GM.C.104 CLIMBS UP AND DOWN A 1 METRE LADDER OR FRAME

This climbing skill is related to stair climbing but involves some different skills. The child needs to be very aware of the position of her body in space.

How to Assess

Materials: A wooden or metal frame or ladder, at least 1 metre high.

Method: Ask your child to climb the ladder. Once she has climbed up 1 metre, ask her to climb down again. Score plus if your child can climb up and down without assistance, for at least 1 metre.

How to Teach

We will consider this in 2 parts – climbing up and climbing down.

Climbing up

Some children are born climbers and need no help with this skill but others can be very apprehensive and need encouragement and assistance. Try to find a suitable ladder or frame in a park or preschool and let your child watch other children climbing. Stand close behind her and use a verbal direction such as ‘Climb up”. Before you start to help her, wait to see where she needs help. It may be that she happily moves one foot at a time but forget to move her hands. It is not necessary for her at this stage to climb alternating her feet. Start with one of your hands over each of her hands on the rungs. She may not be gripping strongly enough to hold her weight – pulling up with her hands is as important as pushing up on her legs in ladder climbing. After she stepped up the ladder, move her hands up one rung and wait for her to step up to the next rung. Continue like this for 3 or 4 steps and then lift her back down. Don’t try to teach her to come back down until she can climb up without assistance.

When she is happy to climb up this way, start to release your support on her hands – she may still need verbal reminders to move her hands. Stay close behind her in case she loses her grip and slips on the rung. As you notice her confidence and skill increasing, move to the side of the ladder, just to be nearby in case of a fall.

Climbing down

All your practice of stepping down stairs will be well rewarded with this skill. Stepping down a rung of a ladder requires the child to grip with 2 hands and gradually bend one leg while the other leg feels for the lower rung.

Stand behind her and guide her lower leg with one hand while holding your other hand over her opposite hand in case she loosens her grip. Stay close to her so that she doesn’t get frightened. Initially try only 2 or 3 steps as she will get quite tires, from gripping tightly and ‘dangling’ on one les as she reaches for the lower grip.

As her confidence increases, stay close behind but allow her to place her whole foot on the lower rung. You may or may not still need to hold one hand over one of hers for support. Eventually, just be ready when she climbs up, to encourage and prompt her efforts to climb down.