5 Features For A Standout Playground

5 Features For A Standout Playground

Planning a playground is an amazing opportunity to elevate the lives of everyone who lives or visits your community. These five features for a standout playground are all designed to make the playground that you design truly unique.

Inclusive Equipment

Inclusive playground equipment involves a wide range of features that make it possible for everyone to get involved in play. From accessible swings to double-wide ramps, inclusive play structures make it safe for children with disabilities to access the equipment and enjoy playing with their friends and family members.

•The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design requires that all new playground equipment and alterations in play areas that are designed after March 15, 2012 must meet specific accessibility requirements.
•Approximately 17% of children ages 3 to 17 have one or multiple developmental disabilities.

Towers

Elevated play structures provide kids with the stimulation that they need to satisfy their need for adventure. Scaling ladders and rock walls to reach the top is a safe risk that helps kids develop their confidence and conquer their fears.

•A 14-week study revealed that participants increased their risk detection skills and self-esteem when they were provided with risky play intervention services.

Nets

Net structures include exciting layouts and often times heights similar to towers that forces children to use their critical thinking skills to navigate. With each movement across the structure, kids develop their core, leg and arm muscles while also developing a better sense of balance.

•Climbing net structures teach kids problem-solving skills as they map out where to place their hands and feet to reach the top.
•Students with higher levels of gross motor skills have improved classroom behaviors in low-income schools.

Interactive

Interactive playground features combine technology with the beauty of being outside to bring kids new experiences that they can’t find anywhere else. DJ booths, electronic sports courts and activity zones bring people of all ages and abilities together while encouraging older kids to get outside and play. A true multigenerational outlet for play.

•Teens believe that playing music breaks down existing boundaries between people from different age ranges, cultural backgrounds and social groups.
•A study revealed that only 29% of teens engage in an hour or more of physical activity each day of the week.

Poured In Place Safety Surfacing

A playground design should always begin from the ground up. Poured in place is a rubber safety surfacing that reduces the risk of injuries while being a cost-effective way to lower playground maintenance costs over the long-haul.

•Approximately 80% of playground injuries are caused by falls.
•Poured in place safety surfacing makes it easier to comply with ADA standards since it increases access to the equipment for people with mobility devices.

Sources
https://playgroundsafety.org/topics/topic/ada-and-playground-accessibility
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/6/6423/htm
https://www.news24.com/parent/Baby/Toddler_1-2/How-climbing-and-outside-play-help-your-childs-growth-20150826
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspor.2019.00029/full
https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-09/positive-influence-playing-music-youth%20
https://www.nrpa.org/parks-recreation-magazine/2012/august/statistics-of-play/
https://www.nsc.org/home-safety/safety-topics/child-safety/playgrounds

Playground Surfaces