When you’re ready to invest in a playset for your family, it can be tempting to add all the bells and whistles at once. After all, the hope is that your children will use it throughout their entire childhood.
However, it’s crucial to find a playset that meets your child’s current developmental needs. If not, you might be left with a frustrated — or worse, injured —kid.
So how do you know what the appropriate age for a swing set is?
Below, we’ve outlined our top age-appropriate playset accessories and models to simplify your shopping and help you find the right playset for your child’s age.
Swing Sets For Children Under 2
In general, most child development specialists recommend the appropriate age for a swing set is 12 months, minimum.
By then, most children should have steady control of their neck movements, so you shouldn’t have to worry about their heads being unsupported while swinging.
Additionally, these children are very early in development, simply learning to navigate the world around them and trying to become steady on their feet. Focus on playsets with ground play features that are easy to navigate for crawlers and cruisers.
For the safest play, toddlers 2 and under should avoid climbing anything higher than 3 feet off the ground. To ensure you’re buying a swing set appropriate for their age, we recommend these play options:
Bucket Swings/Baby Swings
Swinging is hand-down, the best play accessory for toddlers. Not only is it fun for them in the moment, but it’s also proven to help improve sleep after playtime. Baby swings are designed specifically for the safety of infants and small children and are a must-have for any playsets for children under 2.
Tunnels With Bubble Panels
Tunnels are a great feature for children who haven’t yet mastered walking. They can be placed directly at ground level, perfect for crawling toddlers.
If you choose to add a ground tunnel, it could be smart to add a bubble panel, too. It’s not unusual for children in this age group to have slight separation anxiety. Adding a bubble panel to the tunnel can help toddlers explore on their own while keeping an eye on a parent.
Open Slides
Open slides, as opposed to tunnel slides, allow parents to help guide their toddlers down the slide until they gain the confidence to do it on their own. Plus, children can keep an eye on their parents to avoid feeling separation anxiety during playtime.
Sandboxes
Sandboxes or water tables are 2 great sensory activities to help children continue to learn about the world around them. Sandboxes can rest directly on the ground which is great for crawlers, but still a fun sensory activity for the walkers, too!
Fun Accessories Like Picnic Tables or Activity Panels
Extra accessories are fun at any age! Try adding a picnic table to your playset for practice sitting down, getting back up, and using their imagination as they play. Or explore a range of activity panels for another sensory play activity.
Swing Sets For Children Ages 2 to 4
When they reach the preschool age, most children have experienced major improvements in coordination, strength, and even independence. They’re more sure-footed, giving them the confidence to run, jump, climb, and explore the playset on their own!
While most children are cognizant of danger and try to avoid it by age 4, it’s recommended that no playset equipment be higher than 6 feet to keep them safe during this active phase of discovery. Consider swing sets that mimic that of school-age children, with a design just slightly smaller and lower to the ground.
Here are some of the most fun age-appropriate swing set accessories to add to your playset for children between 2 and 4:
Belt Swings, Tire Swings, or Glider Swings
As their balance improves, it’s time to update the swings! They should have the strength and coordination required to keep themselves balanced without help from a parent.
Even if they still prefer to be pushed, traditional belt swings, tire swings, or gliders can help your children practice movement and mobility. After some time, they should start to understand how pumping their legs keeps the swing in motion.
Tube and Spiral Slides
Children start building confidence and self-worth between the ages of 2 and 5. As they begin to feel more confident, they also should start to feel less separation anxiety, meaning they’re ready to slide down bigger, twistier slides without needing a parent in sight.
Flat-Step Ladders
By age 2, most children can walk up steps on their own. Between 3 and 4, they learn how to walk upstairs and downstairs without help. A flat-step ladder is a new, but familiar activity that activates the same muscles used to climb stairs with the added challenge of balancing on the open steps.
Short Ramps With Ropes or Railings
Ramps are another fun challenge that encourage children to practice their balance and coordination safely. Using the support from the rope/rails and grooves to help with footing, ramps can help children build full-body coordination.
Short Horizontal Ladders
Horizontal ladders — which most of us know as monkey bars — can be a great exercise for building grip strength, but they also help small children develop the confidence and determination to take on a new challenge.
