Not all kids will be prepared to socially engage in play their entire time on the playground. Encourage Age-Appropriate Social Development Choosing equipment based on age groups will provide the opportunity for kids to experience the types of challenges that suit their needs. Ideally, playground equipment should provide kids with a little challenge to increase the enjoyment and to help build their growing set of physical skills. Therefore, you can reduce their frustration by checking that every kid has playground equipment that they can use, regardless of age or ability.Īge-appropriate play areas give kids the necessary space to engage in the fun on equipment that works for their size and physical development. You don’t want to discourage kids from making positive associations with playgrounds. When children try to play on equipment that is too large or advanced for their development, they may become frustrated and not want to play at all. Minimize FrustrationĪnother reason that age-appropriate equipment is vital is that it can minimize feelings of frustration in kids. When kids want to spend more time on the playground, they will benefit from unstructured play, such as trying physical challenges, creating social connections, and practicing creativity. The more fun they have, the more often they will want to play. The equipment should have the right sizes and heights for kids of that age group to reach and have fun using. Installing appropriately challenging play equipment can discourage boredom from occurring. If they don’t, they may become bored with the equipment. Kids need to feel challenged on the playground. Separate areas protect younger toddlers, who may have slower reaction times and not move as quickly, from older, more developed preschool kids. Separate playgrounds for toddlers and older kids remove this risk factor.įor instance, a daycare with toddlers and preschool kids should choose two playground options, one for a toddler play area for kids between 6 months to 23 months and another for preschool-aged kids with ages from 2 to 5 years. Therefore, toddlers on a playground with preschool kids may face potential risks. Younger kids may not be as adept at these skills as older kids. Kids quickly develop new skills as they grow, especially in the ability to walk and quickly react to sudden stimuli. View Daycare Playground Equipment Protect Kids During Play For example, a toddler and preschool class at daycare can enjoy their respective playgrounds, keeping the total number of kids on each play area low enough to give teachers a chance to fully supervise all the children in the play area. With separate play areas, the teachers can keep their classes together and more easily monitor their kids. In these locations, separate play areas are ideal because classes already have kids sorted by age group. For these locations, choosing age-appropriate equipment is important for giving kids a place to play with their classmates. Many schools or daycares have on-site playgrounds. Ease of Separation for School or Daycare Classes These separate areas can help prioritize safety and create age-appropriate fun for the kids who play on them. Therefore, you may need to separate play areas for kids up to 23 months from those kids 2 years to 12 so they have space for the widest range of ages. Playgrounds intended for toddlers have very different layouts and equipment than those for older kids. Since kids grow quickly from 6 months through 12 years, the equipment they play on will also change over that time. If it is too challenging, they may not be able to use the equipment at all, and if it is too simple, they may not feel challenged enough. Kids who play on equipment that does not meet their size or development level may not have fun. The intended age group for a playground is important to allow kids to get enjoyment out of the equipment. Why Is Selecting Age-Appropriate Equipment Important? This knowledge will help you to create a safe, fun playground for whatever age groups you want to build for. So, you should be prepared to know what to expect from play equipment for certain age groups. In most instances, selecting age-appropriate equipment is a matter of checking the details of the structure.ĭetermining whether your existing playground equipment will benefit a specific age group is slightly more difficult. Therefore, most play equipment is designed for specific age groups based on factors like physical and cognitive development. Kids need playground equipment to suit their growing bodies and developing skills. However, what’s best for a child will change over time. How to Choose Age-Appropriate Playground EquipmentĪll kids deserve to have safe places to play.
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