Rope Swings - Good Old-Fashioned Backyard Fun

When I think back on my childhood summers, I remember all the fun my friends, brothers and I had on rope swings. We didn't have elaborate play sets or nearby parks with enormous play structures, but there was always a homemade swing to entertain us.

My grandparents lived on a farm in Iowa and they had a rope swing with an old tractor tire attached to it hanging from a huge oak tree in the backyard. My brothers and I would try to spin each other as fast as we could to get us dizzy. We thought it was so funny to see our sibling try to walk once getting off. My grandparents sold off the farm a long time ago, but I hope the tire swing is still hanging and other kids are getting hours of fun playing with it.

Pictures of the houses we lived in as small kids always showed a simple swing in the yard - just a plain wood board with two ropes going up to a sturdy branch on a large tree. The ground underneath the swing was a dirt streak from our feet dragging on the ground to slow down or stop the swinging. Do you have a huge tree in your yard? If so, hang a simple swing from it and I am sure your kids will love it!

Another rope swing that we loved as kids was the simple rope swing with knots that hung next to water - whether a lake, river or pond - it was a favorite gathering place for kids in some of the small towns we lived in. The best swings were the ones that you could jump from a taller bank to get enough momentum to drop in the water as far as possible. These were the best times for trying to keep cool on those scorching hot summer days. We had contests to see who could swing out the furthest - of course the older and heavier kids always one. Occasionally, someone would chicken out and not let go - if the rope was hung on a branch over the water - they eventually had to drop to get off. It always brought lots of cheers and tons of laughter.

Here on some ideas of simple swings for backyard.

https://www.pinterest.com/cowandlizard/rope-swings...

Have fun!