School Playground: Importance, Design, Equipment, and Safety
School Playground Importance
School playgrounds are not merely a place for students to let off steam or hang out during recess. Rather, a fun, safe playground environment stimulates students' minds and allows for their cognitive, physical, and social development. In fact, outdoor play areas provide children with rich opportunities to grow, learn, and develop.
For younger children and students with short attention spans, the school playground provides a much-needed break from sitting in the classroom, refreshing their minds for further learning. Recent studies highlight the importance of children's play in addressing childhood obesity, while other studies show that school playgrounds allow students to:
Improve motor skills and gain physical strength
Improve balance and coordination
Develop social skills
Learn to share, communicate, and collaborate with others
Learn to compromise and take turns
Appreciate diversity in others
Develop empathy
Master new skills
Gain independence
Develop problem-solving skills
Take on new challenges
Experience success as a result of persistence and perseverance
Expand creativity and imagination
According to studies published in the American Academy of Pediatrics and Scientific American, children without access to play are at greater risk for suffering from depression, anxiety, asthma, diabetes, and obesity. Conversely, safe outdoor play areas foster good health and emotional well-being. Furthermore, since the amount of time children spend outdoors has significantly declined in today's age of technology, providing students with an appealing and stimulating outdoor area is particularly paramount.
School Playground Equipment
To support such broad learning objectives, school playground designs should ideally include areas for active play, free play, exploratory play, and quiet contemplation. Popular school playground equipment includes:
Swings
Slides
See-saws
Climbing frames
Monkey bars
Towers
Play tunnels
Roundabouts
Balance beams
Sandboxes
Open grassy spaces
Artificial turf
Space for running and jumping
Areas for ball games/competitive sports
Shaded/sheltered areas for hot/rainy days
Trees, shrubs, flowers
School Playground Safety
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that over 200,000 children are treated annually for playground equipment-related injuries. Ensuring that the school playground is a safe place to play and that equipment passes the Head Impact Criterion test (measuring the likelihood of a head injury arising from a fall) is thus essential.
School Playground Design
According to the National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF), the most important elements in planning and designing a school playground are:
Safety
Equipment
Surfaces
Accessibility
Maintenance
ADA Compliant Playground
School and daycare play areas should comply with Americans with Disabilities Homepage Act (ADA) standards, ensuring the safe inclusion of children with disabilities in play environments. To achieve these goals, special consideration should be given to playground layout, surfacing, ramps, circulation paths, ground level activities, and equipment.
Enhancing the School Playground Environment
Creative outdoor spaces enhance students' educational and social experiences. Innovative imp source additions to the school playground include:
Outdoor tables
Garden benches
Courtyard
Patio
Bridge
Nature path
Planters
Water play area
Amphitheater
Fireman's pole