Elder daughter (5) has taken to running off and climbing up the sea cliffs at a near by beach whenever we are there so the OH has enrolled her on a beginners course for kids. The OH used to climb a bit and I would like to encourage her to take it up again. Anyone else climbing with their (young) children? What works? Doesn’t work? Any advice really as the last time I climbed was over 15 years ago.

yep, been climbing with my girl since she was about the same age. We boulder indoors mainly as i didnt want to compicate it with ropes just yet, we go regularly and she recently got out of the kids class and into the junior academy. I boulder at the same time and we then boulder together a bit afterwards. We have even had a small trip to Font this summer. Many indoor walls have kids clubs, give them a call.

Mine are 5 and 7
Done a fair few sessions at Stockport wall. Varying success. Initially they’d climb easily up to about 2.5m and then stop and insist on being lowered down.
Then one day we were climbing next to a group, mine climbed 2.5m stopped, watched someone climb past them and then just kept going all the way to the top. Taking friends along works well too. They prefer the bouldering wall to routes though.

Been to Windgather a few times and both did a few routes there. It’s probably the best kid crag in the country (Peak District).
Did a few easy things in the Lakes.

The most surprising thing was that as soon as a rope was used they got more nervous and less interested. Spotting them on easy scrambles was much more likely to result in a good day than top roping them on routes. But you need to be a good spotter, very few people are.

Had a couple of excellent days out up Grindsbrook and Crowden Clough on Edale when the wean was only 4. They both really loved the scrambling.

Stickly Ghyll up to Pavey Ark in Langdale is also great.

Been wondering the same. My daughter’s 4 and she absolutely loves scrambling about on the Tors on Dartmoor and is pretty fearless. Can’t help but wonder whether taking them to a stinky indoor wall will actually put her off?

Started my daughter who is now 5 at the age of 2. Started off outdoors on easy scrambles initially just with her harness on to enable an easy grab, but very quickly got a rope on her so she could go higher/steeper. The main aim was to get her used to being on a rope for ‘proper’ climbing. Creating a ‘swing’ from the tree with rope clipped to her harness helped too.

We also started taking her to indoor walls, she was keen on bouldering and playing on the crash mats (like soft play), but really the bouldering walls are too hard technically. Initially she wasn’t keen on doing roped climbs indoors. But after a couple of visits with encouragement, not pushing/forcing her, she was flying up the routes to the top.

A possible side effeect of getting her climbing and happy being on a rope from such an early age is I think it held her back a little bit on the higher kids climbing frames as she was maybe used to the comfort of a rope. But she as overcome that now and is happy climbing to the top with her peers.

About a year ago we went to a school fate thing and they had a mobile climbing wall. She queued up for a go, only to be told when she reached the front of the queue she was too small. She burst in to tears. The guy said she could have a go, not really expecting her to get of the ground. She was at the top quicker then most of the much older childern. Proud dad moment.

Yeh both mine have been climbing on and off since they were 2. Now 4 & 5. they take it and leave it, sometimes not thinking about climbing a 30m wall on a rope then another time they get nervous after 3m and want to come down. At this age I just let them do what takes the fancy which cam be scrambling, top roping or boldering.

EDIT: Get a full body harness for a child this small. they feel a lot safer and secure and it stops them tipping upside down on a rope.

Bouldering is the way to go with youngish kids.

if yer in the north east, get them into Climb Newcastle’s Rock Stars class, bouldering. If not near there then most walls should have kids clubs.

As above, bouldering is fun, many walls run kids sessions in the evenings and weekends.

Full body harness should be considered if your kid is still small and slim-hipped. I’ve got a Petzl Ouistiti which has had no more than four or five uses indoors if you’re interested.

Godson is about 8 and has done the kids certificate thing up to level 2 (or wahtever it is). He also much prefers bouldering as he’s not that keen on going too high. Generally he likes me to set him problems, which he tries to solve.
When he was 7 we went climbing outdoors at Brimham Rocks a fair few times, but didn’t get the opp this summer due to the weather.

Ah I do like Brimham, learnt to climb mostly there and Almscliffe when I were a lad. Bit far now I’m living down south but we have had a couple of trips there with daughter. Great place for kids to explore as well as climb.

Mine first tried climbing at a climbing wall aged 3 and 6 – something we do infrequently as it’s not something I’ve ever done before, but eldest who is in no way sporty quite enjoys it as an indoor activity when it is too cold or wet for him to ride, youngest (now 5) likes to use bouldering walls as she doesn’t like to wear a harness on the roped walls.

I ended up doing the “get yourself passably competent” course at the climbing wall so I could take them along, but if they were really keen I’d get them to join the kids club/have proper lessons and then see if they wanted to climb oudoors.

Several friends are “proper”climbers and they’ve taken the same approach.

Mine first tried climbing at a climbing wall aged 3 and 6 – something we do infrequently as it’s not something I’ve ever done before, but eldest who is in no way sporty quite enjoys it as an indoor activity when it is too cold or wet for him to ride, youngest (now 5) likes to use bouldering walls as she doesn’t like to wear a harness on the roped walls.

I ended up doing the “get yourself passably competent” course at the climbing wall so I could take them along, but if they were really keen I’d get them to join the kids club/have proper lessons and then see if they wanted to climb oudoors.

Several friends are “proper”climbers and they’ve taken the same approach.

Climbing works in Sheffield is superb, you have to be a member, and then supervise your offspring. Indoor bouldering with the best coffe in Sheffield being served, brilliant atmosphere. Saturday morning they have a kids club which you can sign them up to but it gets booked up very quickly.
Short of all that buy some holds and bolt them to some thick ply so they can practice at home.

I’ve taken Rose (2) clambering up boulders at the bottom of Black Rocks and up the easy way to the top (round the side).

I haven’t done any proper climbing since I was in Scouts though, so am considering doing some kind of course so that I can actually take her out, as whilst I know loads of climbers (and some instructors for that matter), I never seem to get the time to go out climbing with them.

Cheers for all the tips and advice. S. went climbing on an indoor wall this evening and is already looking forward to next week to do it again. The instructors seem to have put her at her ease and she got up to 4 metres without difficulty.

Like the idea of a full body harness and am very keen to take her bouldering.

@martinhutch cheers for the offer. My elder daughter takes after me in that she is tall. She is also sturdy. (The younger is small and not so sturdy like her mum!)