FSC-certified wooden balance beam • Tipi

The balance beam lets children satisfy their innate desire to challenge their balance by walking one foot in front of the other along the edge of a sidewalk, a stone wall, or a planter border, all from the safety of home.

It helps develop their proprioception, balance and movement control, as well as gross motor skills, as they walk forward or backward, crawl on all fours, or balance on one foot.

They can also put their fine motor skills to work by setting up the beam themselves. They can create their own paths using its 2 types of segments, add it to their motor skills courses or building games, or create tracks for their toys—all while letting their imagination and creativity run free.

Features

• Easy to store and transport.
• Made of birch wood: a lightweight, impact-resistant wood with a very fine grain and a fairly light color.
• Encourages creative play and fuels the imagination.
• Helps develop your child’s motor skills, balance, proprioception, movement coordination, and independence.

LOOVE Labels

• Sustainable management: Birch plywood certified by the FSC, ensuring wood traceability, the preservation of biodiversity, and respect for local communities.
• No overproduction: Made to order.
• Handcrafted: Designed and made by a team of 20 dedicated, passionate artisans.
• Eco-responsible packaging: Cardboard, paper, and kraft tape.
• Made in Europe: Made in Latvia.

Technical specifications

• Material: Birch wood (15 cm thick). Sourced from sustainably managed forests, FSC Controlled Wood certification.
• Finish: UV varnish and water-based paint.
• CE certified and compliant with EN 71: Product meets European toy safety requirements.
• Included:
  • MIDI: 3 segments (115 cm each), 3 connecting platforms.
    • 1 segment with horizontal grooves milled into one side. The other side is flat and can also be used for balance.
    • 1 segment with a nylon rope twisted around both sides. 
    • 1 segment with dots on one side. The other side is flat.
  • MAXI: 3 segments (58 cm each) + 3 segments (115 cm each), 6 connecting platforms.
    • 2 segments with horizontal grooves milled into one side. The other side is flat and can also be used for balance.
    • 2 segments with a nylon rope twisted around both sides. 
    • 2 segments with dots on one side. The other side is flat.
• Manufacturer's recommended age: 12m+
• Weight limit: 60 kg
• Manufacturing: Europe (EU), in Latvia.
• Packaging: Cardboard, plastic foam, and adhesive tape.
• Warranty: 2 years

Care

• Clean with a soft, dry cloth. Alternatively, use a slightly damp cloth without detergent.
• Wipe up spills immediately.
• Do not place unprotected glasses, vases, bottles, or other containers on the surface.

Traceability

• Birch plywood - Latvia / Baltic countries
• Paint, varnish - Hesse Lignal, Germany
• Screws, fasteners, hinges - China
• Packaging - Latvia
• Design and manufacturing - Latvia

Assembly

• Assembly manual: Included in the package, in French
• Easy-to-assemble product (1 person).

Manufacturing partner

In 2016, Linda and her husband began working on the design of unique products in the basement of their home in the suburbs of Riga. Firm believers in a child's natural development, they had a simple idea: to create products that allow children to help their parents and encourage freedom of movement.

Based on the principles of Montessori and Pikler education, each product is designed to be durable, passed down to future generations, multifunctional, and easy to use every day - for endless use!

Today, every product is carefully handmade to order to prevent overproduction.

What is the educational benefit of this product?

The balance beam contributes to the development of the child's balance, proprioception, and motor skills, fostering their perception of themselves and their environment, knowledge of their body, and mastery of it through the repetition of movements, as advocated by the Pikler-Lóczy approach and typical of free movement.

It provides support during the sensitive period for the coordination of movements identified by Maria Montessori, which emerges at around 18 months and lasts until approximately 4 years of age.

In a “yes space,” the balance beam also contributes to open-ended play, a central element of Rudolf Steiner, particularly in the wooden construction games he valued, in which the balance beam will contribute to the structure - and allow the child to use it in ways limited only by their imagination. 
The opportunity to play and explore freely is common to all active educational approaches and is one of their foundations.

 

What is the benefit from a neuroscience perspective?

• Contribution to sensory-motor development (*Through movement, balance, and proprioception).
• Strengthening neural pathways through the repetition of movements.

What is sensory-motor development?

Sensory-motor development is the process through which children develop their senses and learn to perform, master, and coordinate their movements.

The senses include the best-known ones, such as sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, as well as balance (through the vestibular system) and proprioception (the position of the body in space, provided by the somatosensory system). 

These different senses work together with one another and with the motor system.

In terms of motor development, two main categories of motor skills can be distinguished:

• gross motor skills, which refer to the movements of the entire body or the body's larger limbs and muscles (legs, arms, torso, head),
• fine motor skills, which refer to the movements of smaller muscles and limbs (fingers, hands, wrists, feet, ankles, toes, lips, tongue).

What age groups is it suitable for?

The balance beam can be used as soon as your child can stand steadily on their own. It can be used to practice balance, initially with help until they master their balance and try new movements and postures. It will also contribute to their motor-skill courses and construction games, serve as a bridge for their trains to travel over and their cars to drive under, and more.

What is the benefit of this product in brief? 

• Develop balance, proprioception, and motor skills, including fine motor skills.
• Learn to be independent.
• Build self-confidence.
• Nurture creativity and imagination.

Delivery

• Delivery costs are: Free
• This product is shipped from Latvia by our artisan partner Linda.
• This item is made to order and has a production lead time of 1 to 2 weeks. Delivery then takes 5 business days.
• Shipping is handled by Fedex, except in exceptional circumstances. 
• Once your package has been shipped, a tracking number will be sent to you by email.

Returns 

Have you received your item but it is not suitable for you? Don’t worry, you have 14 days from the date of receipt of your package to return the product concerned. 

As a small family business, we are unfortunately not yet able to cover postage costs; return shipping costs are the customer’s responsibility, and returns must be sent to the country from which this product was shipped, Latvia.

To be eligible for a return, please ensure that the following conditions are met :

• The product must arrive in its original and complete condition (packaging, accessories, instructions).
• The request must not concern custom-made products for which the customer provided personalization details (for example, a cutting or manufacturing dimension).

Please understand that we cannot accept assembled, used, or worn items, as they cannot be put back on sale. 

Return process 

Send your return request, including your order number and the product you wish to return, to our Customer Service team by email at the following address: bonjour@monloove.com 

⚠ Warning!! Please note that a return received without prior contact may result in the loss of your right of withdrawal. 

Refund 

The refund will be issued within 14 days of receiving the products, for the full amount of the returned products, using the same payment method as the one used for the order. 

Help 

For more details, you can consult our FAQ as well as our terms and conditions. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you cannot find an answer to your questions: bonjour@monloove.com