Rock Climbing for Kids!

Tired of keeping your kids locked up at home, and just keeping them entertained with the TV set? How about letting them try something different this December holidays? Recently, we were invited to the Rock School at Bedok Community Centre, and we managed to scale a different kind of adventure.

If you have not realized, rock climbing has been making much headway locally, as it is becoming one of the more popular adventure sports among many healthy enthusiasts. As a result, more children has been taking up the sport as well. My kids are not exactly the bravest people around, but I was definitely thrilled that they took to the sport.

Benefits of Climbing

Getting the kids to climb the wall, gave us a close-up look at the benefits of rock climbing. I think the kids had tremendously in terms of mental and physical strength from the climb. In fact, we were very proud of all our kids after the night’s workout. My Nathan is terribly afraid of heights, and not surprisingly, I was more enthusiastic about him scaling the wall, than himself. Despite his fears, and that he only made it halfway, I am still glad that he kept on trying and he went higher and higher after each try.

Nadine surprised us the most! She made it all the way to the top and not just once, but at least trice! 🙂 Nicole was the champion of the family, scaling up the wall at least 5 times. Watching them gave us a deep sense of satisfaction, and seeing their smiles, certainly made the outing even more worth while.

If you are thinking of getting your kids on rock climbing, here are some benefits

1. Improving flexibilty

2. Inculcating values on safety and responsibility

3. Developing stronger character

4. Improving physical fitness

5. Productive channelling of youthful energy

6. Burns calories

7. Improving sense of balance and coordination

8. Enhances physical focus

9. Instilling fun in sports

The Rock School Process

Before the kids get to the real walls, they are put in a room, where they not just meet the friendly instructors, but they also familiarize themselves with the hand and footholds on a low wall. As the kids play games in this safe room, they begin to grow in confidence, and also get used to the holds which they will maximize later. It is therefore not surprising that the school works on the motto of “Work hard, play hard”!

Every step is taken under the watchful eyes of the instructors and the children grow in confidence after every climb. Here is Nadine determined to finish all the tasks given to her! 🙂

After the kids finished a few rounds on the low walls, it was time to hit the big leagues! The kids were then introduced to their ropes and they were ready to go! 🙂 Check out our brave Nicole making all the way to the top! She conquered all the slopes, and we were all so proud of her! :

And of course, here is the families star of the night! Little Nadine! 🙂 She made it all the way to the top despite her physical limitations. Amazingly, she did it more than once, and she kept on scaling slope after slope, after she had conquered her first one. Daddy and Mummy were so proud of her! 🙂

At the end of the day, we found the Rock School experience invaluable, as we could sense the new found confidence in the kids as they walked back to the car. If your kids are between the ages of 4 to 14 years old, they will enjoy the school and the whole experience! 🙂

Do bring along your DSLR when you bring your kids! My trusty Nikon with the 18-200mm lens was put into good use as I used it to take some close-ups of the kids.