Kids love to climb. And while it can be maddening when they climb on the furniture, if you take them outside to a safe space,  you can see how climbing builds whole-body strength, coordination and focus. Not to mention confidence — who wouldn’t feel like a million bucks after scaling a wall?!

Want to add some climbing opportunities to your backyard? Use rock climbing hand-holds to add climbing surfaces to playhouse walls. For older and more agile kids, place the rock holds farther apart for an added challenge.

For more variety, add in a ladder, a rope net climb, or a hanging ladder. Because they have some give, rope elements feel very different to climb than the more solid rock wall.

A well thought-out structure can provide climbing opportunities for toddlers as well as more challenging areas to conquer as they grow older.