adults often prefer this kind of leisure. However, the design of a children's swing is different from that of an adult model.
How children's swings differ from adults
A swing for a child has the following characteristics.
- Higher safety - preference is always given to lighter materials - wood, plastic, since in case of accidental injury, a light seat will do less harm. Edges and edges must be smoothly rounded and cleaned.
- Handrails, additional mountings, handles, backrests. The ability to maintain balance in young children is much less developed. Additional precautions are required to swing safely.
- Resistance to weather conditions - rain, cold, sun. Plastic, for example, is preferable to wood, as the latter dries up and needs more careful maintenance.
- Decorativeness. Toddlers love bright colors, and older children first pay attention to attractive rather than practical models.
The simplest swing is assembled from scrap materials. This is a great way to develop coordination and a sense of balance in children.
Types of swings for children
The device is classified according to a variety of criteria. When choosing, the swing method, material of manufacture, simplicity, and maintainability are taken into account. The least important parameter is design.
By type of frame material
Children's swings with their own hands are divided into suspended and frame. The first is a seat suspended from an existing support, like a beam on the ceiling, branches on a tree. The frame swing stands on its own supporting structure.
According to the material of the frame, there are 2 types.
- Made of wood - lightweight, durable material, safe due to its flat, smooth surface and the ability to round off all edges and edges. Both the seat and the frame are usually made of wood.
- Made of metal - a more durable and reliable construction. The steel frame can be left in the garden for the winter. A frame is made of a metal profile by welding or bolting. The metal frame can withstand a much greater load.
- Made of plastic - an option for babies, since it does not support a lot of weight. Otherwise, this is a great option: very light, non-traumatic, brightly decorated.
Seat materials are more varied. Models with a knitted or wicker willow seat have become very popular.
According to the method of installation, such options are distinguished.
- Stationary outdoor - heavy models, often made of metal and wood. Often double or combined with other types of street structures. The frame is fixed in the ground - installed in recesses and poured with concrete, the structure cannot be transferred from place to place.
- Suspended - seat and hangers. Such a rocking chair is fixed to any suitable support both in the house and on the street. It is important that the tree limb or ceiling beam can support the additional weight.
- Portable - the frame rests on the lower base. This allows the entire structure to be retained even with strong rocking. The weight is relatively light, it can be carried from place to place.
Usually portable models are collapsible. But there are also solid ones - for small children.
By age
Children change a lot from 1 year to 12, furniture and toys for them must take into account the anatomical features of each age group.
- Option for babies - up to 12 months, more like a cradle. His task is not to entertain the child, but to help him to rock. At the same time, the cradle allows you to maintain the correct body position and ensures the safety of the baby.
- Swings for children from 1 to 3 years old assume a sitting position. But since it is still difficult for a child to keep his balance on his own, the models are equipped with handrails, a backrest, holding belts and restraints.
- Models for schoolchildren and adolescents over 12 years old can have different configurations and allow swinging in a much wider range. Limiters are often absent altogether. The seat is not attached to hangers, but to ropes and chains, which allows additional rotation of the seat. This allows you to develop balance and coordination.
The size of the swing depends on the age. Seat width and frame height increase proportionally.
Outdoor swing
How to make a swing at home for children with your own hands often depends on your own imagination. They perform homemade models from a variety of materials at hand, especially if the children have already passed the age of 3 years.
- A primitive and affordable option for everyone is a tire swing. A car tire is cleaned, washed, hung on a strong rope and hung on a branch. They swing on the structure while sitting, standing, hanging.
- The wood option is also simple. A U-shaped frame made of timber or even untreated trunks is installed on any flat area. The seat is made from a piece of board or plywood and is hung on ropes from a horizontal bar. A more stable version with a frame on A-shaped posts. It's better to make a drawing for him.
- A more stable model is where wooden posts are buried in the ground or even concreted. They also do with a frame from a profile. It is impossible to transfer such a structure, but it is also impossible to overturn.
- The canvas swing is so called because of the seat material. It is sewn from tarpaulin or other dense materials, hung on ropes or even chains. It is quite suitable for children from 3 to 7 years old.
- Pendulum swing - designed for two users. It is a long board, with or without tire seats, mounted on a round pole. Rocking occurs when the children sitting at the ends of the board alternately push off with their feet.
- Often, the swing is the most incredible seat suspended from a beam or tree. For example, a skateboard model is very convenient. A hammock swing is made from a piece of variegated fabric, and an elegant armchair is woven from strong yarn, vines, and rattan.
With the proper skill, the seat and backrest are designed in the form of a car, an airplane, butterflies, the body of a horse and other objects or animals.
Making a home swing
Do-it-yourself swing for small children is easier to assemble if you use simple structural units.
- Although the wooden frame is strong enough, for greater reliability, the bars of the A-post and the horizontal bar are held together with a special metal bracket. The latter has a hole for fasteners with screws or nails, which greatly facilitates installation. There is no need to cut the ends, calculate the angle of the saw cut.
- Often the swing chains are attached to a simple bolt. However, this solution is unreliable: the chain link is frayed quickly. It is better to take a ready-made bearing assembly with rolling ball bearings. Hinges based on polyamide 6 are also suitable: they are slippery and resistant to friction.
- For suspensions, take a strong nylon cable or a chain with round links from a bar with a diameter of at least 5 mm. It is forbidden to take pipes, as they are traumatic.
- Attach suspensions with seats to carabiners with a nut. Bar thickness - 7 mm. The device can withstand a weight of 200 kg.
- The seat is made from anything: slats, plywood, a tire, an old cradle, a seat from a highchair. You can make a soft seat out of fabric and foam, or just sew the pillow into a cover and put it on the swing.
Models are painted in different colors, the wood must be polished. You can varnish the product.
Children's safety rules
- The height of the frame post is 200–220 cm from the ground.
- The length of a swing for one is at least 155-165 cm, for a double swing - 265-275 cm.
- When rocking, a safe distance of at least 55 cm must be maintained between the seats and the uprights. Between double seats, 65 cm.
- There must be at least 50 cm from the seat to the ground. The child, when rocking, should not constantly touch the ground with his feet. Insufficient swing height is more likely to result in injury than excessive swing.
- You need to fix the structure so that it does not swing from side to side. For this, the hinges are placed at a distance greater than the seat width - at least 15 cm.
Free space should be maintained around the seat - 3.5 cm on each side. If the child jumps off while rolling, there must be sufficient landing area in front of him.