Since children between 2 and 4 shouldn’t be climbing on anything above 6 feet, many swing set companies have smaller horizontal ladders available for purchase so children can get exposure to a new type of climbing activity.
Fun Accessories Like Wheels, Binoculars, Megaphones, or Lemonade Stands
Pretend play is so important for preschool-age children. Investing in a few extra accessories allows children to escape into a world of make-believe.
Whether they’re playing alone or with other children, adding accessories like ship or steering wheels, binoculars, megaphones, or lemonade stands is one of the easiest ways to get your children to think creatively as they play.
Swing Sets For Children Ages 5-9
Between the ages of 5 and 9, the fun can really start! Not only do playsets help school-age children continue to develop muscle strength, balance, and hand-eye coordination, but they also give children a place to interact with other children.
But even at older ages, there are still a few safety precautions you should follow to keep your children safe. For instance, your playset should not include any play features higher than 8 feet off the ground.
At this point, they are at the appropriate age for the following swing set accessories:
Buoy Balls or Disc Swings
These non-traditional swings require a decent amount of balance and coordination, even just to just mount the swing. Once on, they’ll have to use their body awareness to activate the right muscles to keep the swing in motion.
Rock Walls or Cargo Nets
Flexibility, strength, hand-eye coordination — these are all qualities children can gain from a rock climbing wall on a playset. It’s a safe, but thrilling activity for them to try.
Cargo nets have similar benefits in terms of building strength and coordination, but could be argued to be more of a challenge; the rope moves with the body as children wiggle up the net, and rock walls do not. Because of that, children must work harder to maintain their balance as they lift their body weight to the top of the net.
Either way, both are great activities for building upper-body strength and spatial awareness.
Tall Ramps with Rope
Tall ramps have all the benefits of shorter ramps, but they’re steeper, making children have to work a bit harder to race to the top.
Taller Horizontal Ladders
Just like shorter monkey bars, tall horizontal ladders improve grip strength and confidence, but on a larger scale. With more bars to travel across, they also help strengthen endurance.
Trapeze Bars or Rings
These are a versatile playset accessory that allow children to swing, climb, and flip. Regardless of how they choose to play on the attachment, it requires them to work on their grip strength and upper body strength to control their body movements.
Fun Accessories Like A Fireman’s Pole, Megaphone, or Telescope
Kids in this age group can still appreciate a fun accessory, especially if it’s functional! Add a few of Swing Kingdom’s functional playset accessories to your playset to elevate your child’s play experience.
Swing Sets For Children Ages 10+
By age 10, children are looking for a more challenging way to play. Swing Kingdom has exactly the type of swing set accessories that they’re looking for. In addition to everything we’ve already mentioned, here are some unique accessories you can add to your playset:
Warp Walls
Inspired by American Ninja Warrior, warp walls are a unique challenge not found on many other playsets. Whether they’re interested in fitness, the TV show, or simply love a challenge, adding one to a playset can help teach perseverance and improve speed.
Fun Add-Ons Like Basketball Hoops or QB Target Practice
These swing set add-ons are great for children interested in sports. They can make the most out of their outdoor play experience by swapping between playing on the swing set and shooting some hoops or working on their aim. If they get bored, they can always switch back to the other activity!
Playset Safety At Any Age
Keep your children safe at any age when falls inevitably happen. Grass and dirt provide little cushion to break a child’s fall. Instead, opt to place your play structure on a material like shredded rubber, mulch, sand, or pea gravel.
Additionally, check your playset periodically for hazards that could have developed over time. Look for splinters in wood or rust on any metal objects. Also, check for open S-hooks, protruding bolts, or anything with sharp edges that could injure a child.
Better yet? Purchase a playset constructed with the superior building material: vinyl. Vinyl is durable and doesn’t splinter, so you can rest assured that your playset will remain strong and intact even after years of mighty play.
Recap: What is the Appropriate Age For A Swing Set?
Our best advice: think about what your child is capable of today, not what they will be capable of in years from now. Because your playset can always be upgraded or expanded as your children grow!
This blog was originally published on October 28, 2015. It was updated on February 9, 2024.
