Pikler Triangle Review

The Pikler triangle is an increasingly popular toddler toy, especially for those interesting in a Montessori or Waldorf style atmosphere. They show up in all sorts of Instagram posts and Pinterest-worthy playrooms. Calvin has been enjoying his for over a year, and I’ve got an honest review for you today!

We decided to give Calvin a Pikler triangle for his first birthday. I had done a fair amount of reading and research on the toys and the benefits of them, and decided that it would be perfect for my adventurous little one. He’s been playing on it for over a year now and I have some thoughts on whether I think it’s worth the price tag!

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PIKLER TRIANGLE

Pikler triangles are pretty common in playrooms featured on social media theses days. (Check out a few here). A Pikler triangle is a wooden A-frame with rungs up both sides. They typically lock into one position for climbing and many fold in half for storage. Pikler triangles are often paired with double-sided ramps that are flat on one side and have climbing rungs or pegs on the other. The point of a Pikler triangle is to offer the child the opportunity to fulfill their need to climb in a safe way. They also allow children to explore their limitations and engage in risky play.

A Pikler triangle is absolutely an investment toy. The triangle on its own costs at least $100, and then there are additional pieces available, like the ramps. We purchased ours from two different sellers on Etsy (neither currently offering these products) and our total cost came to about $300 US dollars for a foldable triangle and a two-sided ramp.

To shop for your own Pikler triangle, I highly recommend looking through a few different options on Etsy or purchasing one from Wiwiurka. You can also find options for building your own climbing triangle on the internet, though this isn’t always more cost effective, depending on lumber prices.

PROS

• Open Ended Play – there is no ”right” way to use a Pikler triangle. There’s nothing about it to suggest the “proper” way for it to be played with. That makes it an amazing open-ended toy. It can be a house, a fort, a bridge, a ramp, a mountain, a ladder, a drying rack…the options are pretty endless. I’ve had kids of various ages play with it and they all use it differently. I doubt our family will be bored of it any time soon.
• Development of Physical Skills – I’ve watch Calvin learn new skills first on his climbing triangle and then apply them elsewhere. For example, Calvin practiced going up and down the triangle over and over one day. And then the next day he suddenly had figured out how to climb up and down stairs safely. The same thing happened with carefully placing his feet on the rungs and figuring out the ladder on the playground. As Della gets older I expect to see her use the triangle to learn how to pull herself up to a standing position and how to lift her feet to step up on the rungs.
• Fort Building – using a Pikler triangle for fort building makes the perfect entrance archway. It’s large enough that Colter or I can crawl under it to join Calvin in his fort fun, but small enough that his fort still feels enclosed and private.
• Opportunity for Risky Play – risky play is so important for kids. They need to experience their limits in order to understand where they are. I would much rather Calvin learn how to climb securely for the first time in my living room than in a random tree in a park. Something I’ve heard is that if left alone, a child won’t climb higher than he feels safe. So as Calvin pushed his limits, I tried to be a silent observer. If he made me anxious with his play, I used words to encourage safety and security (use your hands to help you balance; feel for the rung with your feet; e.g.) It’s been great to watch him grow while we both felt safe about it.
• Burning Energy – have you ever climbed a ladder 50 times in a row? It can be exhausting. The triangle has been a fantastic way for Calvin to burn off his energy, especially during the cold, dark, and snowy months. And that energy burning didn’t involve him running screaming through the house right before bedtime.
• Fulfilling the Need to Climb – kids have a primal urge to climb things. And unless provided with appropriate opportunity, they will find their own opportunities to climb (i.e. the kitchen table, an old tree, out of their crib, etc.). Giving them an option that they can use as much as they like without breaking house rules is so good for you and for them.

CONS

• Cost – a Pikler triangle is not a cheap toy. Ours cost us about $300 from the independent sellers on Etsy that we purchased from. And that’s a pretty typical cost. It can be challenging to spend so much money on a toy for a child. Especially when kids have so many other expenses like formula, diapers, and doctor appointments.
• Stored Size – this toy is not small, even if you get one that can fold like ours can. It takes up a significant amount of space, especially when it is out for use. And it should be used under supervision, so either you need to be with your child in the playroom or the triangle needs to be in the area of the home that you spend most of your time.
• Risk Factor – you many notice that I mentioned risk as both a pro and a con for this toy. Though risky play is so important for a child’s development and confidence, it’s called risky for a reason. There is absolutely opportunity for your child to be injured while playing on this toy. Calvin has fallen off of his numerous times (though never more than a bump or a scrape so far) and has shed quite a few tears. You need to evaluate whether you, as a parent, are willing to accept the level of risk that this climbing triangle presents.

DO I RECOMMEND IT?

I do recommend this toy, with a few conditions. If you are a parent with the space, the budget, and the willingness to accept the risky play for what it is, then I absolutely recommend this toy to you. If you are too tight on space, you’d have to cut corners or go into debt to fund this toy, or if you won’t be able to allow your child to play as they see fit and feel capable, this probably isn’t a good fit for you.

I love our Pikler and the play opportunities it has created for my son. But I don’t think it’s a good fit for every family and would be a waste of space and resources for some.

I hope that my thoughts and experiences with this piece of play furniture have been helpful for any of you that are on the fence about a purchase like this. If you have a Pikler triangle (or another piece of open-ended play furniture) that you love, I would be thrilled to hear your thoughts! Thanks for being here.