One Toy – 10 [or more] Ways: Pikler Climbing Frame with shape sorter attachment

Published on

10 December 2024

Category: Resources

Foldable Large Pikler Climbing Frame, Rainbow

A toy’s versatility lies in its potential for open-ended use, shaped by how creatively it’s approached rather than any specific function. When a toy can be used in various ways, it encourages a child’s imagination and adapts to multiple developmental needs—one day helping build strength, the next fostering social skills or sensory exploration. This adaptability means that a single toy, when used thoughtfully, can support growth across many areas, offering children a rich range of experiences from just one simple item.

In this blog, we’ll explore how to maximise a toy’s potential by focusing on one versatile option with endless possibilities for use. In this blog, we’ll dive into maximizing the potential of one versatile classic: the pikler. With endless possibilities for creativity and skill-building, the pikler can transform from a simple material into an essential tool for play, fine motor development, and sensory exploration. With a few ideas and some creativity, this flexible material can support a range of therapeutic goals, making it a valuable addition to any play or therapy session.

What is the Pikler Climbing Frame with shape sorter attachment?

The Pikler climbing frame is a straightforward, open-ended structure that encourages children to explore movement and build skills naturally. Its basic design, includes rungs and frames that can be climbed, crawled under, or used in imaginative play, provides a foundation for a variety of physical and interactive activities. It has a neutral, adaptable setup, Pikler is not tied to specific instructions or uses, allowing both therapists and parents to tailor activities to individual needs—from developing strength to fostering social engagement—through versatile, play-based interaction.

Speech Pathology Goals:

Vocabulary Development: Expand children’s vocabulary by introducing action verbs, descriptive words, spatial concepts, and colors during play. Label and reinforce words like “climb,” “slide,” “up,” “over,” “under,” as well as color words (e.g., “red,” “blue,” “yellow”) when describing different parts of the Pikler. This approach enriches children’s understanding of movement-related language and colors, supporting both comprehension and expressive language.
Social Communication: Foster social skills such as turn-taking, joint attention, and cooperative play. Set up structured turn-taking activities on the Pikler where children wait for their turn, observe others, and communicate intentions. These interactions support social reciprocity, awareness of others, and engagement in shared activities, which are essential for pragmatic language skills.
Requesting: Encourage children to initiate communication by prompting them to request specific turns, movements, or support on the Pikler (e.g., “Can I go up?” or “Help me climb”). This promotes spontaneous language use and strengthens their ability to express needs and desires, building foundational skills for everyday social interactions.
Labelling: Support language development by prompting children to label objects or actions during play, such as identifying parts of the Pikler or describing movements (“I’m climbing the ladder” or “This is the red bar”). Labelling helps reinforce vocabulary in a meaningful context, aiding children in linking words to actions and objects in their environment.
Following Directions: Enhance receptive language skills by practicing one- and two-step directions, such as “Go up, then turn around,” or “Hold with both hands and climb down.” This strengthens their ability to process and follow instructions, useful in classroom or home settings where multi-step commands are common.
Sequencing and Narrative Skills: Improve storytelling skills by having children recall and describe sequences during play. After a play session, prompt children to narrate what they did on the Pikler in order (e.g., “First, I climbed up, then I slid down”). This practice builds narrative structure, sequence understanding, and the ability to recall and recount events, which are essential for language and literacy development.

Occupational Therapy Specific Goals:

Core Stability: Strengthen the muscles supporting the spine to enhance balance, coordination, and endurance. Promote sustained postural control while climbing and manoeuvring through various heights and positions on the Pikler, helping children achieve stability in dynamic movements. This supports their ability to stay upright and maintain balance while reaching, twisting, or changing directions.
Fine Motor Skills: Improve fine motor control and hand strength to support daily functional tasks. Encourage children to grasp and hold the bars or rungs of the Pikler, which enhances finger dexterity and grip strength. These actions prepare children for skills like holding utensils, zipping up a jacket, or writing, all of which require refined control of hand movements.
Gross Motor Skills: Build core strength and larger muscle coordination, supporting full-body activities and dynamic play. Climbing, pushing, pulling, and balancing on the Pikler target major muscle groups, helping children develop the foundational strength and stability needed for activities such as running, jumping, and lifting.
Hand-Eye Coordination: Enhance hand-eye coordination, which is essential for task accuracy and safe movement. Encourage children to reach, grasp, and pull themselves up while visually tracking their movements on the Pikler, improving the ability to coordinate visual input with hand movements. These skills help in tasks like catching a ball, feeding themselves, or using scissors.
Balance and Spatial Awareness: Develop proprioception (body awareness in space) and equilibrium to support movement fluidity and safe exploration. The Pikler encourages children to balance and adjust their body weight as they move up, down, and across different levels. These activities build reflexes and spatial orientation, which are crucial for tasks requiring dynamic balance, such as running and hopping.
Bilateral Coordination: Promote the coordinated use of both sides of the body to support functional motor activities. Climbing actions on the Pikler involve alternating limbs, such as moving hands and feet in sequence to ascend or descend. This strengthens neural pathways for tasks requiring bilateral movements, such as dressing, cutting, and writing.
Planning and Sequencing: Enhance the ability to organize actions and execute planned motor sequences effectively. Challenge children to navigate the Pikler by planning routes or anticipating the next steps in climbing, encouraging cognitive and motor planning skills as well as adaptability. This prepares them for everyday problem-solving tasks like assembling a puzzle or completing an obstacle course.

The versatility of a toy is a powerful tool in a child’s development. When a single item can be used in multiple ways, it opens the door to creative play, adaptability, and targeted skill-building. A well-chosen toy can support growth in a range of areas, all through varied and engaging interactions. By understanding how to use toys in new and imaginative ways, both parents and therapists can enrich a child’s learning journey, making each play experience both meaningful and fun.