Woman on a swing. Side B of an Ancient Greek Attic red-figure amphora, ca. 525 BC. from Vulci, Italy, Louvre Museum, Paris
Woman sitting on a swing. Hagia Triada, Late New Palace period (1450-1300 B.C.), Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete
Sketch by Marguerite Martyn of a girl standing on a swing in St. Louis, Missouri, 1914
Girl on swing, Germany, 1941
Girl on a swing in the Dolomites, 2017
A swing is a hanging seat, often found at playgrounds for children, at a circus for acrobats, or on a porch for relaxing, although they may also be items of indoor furniture, such as Latin American hammock or the Indian oonjal. The seat of a swing may be suspended from chains or ropes. Once a swing is in motion, it continues to oscillate like a pendulum until external interference or drag brings it to a halt. Swing sets are very popular with children.
On playgrounds, several swings are often suspended from the same metal or wooden frame, known as a swing set, 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. Some swing sets include play items other than swings, such as a rope ladder or sliding pole.
For older children, swings are sometimes made of a flexible canvas seat, of a rubberized ventilated tire tread, of plastic, or of wood. A common backyard sight is a wooden plank suspended on both sides by ropes from a tree branch.
