Until What Age Can My Kids Play on a Swing Set?

This Q&A is the latest in a blog series featuring questions submitted by some of the parents (and even grandparents) who reach out to us on a daily basis. We've started documenting our answers and the subsequent conversations for the sake of you and other parents out there who might be asking the same questions about choosing, buying, setting up, maintaining, and enjoying a wooden swing set for their family.

For today's Q&A, Marnie Daniels wants to know if there is an age limit when it comes to playing on a swing set.

Question: Until what age can my kids play on a swing set?

- Marnie Daniels, Mother of Elizabeth 12, Jacob 9, and Trevor 5

Answer: That’s a tough question to answer because the age will vary based on several factors. A quality wooden swing set will last you 20+ years. In fact, we’ve gotten many happy letters from parents telling us that they’ve had the pleasure of watching their grandkids gleefully swing and slide on the same playground equipment that they purchased for their kids years ago.

But just because the swing set will last you for 20 years doesn’t mean your 19-year-old will still be making a beeline for the swings when he needs to let off some steam from college exams (but you might suggest it because studies have shown that swinging is actually a phenomenal stress-reliever and helps balance the brain for more effective studying!).

There is no set age when a child decides they’ve gotten too big for the jungle gym. In general, from the feedback we have gotten from our clients, kids as old as 16 were still enjoying these beautiful wooden swing sets. Older kids like to sit up in the fort and gossip with friends, see how hard and fast they can swing from the swings, and even relish a welcome relief from all the societal pressures of being a teenager in our modern world by just goofing off on these playsets.

So if you have children anywhere from a few months old all the way up till their teenage years, as long as they are within the weight capacity (generally 250 lbs), a quality outdoor playset can provide your family with a healthy outlet for all that pent up energy, not to mention hours of just plain fun!

Of course, which swing set you have will have a lot to do with how long your kids will stay interested. There are several things you can do to maintain that sparkle in their eyes for years to come:

1.  It stands to reason that if you have pint-sized swing set accessories for your toddlers, you can’t expect to keep the bigger kids interested for very long. Buying the right kinds of swing set accessories will go a long way in keeping your kids excited to get out there and play on their jungle gym longer. The Swingset Co. prides itself on providing bigger, better, and more colorful playset accessories, so your kids will be happy to jump on board the imagination train for years of fun!

2.  Even if your playset accessories are bigger, after a few years, kids might start to get bored of the same thing. The beauty of our swing sets is that they are easily extended to incorporate more playset accessories with time. You can also simply switch out your old toys for new ones without having to add onto the playset base itself. A new accessory doesn’t cost much but it will extend the use of the set for years.

3.  Maintaining your wooden swing set will also keep kids happier for longer. After all, when a jungle gym is falling apart, riddled with splinters, or just looks shabby, no one is going to bubble over with excitement about it. Make sure to seal the swing set annually, look out for splintering patches and sand and seal the area immediately, and give the playset a nice coat of paint or a natural stain finish every few years to really give it that like-new shine. Also keep on top of the structure and accessories, and fix anything that has come loose, cracked, or requires attention. These are small maintenance jobs, but they’ll go a long way towards keeping your kids happy with their swing set.

Want to know more about swing set maintenance? Check out our Q&A blog posts about upkeeping your playset for the long run, or get in touch with one of our reps to answer any of your questions. 

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