Seesaw facts for kids
A seesaw (sometimes called a teeter-totter) is a long, flat board that balances in the middle. It's usually found in playgrounds. When one side goes up, the other side goes down!
Kids love playing on seesaws! Two friends sit on opposite ends. The person on the bottom pushes off the ground with their feet. This makes them go up and their friend go down. Then, the friend pushes up, and the first person goes down. They keep going back and forth, having fun!
Seesaws work best when the two people playing are about the same size. If one person is much heavier, their side will stay down. Some seesaws are bigger and can hold two or three children on each end. There are handles for each child to hold onto so they don't fall off.
How Seesaws Work
A seesaw is a simple machine called a lever. It has a long board (the lever) and a balancing point in the middle called a fulcrum. When you push down on one end, the other end goes up. This is how the seesaw helps you lift your friend into the air!
The History of Seesaws
People believe that seesaws might have been invented by Korean girls in the 1600s. These girls were not allowed to leave their homes. They used seesaws to jump high enough to see over their courtyard walls and catch a glimpse of the outside world.
Another idea about where seesaws came from is found in old nursery rhymes. It suggests that children would borrow a long piece of wood (a plank) and a log from people who cut wood. They would then use these to rock up and down for play. No matter how they started, seesaws have been bringing fun to kids for a long time!
Images for kids
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Seesaw in a 1792 painting by Francisco de Goya
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A set of conjoined playground seesaws
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Seesaws are made in fun shapes and bright colors to attract children.
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A seesaw in a children's playground
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Makeshift seesaws are used for acrobatics
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See also
In Spanish: Balancín (ocio) para niños
