School playgrounds play a critical role in the development of a child as they help them become stronger, healthier and smarter through play. Research reveals that outdoor physical activities improve the child’s progress in the classroom and increase social skills and cognitive properties.
Building a playground in a school requires a complete study of the children’s demands who are going to play and use the area. It should be designed to meet the physical, mental and social growth of the children.
Playground Planning
Planning is essential to make a perfect playground for the children of a community or school.
A playground is a unique destination for kids in the many years to come, so work carefully to design the best one. Do consult a landscape architect to lay out a design that is safe and accessible according to the landscape. It should be comfortable, safe and fun for all the visitors.
Building A Customized Playground
- A perfect playground is one meeting the needs of the visitors appropriately. The customer may provide the specific details of the structure, or you may have to work out how it must be designed to fulfill the customers’ requirements.
- The first point to consider is what age group of kids is going to play in the area. The equipment and activities of different age groups are different, so it must be according to the age of the children.
- What abilities do the users focus on developing while playing in the playground? Running, jumping, stretching, sliding and climbing are different exercises with variable difficulty levels and benefits.
- It also is essential to consider how many visitors will visit the playground at a time. e.g., in a school, how many kids will be inside the playground at one time. The playground must be according to the number of visitors; otherwise, it might get overcrowded, congested or too empty if it is too large.
- The customers may ask to design in some specific colour scheme, historical characteristics or incorporate some theme. Then you will have to design and manufacture it accordingly.
- What are the requirements of additional amenities like benches, shades or waste receptacles? These vary from place to place and are specific according to the demand of the customers.
- If you are asked to design a playground for different age groups in a single place, you can use zones to cater to other age groups. Every zone can provide a range of various activities to satisfy all the students.
- Discussion with the parents and children for whom the playground will be designed can also provide helpful guidelines and direction to work. It helps understand their needs in a better way to fulfill them.
- Creating zones provides more significant opportunities for all the students to get busy in activities using the equipment. Otherwise, some dominant kids are in the place most of the time, and others are left out.
Conclusion
Designing a school playground that fulfills all the children’s specific needs or the customer’s demands can be a challenge. Important space and budget considerations are made with a lot of collective input considering many points. A playground customized according to the needs of the visitors plays a vital role in the physical and mental wellness of the children visiting the place. The difference a well-planned, well-installed and well-maintained play space makes in developing a school-going child is considerable.
SPI Plastics is here to help you design and build your custom playground. Get in touch with us today to learn more.