How to Start Indoor Rock Climbing with Kids: Family Friendly Fun
Rock climbing with kids of all ages is a great sport to get into, and the best kind of family friendly fun if you are looking for something different to try. There is new gear that the kids will love putting on, there's a sense of danger (but it's actually quite safe) when you're high up on the wall, and the parents can participate (and even get a work out in if that’s your thing!).
….but that part is optional! I get that some days you just want to find a way to keep the kids entertained without a screen, but you want 5 minutes to sit down. Rock climbing is good for that kind of day too!
Some friends invited us to join them at an indoor climbing gym, and after one visit, our whole family was hooked. I'll walk you through the mechanics of how an indoor rock climbing gym works, some of the important terms to know so you'll sound like a pro the process, and how we helped our kids progress in their climbing over the past year !
Every climbing gym is a bit different, but they operate with the same basic principles.
What to Expect:
Climbing gyms offer indoor climbing walls and a supportive environment for young children. The gym should be able to tailor to all skill levels from absolute beginner to advanced. Some have play centers and youth areas, while others embrace the kids in the main gym.
Rock climbing provides a non-competitive environment for each person to work at their own pace. We have taken friends climbing with us that have babies that enjoy rolling on the soft mats, to older kids that have a blast climbing to new heights and finding a better way to get up a tough wall.
There will be auto belays, which allow anyone to climb without any previous knowledge or experience of rock climbing. This also means that a belay partner is not required, so if you are go. Belaying is the term used when a climber is secured by a rope that is managed by another person to ensure their safety while climbing. The auto belay is attached to the climber and secured to the top of the wall, so when the climber falls or descends the belay device releases slowly with an automatic mechanism.
Safety:
Kids must be accompanied by a responsible adult to make sure they are following the gym rules, staying safe, and having a great time! The most important thing to be mindful of is other climbers who are up on the wall. You never want to be below a climber, so most indoor gyms will have a rule about staying off the crash pad while someone is climbing. Always keep an eye on your little monkeys!
When you arrive you'll check in at the front desk to complete a waiver and get an orientation to the gym. During the orientation you can ask the staff member lots of questions. New climbers will learn how the walls are categorized, how the auto belay ropes work, and how to do the necessary safety checks before climbing.
The first time you go, just approach it as a fun activity that will build new skills, muscles, and memories! If you get hooked on climbing like my family, I would definitely recommend taking a belay class or private lessons to start learning some pro techniques. Many gyms have after-school programs, summer camps, and youth programs. Some climbing gyms that are more tailored to kids have jungle gyms, free play areas, and some even offer a venue for birthday parties. So many cool options!
Gear Rental:
Climbing gear is simple; just a harness and climbing shoes. Young kids may have harnesses that go over their shoulders at some gyms, and others have small harnesses that go around the waist. Both are perfectly fine!
Make sure to wear comfortable clothes, especially pants or shorts that are easy to move around in. I avoid wearing loose shorts so they don't ride up with the harness. Leggings (my usual lululemon getup) in any length are the best for every activity, including rock climbing.
My four year old usually climbs in his Spiderman outfit, because, well obviously that just makes sense. So, really....you do you.
Climbing shoes typically fit a bit small, so we always go up one size in our rental shoes.
Once you are ready to invest in your own gear, these are what we like! Available on Amazon:
Rock Wall Levels:
Each wall will have different brightly colored rocks. These rocks are set together in a particular way by the staff members at the gym and given a specific level. One wall may have 3 different colors of rocks, with three different levels. The idea is that the wall is climbed using just one color of rock per climb, so you could choose to do 3 climbs and do a progressively harder variation each time. If you get stuck on one, just keep practicing it before advancing to a more challenging level.
At our local gym, my son started out climbing on Level 3 (at age 3), which is basically like climbing an interesting ladder. There are plenty of hand and foot holds that allowed him to climb the wall and gain a sense of success and accomplishment. After a few months of climbing my 6 year old daughter was working on Level 7 walls, which provide her with a tough challenge and tricky problems to solve. I'm still working on mastering level 7, so just be aware that your young climbers might become more advanced than you!
Bouldering Walls:
The bouldering area has walls that you climb without a rope. They are 8- 15ft high and you are expected to be able to safely jump down onto the mats at the end of your climb. There are adult walls that will sometimes allow you to summit the top of the wall, and then use a specific area with a ladder to down climb.
One indoor climbing gym we went to had an awesome kids bouldering area that the kids could climb on to the top of the wall and get back down on a slide! As you can imagine, the kids loved that.
Bouldering walls are categorized just like the rock walls, but they have a different grading system. Usually the numbers will still correspond with low numbers being easier and higher numbers being more challenging. This is something that will be reviewed in your orientation. If you miss it though, there is usually a legend posted on the wall somewhere in the gym.
How to Teach Rock Climbing:
The process of learning how to rock climb is already teaching my kids useful life skills. There is so much intrinsic motivation to want to reach the top, and they are naturally working on their perseverance when things are tough.
I am no expert, but I have found that teaching kids how to do anything involves a lot of giving them the time and space to try it out, make mistakes, and try again.
Kids really do learn from trial and error.
Our first time climbing we just clipped them into the auto-belay and told them to have at it. They both were tentative and only went up a few feet before wanting to get down. They weren't used to being that high off the ground, and they weren't sure of the ropes.
I loved seeing them assess the risk of the situation and be able to observe their limits. It actually helped me build trust that they are capable and aware of respecting heights!
Over the first few hours of hanging out at the rock climbing gym they continued to climb off and on (with many breaks to watch the more experienced climbers), and each time they got back on the wall I saw their confidence increase. It took a few visits to the gym before they were climbing all the way to the top, but OH MY GOODNESS were they excited when that goal was achieved. There was so much cheering!
I found that if I try to push them to keep going up the wall when they are stuck, they can get frustrated. So, if they want to come down, they come down. If they look stuck, we might offer some coaching (i.e. look for the foot hold by your left knee), but otherwise we just cheer them on. If you can find a gym with a kids bouldering area, this is a great way for them to practice without the ropes.
Next time they head to the rock climbing wall at the playground they will wonder why it's so small!
Taking the chalk bag for the mini rock climbing wall at the playground. My kids love gear!
They may also want to climb everything that looks even remotely possible to climb. At least now I know they have the strength and ability to safely manage it!
Climbing some boulders while we stopped for a snack on a hike
Our next step is to sign up for the kids academy, but for now the kids are enjoying exploring and climbing with us. We have found the climbing gym to be a great place to spend a few hours after school. It's a great option that is fun for our whole family, and our kids love inviting their friends along because it's a new activity for many people so it gets you out of your routine of play dates at the park.
Have fun & Happy climbing!
