Children travel the entire length of a horizontal ladder as if they were clothes on clothesline. They begin hanging from the overhead event with their body turned outward using an overhead grip. Children then move down the overhead ladder using their lead hand, followed by the movement with their trail hand.
Play Element: Brachiating
Benefits
- Develops upper body strength, endurance and kinesthetic awareness.
- Builds a sense of accomplishment.
Teaching Tips
- This will be difficult for some, since young children exhibit developmental differences in upper-body strength and skeletal growth.
- Provide encouragement to all children.
Safety Tips
- Be ready to help tired children dismount from the ladder.
- Ensure that there is sufficient playground safety surfacing under and around the equipment.
Variations
- Easier: Children hang on the horizontal ladder for a specific period of time, but do not move across the bar.
- More Challenging: Children hold the interior part of the beam (body facing away from rungs) and maneuver around the rungs while sliding hands along the beam.
Did You Know?
The longest clothesline was in Wenduine, Belgium. It was 114,981 feet - over 21 miles long!
Download the activity pdf here.
