Every parent wants the best for their child. Developing fine and gross motor skills is one of the most important aspects of early learning. Pikler furniture, in particular a Pikler triangle, is great at teaching kids to grab and hold things, to crawl, walk and balance, and to develop the large muscles in their legs, arms and torso.
What is Pikler approach
Emilie ‘Emmi' Pikler, along with Maria Montessori, was a pioneer of supportive parental care. She believed the child needed space and time to develop. Emmi Pikler's famous 7 Principles are based on two cornerstone ideas: 1) a safe and respectful environment in which the child is brought up and 2) a complete freedom of movement according to a child's age and stage of development. According to 7 Principles, parents should:
- give the child their complete attention;
- slow down;
- build trust;
- do things at the child's own pace;
- make children only do things they are capable of doing;
- never restrict or interrupt the child during playtime;
- respect the child as a person.
In Pikler's view, while learning to crawl, the child is also learning to acquire new skills. It is therefore important to maintain an atmosphere in which the child moves freely, gains confidence and learns to learn.
Gross motor skills
By gross motor skills we commonly mean the ability to use large muscles in our torso, legs and arms. Whereas fine motor skills involve picking and assembling small details, gross motor skills is all about walking, running, climbing, and crawling.
Physical activity is vital to the child's early development. Unfortunately, parents do not always recognize this. Being overly anxious, they tend to protect children by restricting their freedom of movement. This may indeed save some bruises, yet it also robs the child of a very important experience of learning and accomplishment.
Developing gross motor skills is not just about the physique. The ability to move confidently projects onto the toddler's self-image. The child is able to grasp the difference between being clumsy and confident and being too shy to move. The braver are the children at discovering their physical abilities, the more confidently they explore the surrounding world. Later on, this confidence translates into the ability to accept oneself despite the limitations and to improve the necessary skills.
About climbing furniture
Pikler furniture, otherwise known as climbing furniture, was designed to help children develop both physically and psychologically at home. As Emmi Pikler noticed, children would never put themselves in a position they could not get out of. In this respect, a Pikler triangle, being a small ladder, is ideal for toddlers who are just beginning to walk. Depending on their age, curiosity, and physical ability, some will only use the triangle to crawl underneath, while others will try to climb – but not to climb over before they feel confident to do so. A triangle is perfect to teach children about the possibilities of their own bodies and to gently introduce them to the process of learning.
What is the Pikler furniture and other questions?
What is a Pikler triangle?
- It is a piece of climbing furniture of a triangular shape, a small ladder.
What material is it made of?
- It is usually made of eco-friendly wood and covered with non-allergic paint.
What age is a Pikler triangle for?
- Normally it is for the age of 2 till 4. During this period a child is developing gross motor skills and learns to stand upright and walk confidently.
Can it be extended or has the shape changed?
- The Pikler triangle is meant to retain its shape. However, you can add ramps to improve a child's spatial coordination.
Pikler Triangles at Our Store
We produce custom Pikler triangles that can be shipped to any corner of the world. You can choose colors, height and add-ons, like climbing or walking ramps, to improve your child's gross motor skills. Pikler triangles are made of durable wood, which makes them a piece of furniture that you can pass on to your younger children. Triangles can sustain the child's weight and are easily folded and stored away. Thus the child also learns that every game or activity has to end sometime but it can resume after a while.