Since first opening in 2012, we’ve introduced thousands of children to the wonderful world of climbing. We offer a range of sessions geared towards absolute beginners – children can get involved at Highball from as young as 6 years old on Private Taster Sessions, with the rest of our kids sessions suitable for children aged 8 and up.
We run regular sessions after school, on weekends and throughout the school holidays. You can find out more about specific sessions below, or continue reading to learn all about climbing for kids.
Looking to supervise your own children? Adults who are competent climbers can supervise children on the wall without the need for an instructor. See our supervision page for more details.
As we suspect you’ve already noticed, climbing on things is something that comes very naturally to children! As a sport, it’s a fun, playful and imaginative way to get moving. It builds on the core skills of flexibility, balance, coordination and overall strength. Climbing in a structured class also builds the valuable skills of risk assessment and responsibility.
All kids climbing is supervised by experienced coaches. The sessions are structured, whilst still allowing for buckets of fun.
We provide all the climbing equipment they’ll need for the session. We recommend all participants wear comfortable clothing as you would for any sport (a spare change might be needed as clothes can end up chalky). A drink and a snack are recommended, too.
Our kids climbing sessions are just for those aged 8 -17. If you want to come climbing as a family, we recommend booking a Private Taster Session, where a coach can create the perfect introduction for your little team.
Our after-school clubs are based on the National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme (NICAS). It outlines the requirements for introducing children to the important safety rules and some simple techniques.
If they fall in love with it (which happens a lot!) we also offer a more formal, long-term progression system that allows them to become confident and skilled climbers in line with the same national syllabuses. Just ask your coach or at reception for more details.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being scared of heights – it’s totally natural. We find that most children who are scared of heights very quickly forget about it once the feeling of accomplishment takes over. We always emphasise that all participants (big and small) only ever go as high as they feel comfortable – there’s really no pressure to reach the top of anything!
We ask that no parents are on the mats during the sessions, but they are welcome to watch. If you want to stay nearby, we have a café that serves hot and cold drinks as well as an ever-changing range of snacks. You’re more than welcome to relax with a cuppa, although we do recommend bringing warm clothes in colder seasons.