- inspiredschools
- Inspired Schools - News
- December 29, 2022
- Leave a Comment
There is no denying the fact that going to the playground as kids used to be the peak of our entire day. As such, it is no surprise that our children also feel the same about playing on the playground quite often. Playgrounds nowadays are not just about swings, monkey bars, and slides. Innovative playground spaces for kids offer our youngsters a wide range of benefits, both physical and mental.
Some schools and parents are unaware of the importance of children spending time on playgrounds. Did you know that they are crucial for the overall development of your child? Right from physical to all-round mental development, playground for children remains as the highlight of their journey through ‘childhood.’ Let us explore how the playground can support your children.
Discover the many benefits of playtime for children and why playgrounds are crucial for their development.
Benefits of Playgrounds for Children
A number of schools continue focusing on the creation of a natural playing environment to deliver access to physical, mental, and social growth. Free playing opportunities across playgrounds have been shown to deliver a highly calming effect on impulsive behavior and disciplinary matters.
Playgrounds are regarded as safe spaces wherein kids get an opportunity to develop vital physical, mental, imaginative, emotional, and social skills. All of these skills are crucial to develop self-confidence in the long run. Moreover, these skills also help in improving coordination and advancing critical thinking capabilities. Some additional benefits of ensuring the presence of your kids at playground are:
1. Learning Through Creative Play
There is no possibility of a playground without ample play. In simpler terms, play can be regarded as a spontaneous activity kids love to engage in to have fun. Experts across fields of biology, physiology, math, psychology, and other disciplines execute a wide range of studies on the importance of children involved in some type of play. It has been observed that play is a crucial part of the learning process.
As children in interactive play at a playground, they garner a wide range of life-vital skills, like:
- Coordination
- Language
- Motor skills
- Cognitive abilities
- Social awareness
Play at a playground is fueled by the imagination level of a child. As a child continues growing, the play patterns tend to become more complex. Without ample play, the overall ability of the child to learn and develop becomes stunted.
Playgrounds serve as perfect places for the young minds to engage in free play. Free play is different from structured play, involving organized activities and sports. When kids are on the playground, the presence of multiple spaces and structures offers them the freedom to select the pattern in which they would like to play. They are also able to explore their innate tendencies while interacting with kids of different age groups and brightening their creative instincts.
2. Physical Benefits
There is no denying the fact that playgrounds play a vital role in the overall physical development of kids. In addition to tiring them out for the right bedtime, children also tend to develop crucial skills for life at the playground.
Primarily, as kids engage in free play at the playground, they improve balance and flexibility. Through interactive play, children also learn balancing from one leg while occasionally shifting balance as per the requirement. Another reason why playground-based physical activity is crucial for kids is for the development of effective coordination and motor skills.
Eventually, physical activity at the playground also boosts the immunity system of the little ones. When kids are active and fit, they are resistant to different types of viruses and bacteria. Moreover, playing on a playground also helps in strengthening the muscles and bones of your young one. Children can observe a wide range of potential physical benefits while playing on a playground, including:
- Stronger bones and muscles
- Improved instincts
- Better balance and flexibility
- Development of hand-eye coordination, motor skills, and dexterity
- Minimal risk of diabetes and obesity
- Better immunity
- Promotion of healthy lung and heart function
- An opportunity to learn how to control the surrounding environment
3. Social Development
Socialisation is a core aspect of the all-round development of your child. It is expected out of children to know how to communicate with adults and peers. Effective communication is a crucial part of healthy upbringing. Therefore, it is imperative for parents to take their children out to playgrounds to allow them to interact and communicate with others. If you find that your little one is struggling with social communication and interactivity at school or playground, you can have a look at our book “The Healthy Happy School” by Ben Kirk. It throws light on how children deal with interactivity problems at social places like PE in schools or other playgrounds and what parents can do to make their little one comfortable and confident.
As your little one plays with other kids, they learn relevant communication skills. At the same time, they also learn the art of cooperating and working in collaboration with other kids. Children playing at a playground are able to improve their overall social intelligence while broadening their circle of peers & friends. It turns out to be a major factor in boosting self-confidence.
As parents, you should make your child feel proud upon interacting with others. It teaches them the notion that social interaction is an important skill in life. Moreover, they also learn the fact that the way in which communication takes place helps in building stronger bonds to last forever.
At a playground, some relevant social skills that kids develop over time are:
- Overcoming shyness
- Taking patience and turns
- Getting along
- Friendship and sharing
- Agreeing on rules and ensuring cooperation
- Accepting diversity as they come across kids of all backgrounds and ages
- Resolving conflict
4. Emotional Impacts
Did you know that interacting with other kids and having fun on a playground can impact their overall emotional development? While playgrounds are known to offer physical and social advantages, they also help in the development of an emotional side to the kids.
Whether you believe it or not, the young minds are also nowadays under a lot of stress and frustration. It is especially true when they might have some unsatisfied need at disposal. For instance, if they aim at crossing monkey bars, but they keep failing, frustration, anger, and stress are natural feelings. Playground play can allow them to control their emotions while minimizing the overall stress through physical forms of activity. Additionally, it imparts a sense of healthy coping mechanisms to the young minds towards overcoming obstacles and boosting the overall self-esteem upon succeeding.
Emotional-centric benefits of playing at a playground are:
- Learning how to deal with specific challenges in a friendly and healthy way
- Minimizing tendencies to bully or misbehave -the overall attention of kids is effectively diverted towards more positive activities
- Retaining a sense of control that might not be available in other aspects of life
- Boosting self-esteem and self-confidence as kids master different structures at the playground
Common Equipment at a Playground for the Development of Your Child
- Slides:
Slides can help in improving coordination while stimulating the entire balancing mechanism. Slides also help with improved upper body strength for climbing and grasping. Moreover, it can also help in improving cognitive skills of the little ones.
- Swings:
This playground equipment essentially helps in improving the overall balance, upper torso strength, and coordination. It can also instill a notion of effective communication amongst kids.
- Climbers:
Climbers are rope-like playing structures necessary for improving coordination, balance, and core strength. Additionally, this must-have playground equipment also helps in improving locomotive skills.
- Balancing Equipment:These structures challenge the balancing skills of your little ones by allowing them to get an understanding of multiple surface alterations. Some common balancing structures found at a playground are trampoline, balancing boards, and so more.
- See-saws:
It is yet another playground equipment that boosts coordination amongst children. When children engage themselves in a see-saw, they learn the art of balancing -having an affirmative impact on their cognitive skills. See-saws help the young minds analyze alterations of speed, distance, and time.
- Spring Mountain Equipment: This playground structure helps the young ones understand different force applications along with the respective reactions on their bodies. It also improves mental functions in addition to coordination and balancing skills.
- Merry-go-round:
With this playground equipment, your child can improve coordination and balancing skills while also getting an understanding of speed alterations.
- Multi-play Structures: It can refer to a large playground structure featuring multiple smaller structures to deliver a host of benefits like improve cognitive, locomotive, balance, and agility skills. These structures have a major impact on collaborative and social skills as well.
Discover the many benefits of playtime for children and why playgrounds are crucial for their development.
Conclusion
As a concerned parent, you can boost the overall physical, social, emotional, mental, and cognitive capabilities of your childre by allowing them to engage in interactive playground play. Just like traditional playgrounds, when your young ones interact with others, it helps them in learning valuable life lessons and skills that contribute significantly to social and emotional resilience.
Do you want to see your child healthy and happy? Get them access to a playground wherein they get to improve their skills while also growing as an individual. Get in touch with us to know more about the importance of palyground for children.
Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *