All About Playgrounds

So you are considering purchasing a playground. Great idea! Playgrounds are known to be great for childhood development.  Activities found in playgrounds develop fine motor skills, help promote an active lifestyle, and encourage socialization.

How to set up a Playground

Choose a flat surface away from any potential dangers. When location is chosen, level the site and choose a ground attachment method. Make sure to measure and mark use zones!

Different Types of Surfacing

Why is Safety Surfacing important?

If we know anything about children, we know that they are clumsy. Falls are inevitable. Without proper surfacing, children can get seriously injured. Imagine falling multiple feet onto concrete.

Depth Matters

When installing surfacing, it is important to have proper depth to prevent injury. A minimum of 9 Inches is recommend for loose fil surfacing, and unitary surfacing must be at least 2 ½ inches thick.

Unitary

Unitary surfacing is the more expensive and permanent solution.  Instillation is typically expensive and labor intensive. Examples of unitary surfacing includes rubber tiles, poured-in-place rubber, bonded rubber, and synthetic turf products.

Loose Fil

Loose fill surfacing is less expensive and ideal for smaller playgrounds. Loose-fill playgrounds are set in place by using playground border timbers. Loose filling requires occasional topping off due to natural settling. Examples of loose fil surfacing includes wood fiber, pea gravel, and recycled rubber.

Safety and Use Zones

Along with proper surfacing, installing playgrounds with proper safety zones is essential to a safe playground. A use zone is an area a child is expected to land if they fall from equipment.

Use zones should be open spaces away with at least 6 feet of space between other pieces of equipment. Use zones should never be overlapped.

Swings and Slides

Swings and slides are exceptions to the six foot rule. Use zone for a swing is 4 times the height of the top rail. Use zones for slides are 6 feet for surrounding the slide and the distance between the highest point of the slide to the protective surfacing for slide exits. This should be between 6 and 8 feet.

Get Outside and Play

Many parents today are having issues with children addicted to their electronic devices. It is very important to a child’s development to ditch the phone sometimes and explore the world outside. Playgrounds offer this opportunity.

Emotional Development

Playgrounds offer a space for socialization. Kids get to enjoy some quality facetime. When seeing peers conquer difficult obstacles, it encourages children to do the same!

Burn off that Energy

Being active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Playgrounds help combat childhood obesity. It a great to start with an active lifestyle early in life.

On top of this, playgrounds aid in fine motor development. Some example of skills strengthened includes grip strength, hand-eye coordination, and overall strength.

Educational Benefits

When children get proper exercise, they can think more clearly. Breaks make both adults and children perform at their best level!