"Dad, push me," it sounds again and again. Cheering back and forth for hours, higher and higher, and the kids can't get enough of this fun. The preference for uniform movement begins in infancy. Mothers and fathers know: Hardly anything calms babies as quickly as gentle rocking. In this case, too, children learn through active understanding. In the case of rocking, the vestibular organ in the inner ear, which is responsible for maintaining balance, is trained. So what could be more obvious than training the development of the offspring by building a children's swing yourself?
A simple swing on a thick branch is quickly built
The swing frame
If there is no old tree with relatively straight branches in the garden, you first need a swing frame (€273.99) and enough space to set it up. For safety reasons, there should be no buildings or large plants in the swivel range. Since children like to jump off at full speed, it is better if flower beds are not directly adjacent. Lawn, sand or special rubber mats are recommended as a subsurface.
Material and tool list:
| material | Dimensions | |
|---|---|---|
| feet | 4 pressure-treated wooden beams | 15 cm diameter, 300 cm length |
| 2 pressure-treated transoms | 15cm diameter, 150cm length | |
| crossbar | 1 pressure-treated wooden beam | 15 cm diameter, 250 cm length |
| connection material | 8 threaded bolts | 16mm diameter |
| 16 washers | M16 | |
| 16 nuts | M16 | |
| TÜV tested swing suspension | ||
| Material for anchoring | gravel and concrete | |
| Ground anchors with matching screws and washers | ||
| tool | Drill (€97.00) with matching screw heads and wood drill attachments | |
| Forstner bit | ||
| folding rule | ||
| pencil | ||
| level |
assembly instructions
- First, the 300 cm long round beams are placed on top of each other so that they cross at a height of 250 cm. These are drilled through and screwed with countersunk nuts using the Forstner bit.
- Attach the 150 cm long crossbeams with threaded bolts. Here, too, countersink the nuts to reduce the risk of injury.
- Assemble the second side part in the same way.
- Screw the hangers for the swing into the middle of the round wood intended as a crossbeam. The gap should be about 10 percent larger than the rocking board.
- Screw the upper beam to the side parts (threaded bolts).
Setting up the garden swing
In order for the swing to be stable, the swing feet must be concreted in. Dig four holes at least 60 cm deep and fill them with a 15 cm layer of gravel and concrete. The ground anchors are inserted into the still wet material.
The swing seat
Here you can use a ready-made model or build a great swing seat yourself, which is also relatively non-slip, from the kids' discarded skateboard.
For this you need:
- The base of the skateboard from which you removed all other parts.
- Weatherproof polypropylene ropes with a diameter of 10 mm.
- Stable carabiner.
- Wooden sticks that should be slightly longer than the skateboard is wide.
- Cordless drill and wood drill.
That's how it works:
- Mark two opposite holes on the sides, drill.
- Pierce wooden sticks at both ends, about an inch from the edge.
- Divide the rope into two equal pieces.
- Thread through the holes in the skateboard so the open ends are the same length.
- Knot tightly above the seat.
- Tie a knot in both ends of the rope at the child's grip height, measured from the seat.
- Pull in the round wooden stick.
- Secure with a sturdy knot.
- The snap hooks are used to hang it up.
Building instructions for a tire swing
If you have a large tree with stable branches in the garden, a tire swing is a great alternative to the classic wooden swing board. The swing frame built according to our instructions is also stable enough for this popular children's swing.
You need for this project:
- an old tire
- a rope set for tire swings.
With the hoop laid horizontally on the ground, attach sturdy hooks at four equidistant points. Attach the fixture and hang the tire swing.
Alternatively, you can hang the hoop vertically. To do this, only one or two hooks are screwed into the tire so that it hangs vertically. Your child can now sit in or on the ring. This variant is therefore also suitable for smaller kids, who find it easier to gain momentum.
tips
If you build the garden swing and swing seat yourself and attach it to the frame with knots, you should use very stable connections that hold reliably. Sailor's knots are the method of choice here. There are plenty of guides online that you can use to easily teach yourself how to do this.