Physical activity is an important part of the school experience, ensuring students stay active, develop healthy routines around fitness, and create friendships. But what if opportunities for movement were not limited to a PE class, an organized sport, or an indoor gym? Outdoor fitness spaces that are fun and playful can give schools another way to encourage movement throughout the day, while making better use of campuses and recreation areas. Establishing the right fitness solution depends heavily on age: What is engaging for an elementary school student will be very different from what works for high schools and college campuses. In this article, we’ve created a guide to building an age-appropriate outdoor fitness area, from elementary school through higher education.
For younger students, fitness should be fun first. Rather than recreating a traditional gym outdoors, elementary fitness spaces can use climbing, balancing, jumping, and other play-based movements to help kids build fundamental physical skills.
Play On! is a comprehensive approach to school playground design and physical activity programming. Instead of treating recess as unstructured downtime, Play On! helps schools turn it into an intentional extension of physical education. GameTime play systems can be designed to fully implement the Play On! program by incorporating the six key elements of active play.
Middle school students can be tricky to design recreation spaces for. They may be starting to lose interest in traditional playground equipment, but they are not necessarily ready for adult fitness equipment either. We think there is a happy medium to achieve here, between play and fitness.
Compact obstacle courses like The Stadium allow for competitive, social fitness. Featuring 10 unique challenges, it features multiple routes of travel for kids to create their own path and find a new path every time they explore.
By high school, outdoor fitness can begin to resemble traditional exercise while still offering a more approachable alternative to a weight room or competitive athletics. Play is still important, and across every age we aim to replicate the fun found on playgrounds.
The Challenge Course combines American Ninja Warrior with NFL Combine to create the ultimate challenge. When you add a timing system, these obstacle courses become races, class activities, and training stations – and a reason to try again to beat your friends!
At the college level, outdoor fitness becomes both a recreation resource and a campus amenity. Equipment can extend recreation beyond the fitness center and create convenient opportunities for students to exercise between classes or alongside friends.
THRIVE systems are made for campuses; they provide high-quality outdoor fitness experiences without requiring a massive footprint. With compact systems, multiple training stations, and options for individual or group workouts, THRIVE turns open areas into active destinations people can use together.
A well-designed school fitness area does not necessarily have to serve students alone! Outdoor fitness provides an excellent opportunity to give back to faculty and staff, allowing them a place for wellness, too. One way to achieve a fitness space that is useful for everyone is to allow community access to campus recreation outside of school hours, if possible. Further, when choosing your location and picking equipment, consider how your fitness area fits into broader shared-use goals. For example, you may want to place your outdoor fitness in easily accessible areas, perhaps along a well-trafficked path. For colleges and universities in particular, this reinforces the value of creating recreation spaces that serve the entire campus population.
Outdoor fitness does not have to exist as one isolated equipment area. In fact, we encourage incorporating fitness equipment in a broad way. Schools can incorporate movement throughout a campus with:
By implementing one or several of these design features, fitness becomes an overall part of campus design, rather than another standalone amenity.
If you’ve made it this far, you may be wondering how to decide on the right fitness equipment for your outdoor space. To help, here’s a simple framework for evaluating your options:
The main takeaway we want to leave you with is there isn't one universal "school fitness area." The solution should reflect the students, staff, community, and the way your school intends to use it.
Need help answering the questions in the framework? Reach out to your local representative to discuss.
The way students move and engage in play and fitness changes as they grow. School fitness environments should evolve with them, nurturing each phase of their journey. With intentionally designed outdoor fitness spaces, we can promote healthy, fun wellness habits that start in elementary school, grow throughout youth, and expand into adulthood. Fitness areas give schools and communities another tool to make physical activity accessible, engaging, and a natural part of everyday life on campus. Explore outdoor fitness solutions for your school and connect with our team to find the right fit for your students, campus, and goals.