UKC

My 6 yr old daughter has developed a passion for climbing, and is showing a real natural ability. Unfortunately due to where we are living, the opportunities for her to climb are very limited. Our local indoor wall only has 9 routes, which aren't changed ever, and she has already nailed 4 of them (the others are leads/overhangs which I won't let her climb yet), and the trad climbing that we have locally is on quite sharp limestone which I'm not sure she is ready for...
My question to you all is what can I do to keep her interested and stop her from getting bored? I have started getting her to practice downclimbing...any ideas welcome...
Many thanks.

In reply to GazW84:
Is there a reason you won't let her climb overhangs on a top rope? 6 year olds have amazing strength to weight ratio. As long as she has a helmet and knows to kick herself away I would think it would be fine.

Games include climbing with only one hand, climbing and retrieving rings or other objects from holds (probably not at busy times), make up your own routes by using rules like hands and feet can't be on the same colour etc.

In reply to marsbar:
If there was a top rope on the overhang, I might let her have a stab at it! There are no ropes in situ at the wall, I probably should have made that clearer! There also isn't any access to the anchors other than to lead the route.

The other ideas are great, thanks. We are the only people who use the wall at the times we climb so plenty of scope for them.

In reply to GazW84:

That's annoying. Can't one of the staff lead it so she can use it?

If there is no one else about, another game I saw was making a spiders web around the holds with a ball of wool.

In reply to GazW84:

Try setting you're own routes? For example black holds for hands and blue for feet or features for feet ect? Bouldering you can also mark holds with a stick of chalk.

Other than that there's the trying to beat your time on a route (dangerously close to speed climbing) or games like trying to touch as many foot holds from one hand hold.

Failing that pester the staff for new routes!

In reply to GazW84:

Could not someone else leading the overhang trail a rope for you and fix a toprope occasionally?

In reply to GazW84:

If you are located where I suspect you are, then I would have thought a few top ropes on the trad stuff would be fine. It's not that sharp (at least not all that sharp). Apologies if you are located somewhere else.

In reply to GazW84:

A wee game we play occasionally is Happy feet, So your foot has to touch the hold before your hand. We normally do it bouldering but as long as the route isn't to reachy it might work. Could help with body positioning also.

In reply to GazW84:

Why on earth would you not want her to climb on limestone? It's my favourite rock when it's clean and dry; some of my best memories are of routes on Pembroke and Swanage sea cliffs. I'd have thought the character of limestone would suit someone small in stature thanks to the cracky wrinkly nature of the rock affording lots of holds and the squared-off hold shapes and good friction.

In reply to GazW84:

Many thanks to you all for the replies, there are some good ideas which I will definately be trying with her.

To answer a couple of the questions asked...
The indoor wall we use isn't supervised, or even really used by many other people...its very much self help, hence the lack of top ropes/route setting. I may drag a couple of friends down so we can put the ropes in on the overhang and other climbs for her to try but at will rely on their availability.
The limestone at Cape Greco can be very sharp which is why I'm hesitant to climb with her there just yet...I'm conscious that being a "pushy parent" will have the opposite effect to encouraging her to improve in a more comfortable and familiar environment. Once she has outgrown the wall (which is only 5 mins from the house...convinient for an hours climbing after school!), I will of course set her loose on a couple of easier top rope routes on the crag (40 mins away plus set up time...not as convinient for an hours climbing after school!).

Once again, thanks for the replies they are most helpful.
Gaz

In reply to GazW84:

There's a small wall in Nicosia that's ideal for small children. Not convenient for quick hour after school I know, but might be worth a look if you have a couple of hours. Let me know if you're interested and I'll forward you the info.

In reply to GazW84:

Try climbing other stuff, trees can be really good and are easy to set a top rope on, build a small wall outside for her, it doesn't have to be big or expensive, add holds to existing things, be creative. Sometimes people limit climbing to much, kids love to class mob anything and everything.

In reply to GazW84:

Fun fun fun and then make it fun.

I rapidly gave up "telling" my child anything. As for rules and games that didn't work either, just resulted in frustration.

Do what you both enjoy, let her scramble over rocks outside and clamber up things.

In reply to GazW84:

I used to play with my daughter from the age of 6. I found that the fact I couldn't climb and she was very talented meant that she loved to just play. We didn't even bother much with the 'proper' walls for quite a while (6mths+) and just played games in the castle room at Eden Rock. Slides, traversing, climbing through them foam tubes etc. Not advanced climbing but you would be shocked at how much you can learn when you are having a laugh.

After that we moved onto the bigger walls and I bought one of them magnetic little toys which will stick to the bolts of holds. I would scramble up in a clumsy manner and she would climb up, get the toy and throw it back at me from the top of the wall. We did the foot first mentioned earlier where you have to touch the hold first with your foot, climbing with one hand, climbing with no hands, traversing everywhere.

How about getting one of them cheapo laser pens off ebay and making your own climbs up. We play Plus1 all the time, especially on traversing. You point out the next hold she is allowed to use and work it to whatever she can manage.

Your wall sounds limited but with a bit of fun it doesn't have to be boring