The benefits of tree climbing

Old Fashioned Tree Climbing

The benefits of tree climbingWhen was the last time you climbed a tree? Chances are it as when you were a child.  Or maybe you climb trees with your children? Or maybe you are one of those parents that does not allow tree climbing.

To me, there is not much that is more disappointing than seeing a large tree with a sign that says “no climbing.” As a child, a big tree was an invitation to climb. I grew up in the desert and large trees are not the norm here. When we saw one, we climbed it. Otherwise, we just climbed the little desert trees. We never worried about falling out, breaking bones, or scorpions…we just climbed. Those were the days.

The tree I climbed the most as a child was my grandma’s bottle brush tree. It grew to a decent size and it could fit a few of us at a time. Sometimes we just relaxed up there and other times we climbed up and pulled the seeds off as they made great projectiles for our battles. I can still smell the familiar scent of those seeds on my hands.

Some children have never known the joys of climbing a tree. That is a shame. There are so many benefits to climbing trees. Here are just a few:

  • It is fun!
  • It provides good exercise.
  • It improves balance.
  • It gets kids outside.
  • It provides a bird’s eye view of your surroundings.
  • It builds confidence.
  • It is a free activity.
  • It is safer than you think.

If you do allow your children to climb trees, exercise some common sense. Be safe and supervise younger children. As with any activity, accidents can happen.

Do you have childhood memories of climbing trees? Feel free to leave a comment. Share and let’s talk about it.

 

About Janice

I am so glad you stopped by. Kick your shoes off and hang with me a while. I am an Arizona native, wife to a hard-working hubby, mom of two, and daughter of the King. I love sharing recipes, crafts, and family activities that any mom can do. Life is complicated enough, right? When I am not up to my ears in laundry, dishes, and creating for Celebrating Family, you will also find me at East Valley Mom Guide. Come follow me on Google +, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Comments

  1. Christie Cottage says

    We always climbed trees as children. I let my grandson climb now. I just get close and he has to stay within my climbing range! LOL

    Stopping by from Ramblings of a Christian Mom blog hop.

    <><
    http://christiecottage.blogspot.com

  2. I love to climb trees..and so do my boys! guess were all monkeys..lol

    new follower via "alexa drop hop"

    http://momof-3boys.blogspot.com

  3. allysmama says

    We climbed trees as kids too!!
    stopping by from the Alexa Drop Hop!!
    Shelly
    Shelly's Bits & Pieces
    http://sweepnsave.blogspotcom

  4. Carlyn P says

    We had a fig tree in our backyard that was awesome for climbing.

  5. Love this post!!!

    Hello from a new follower on the Blog Hop!

    I hope you will stop by: Put A Little Umbrella In Your Drink

    Lesli 😀

  6. Marvelous Mommy says

    Stopping by from the Alexa Drop Hop!

    Amy @ Marvelous Mommy
    http://www.marvelousmommy.com/

  7. Wow I think I was about 10 when I climbed a tree. My mom was not around because otherwise she wouldn't had let me. Ha ha!

    I'm a new follower to your blog. It will be great if you could stop by mine at http://sweetvintagelady.com

    Gladys

  8. Tracy Groshong says

    I love this!! I can remember climbing trees in Cincinnati, with the full colorful leaves. It was so fun to climb and then be surrounded by the leaves, feeling like a bird at times, and watching everything from WAY up. In Illinois, us 4 kids would play all day and climb trees, make dad put a swing on the big one, and swing from the vines hanging from them. One of my fondest memories was a game us 4 kids used to play in Tucson, AZ. We tricked our littlest brother by telling him we had a magic cookie tree. We hid cookies in the branches and he found them. Magic! Eventually he found us out. But we also played tree tag (quite the hardy tree), and let's face it any tree in Arizona is a treasure in the summertime. Not one of us was harmed in the playing of trees (and the trees survived too).

  9. Great article!

    Stopping by with my toolbar on from the Alexa Drop Hop! Would love a visit back 🙂

    Kristen from http://wishfulthinking247.blogspot.com/

  10. I grew up on the wide open prairies, so no tree climbing for me. There's one pic of me from a road trip to BC perched high in a tree, so apparently my life wasn't completely void of tree climbing. My son inherited my fear of heights and climbs very cautiously and not very high, but is working on having his grandpa build him a tree fort. A good compromise, for sure. 🙂

  11. Hug a tree with me says

    I'm your newest follower:)Check me out at http://hugatreewithme2.blogspot.com whenever you can

  12. casey aubut says

    I miss climbing trees! 🙂
    Thanks for stopping by my blog today- hte AZ Monsoon post. Its funny- I just "Met" Wendy last week when I found the East Valley blog! Love when I find AZ girls! 🙂

  13. Visiting from the Alexa Drop Hop with my toolbar! Hope you'll visit back!

    The Lazy Mom
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  14. I loved tree climbing as a child. One of my fav. memories.

    I'm your newest follower via Weekend Blog Hop. : )

  15. Mama.Mommy.Mom. says

    I was never much of a tree climber, but my daughter loves it! I have to send her out in pants because she will tear he legs up on the tree bark and not even blink!

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  16. simplywalkingthroughlife says

    I loved climbing a tree in our backyard as a kid. It was shaped perfectly for several kids to climb up and just hang out. I was so sad when we moved away and our new yard didn't have good climbing trees!
    By next summer, I have a feeling Isaiah will have figured out the basics of climbing trees. There's a church down the street with the perfect tree for it. (I may or may not have climbed it within the last year…)

  17. Newest follower here (from the blog hop). Great blog. Please come visit us to get educational tips, coupon codes and more! Thanks! Ellen from Letter Learning: Educational Greeting Cards for Kids http://letterlearning.blogspot.com

  18. ~Stephanie says

    We had a big tree, perfect for climbing. Once the ranches were out of reach, I had my dad nail wooden boards to the trunk to use as steps.
    I wish we had a climbable tree now. My son would love it!

  19. Love seeing kids in trees, brings back memories of me and mu little sister Linda climbing every tree we could, even as adults