If you are having a playground built, you’ll want to make sure the playground equipment, playground surfacing and playground furnishings are well suited for the age of the kids who will use it. Toddlers have quite different play preferences and needs from pre-teens after all. Playground manufacturers typically make playgrounds for three age groups: 6 – 23 months, 2 – 5 years, and 5 – 10 years. So, how do these playgrounds really differ? Take a look.
PLAYGROUNDS FOR 6 – 23 MONTHS Children in this age group are usually referred to as “pre-toddlers.” Playgrounds designed for their needs need to meet specific guidelines set about by two different organizations: the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). First of all, playgrounds for these very young children need to be designed to fit their tiny bodies. Seat heights are very low: 7 inches. Table heights are only 14 inches. Playsets for pre-toddlers tend to have a lot of mentally stimulating elements, such as knobs and spinners that turn. You may also see tactile elements, such as shapes with different textures. Flooring is usually rubber and soft to protect the knees and hands of crawling children. PLAYGROUNDS FOR 2 – 5 YEARS Children in this age group are usually called toddlers, and the CPSC and ASTM have guidelines for playgrounds for them, too. The equipment can be a little taller and higher. Seats are 10.5 inches tall, and tables are 20 inches tall. Playground equipment for toddlers is designed with the knowledge that these kids are more independent. You’ll see a lot of equipment that challenges kids to climb, balance, and pull themselves up. Surfaces and floors are still padded to reduce the chance of injury if a child falls. PLAYGROUNDS FOR 5 – 10 YEARS Kids in this age group are referred to as elementary students in the ASTM and CPSC guidelines. Equipment for them has seat heights of 16 inches and table heights of 25 inches. Playgrounds for elementary kids allow for more independence. This is where you see swings, classic slides, monkey bars, and more involved climbing walls. Elementary playgrounds are what many people picture when they hear the word “playground.” A playground built for the right age group will be safer and more enjoyable for the kids who use it! Always make sure you’re building for the right age range before you have a playground designed and installed. About Premier Park & Play Premier Park & Play is a family owned and operated playground equipment supplier for schools, parks, child care centers, apartments, campgrounds and more in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. Our products include playground equipment, playground surfacing, site furnishings, shelters and shades, outdoor sport and fitness equipment, spray park / splash pad /water play, outdoor musical instruments, dog parks, bleachers and more. Contact us at [email protected].
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Over the past several decades, playground equipment companies have increasingly focused on creating playgrounds for specific age groups. In fact, there are even several regulatory bodies with standards for age-appropriate playgrounds. Kids are better able to enjoy playgrounds built with their age in mind, but enjoyment is far from the only benefit of age-appropriate playgrounds. Here are three other key ways in which kids benefit from these more specialized playsets.
SAFETY Playgrounds designed with age in mind are much safer for kids in that particular age group. While a 10-year-old may be able to play very safely on a slide or a set of monkey bars, that same structure would not be very safe for a toddler. There are several ways in which playground manufacturers ensure safety for the target age group. The first is by sizing equipment appropriately. Seats on playgrounds for kids ages 6 – 23 months are a maximum of 7 inches tall, for instance. Playgrounds for younger age groups, such as day care and preschool playgrounds, are also made with soft and padded flooring to reduce the risk of injuries if a child should fall. For example, poured-in-place rubber playground surfacing is perfect for these early age kids. It comprises 2 layers – a cushioning layer with customizable thickness, and a decorative top layer that allows for creative freedom. PIP rubber surfacing also works best for ADA-accessible playgrounds designed to include children with disabilities. SENSORY STIMULATION Children have different mental and sensory stimulation needs as they grow. Age-appropriate playgrounds are designed with this in mind. Playgrounds for pre-toddlers use different textures to stimulate and develop the tactile senses. They also use a lot of bright colors. Playgrounds designed for toddlers tend to focus more on developing the sense of balance and coordination. You’ll see play structures with balance beams, steps, small swings, and the like. Elementary school playground equipment for kids between the ages of 5 and 10 are designed for more whole-body activity, bodily awareness, and strength building. This is where you see monkey bars, slides, and climbing structures. Outdoor musical instruments such as chimes, drums, xylophones and cow bells are perfectly tuned sound sculptures in different sizes and designs for children from toddlers to teenagers. They help develop a lifelong love for music and are often painted in bright colors to stimulate the senses of younger kids. BETTER EXERCISE Sensory development and exercise are closely related in older kids, but a bit more differentiated in younger kids. Playgrounds designed for pre-toddlers encourage movements like rolling and bouncing. Those designed for toddlers encourage more climbing and use of the large muscle groups. As described above, playgrounds designed for elementary school kids tend to engage the body more than the mind with more intense physical activities like swinging hand-over-hand. When you build age-appropriate playgrounds, you want to build playgrounds that are safer and more stimulating for the kids who use them. Playgrounds are a place for fun, but they can also be a place for learning and development if designed with those needs in mind. Designing a playground for early age kids involves more than choosing age-appropriate equipment. It’s important to design a whole play environment that helps them develop the skills they need and enjoy their playtime. Whether you are designing for daycare centers or preschools, keeping a few key developmental needs in mind can help ensure that your playground design provides both skills development and fun.
