Swing (seat) - Definition and Overview

A little girl playing on a swing

A swing is a hanging seat in a playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing.

On playgrounds, several swings are often suspended from the same metal or wooden frame, known as a swingset, allowing more than one child to play at a time. Such swings come in a variety of sizes and shapes. For infants and toddlers, swings with leg holes support the child in an upright position while a parent or sibling pushes the child to get a swinging motion.

For older children, swings are sometimes made of a flexible canvas seat, of rubberized ventilated tire tread, of plastic, or of wood. A common backyard sight is of a wooden plank suspended on both sides by ropes from a tree branch. Older children can go much higher, sometimes over 15 feet (5m) above the ground, by "pumping," shifting their body weight to boost the height of the swing.

Swingset for babies or toddlers