Interaction Simple interactions with both equipment and environment can give kids experience with how the physical world works. Provide opportunities to push, pull, dig, build, roll, collect, or spill things. Try to include items that have multiple uses and/or settings that the children can alter by themselves to encourage hands-on discovery. Sensory Engagement Appeal to children’s senses. Think beyond brightly colored equipment. Engage touch, hearing and smell in addition to sight. Textured surfaces and natural materials can provide a range of different tactile experiences. Incorporating trees, gardens, and other natural features adds sensory appeal and encourages movement as well. Challenge Consider the importance of risk and challenge. Children are built for adventure. They test their limits through play and repeat skills in order to master them. Provide graduated levels of developmentally appropriate challenges that nurture children’s natural curiosity and taste for adventure, allow them to try out their problem-solving and creative thinking skills, and build confidence. Imagination Encourage imagination. Young children have an active imagination and naturally engage in creative play. Playgrounds that include structures like forts, tunnels, and other components that facilitate storytelling and dramatic play allow children to express their creativity, invent scenarios, and act out their imaginary worlds. Independence Support individual exploration and discovery. Playground structures designed to allow opportunities for children to control the environment and select their level of risk without sacrificing safety build confidence and encourage independence. If you need help designing a playground for your school or daycare center, contact Premier Park & Play at 617-244-3317 or email [email protected] What are your favorite memories of childhood play? Chances are those memories happened outdoors and included a lot of nature-based activities like digging holes, chasing fireflies, building stick forts or sand castles, jumping in big piles of leaves, or just fooling around with dirt or water. Mud pies, anyone?
Is it possible to form those kinds of memories today? Childhood has changed. With all the screen time, the lack of access to green space, and the emphasis on direct instruction and increased academic focus in early childhood programs and preschools, it can be hard to squeeze in unstructured outdoor play. We need to remember the importance of play in the child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual development. Play is how children understand each other and make sense of their world. They learn so much from play that it’s often called the “work” of childhood. Studies show that children learn best in an environment that allows them to explore, discover, and play. Outdoor play in nature has a powerful impact on a child’s development. Research shows that school playgrounds with trees, fields, shrubs, and vegetated edges encourage creative play and build skills that will be valuable in academic learning too. There are entire preschools centered on nature play. One of the first in New England was established in 2006 at the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center in Connecticut. Several Massachusetts Audubon sanctuaries offer preschool programs. However, nature play can be designed into the playground of your preschool using equipment designed specifically for early childhood outdoor play. Nature of Early Play products, available through Premier Park & Play, reconnect children with the natural world through interactions with dirt, sand, water, animals, music, and plants. Products like the Outdoor Classroom, Nature Bowl, and Garden Roof House provide hands-on opportunities for exploration. For more information about preschool playground products, please contact Doug Knotts at 617-244-3317 or email [email protected]. |
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Premier Park and Play is a playground equipment supplier based in Newton, Massachusetts. Archives
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