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Below you’ll find the steps to follow and information needed to make a good playground.
a) We choose the place and determine the area of the playground.
We choose the most beautiful spot – children are worth it. A nice playground is a kind of sculpture and if it’s well-designed, it’ll embellish every area.
The playground should be in view so that it’s easy to monitor what’s going on there.
Sometimes we have clients who want to put up a playground near waste containers or underhigh-tension lines or in some other absurd places. Of course, we refuse in such cases – not only because of safety reasons, but also because of aesthetic reasons.
The playground isn’t only a place for wooden structures, but it’s also an empty space where children can run freely. Ideally, this empty area should make up at least 50% of the whole available space.
We should leave a free safety zone of 1.5 m or more around the playground.
The playground means shouting, screaming, laughing and a lot of noise – we should take it into consideration so to avoid conflicts with neighbors.
b) We decide how to secure the area.
It’s a good idea to enclose the area for the playground for safety reasons. We don’t want our children to leave the playground without their caregivers. A good fence will also protect the playground from animals (it’s particularly important if we want to have an open sandbox there or to have the whole playground embedded in sand).
If the area for the playground is located near a busy road, it’s a good idea to plant there some trees or a hedge that will protect children from noise and dust, but of course the best would be to move the playground away from the road as far as possible.
The fence doesn’t need to be high - it’s important that children can’t climb over it, because adults will be doing it anyway. It’s also a good idea to secure the place against teenagers and adults who treat such playgrounds as an ideal spot for their evening get-togethers that often end up with litter all over the place, also small parts may be stolen.
We have to choose the fence carefully so that children won’t get hurt on it, so we avoid sharp elements and thorny or poisonous hedges, e.g. a yew hedge is out of the question.
c) We choose the type of playground surface.
A playground surface is very important for children’s safety. We can use different surfacing materials depending on our needs and our budget. We have the following options:
- Soil/dirt floor provides a hard surface but it’s surely safer than a concrete surface that is not suitable for children at all. It can be used for low structures and for older children. A grass surface that is particularly often walked on by children becomes a dirt floor.
- Good thick grass for sports is quite a nice surface for a smaller number of children. The price for such surface is moderate, but grass needs regular trimming and watering…
- Sand (at least 30-cm layer) – a whole playground embedded in sand is a good solution, but unfortunately a very expensive one. Supplying sand for the playground once isn’t that pricy, but it needs to be changed at least once a year.
- Bark (at least 30-cm layer) – pine bark is used which is cheaper than sand, but it may get spread all over the area. Bark contains antibacterial substances so it beats sand in this respect.
- Fine-grained gravel is quite a good solution if there’s a risk of the surface getting soaked up. It works particularly well if put under swings, it’s also useful as a “warning material” – a child stepping on gravel becomes more alert.
- Synthetic materials, rubber paving blocks and mats and other synthetic substances make very expensive, but safe surfaces. They work well in crowded playgrounds, they can be put directly on a concrete surface. However, these are synthetic materials, and it’s better if children have contact with natural substances.
It’s a good idea to combine surfaces, because the more stimuli children receive, the better.
Designing a sensory playground for children with visual disabilities, we used gravel to mark the swing and slide zone – stepping on such a surface, children hear and feel where they are. We used bark around higher structures where there’s a risk of falls. There’s also grass, sand and a dirt floor there. It makes it easier for children to be space-aware and to use their senses to recognize different types of surfaces.
d) We divide the playground into zones, if it’s needed.
- Entrance/exit zone.
- Zone for caregivers, i.e. benches with a small table, etc. It’s a good idea to arrange it in such a way that while sitting there, we’re close to the exit and at the same time we see the whole playground. If there’s room, other zone for caregivers can be arranged across the playground.
- Zone for younger children should be arranged near the zone for caregivers.
- Zone for older children can be arranged further away.
- If there’s such a need, we make other zones.
e) We choose structures needed for the playground.
It’s not easy and it depends on many factors so it’s better to commission designers to do this job, especially if our budget is tight.
Playgrounds have different functions that determine the choice of structures: general development, rehabilitation, and education.
- If we have little children, a sandbox will be very useful. Ideally, it should be closeable, especially if dogs and cats have access to the playground. Children develop their manual and social skills there providing they play with other children.
- Swings develop the sense of balance, which can positively influence children’s life in the future.
- Teeter-totters enable two children to play together. Apart from the sense of balance and coordination, they also develop social behaviors, because two children that are using a teeter-totter need to cooperate to have fun.
- Small suspension bridges have the same role as teeter-totters, but more children can play on them at the same time.
- Slides are preferred by younger children unless they’re high. Slides develop various skills. It’s worth noticing that a young child who climbs up a slide overcomes their anxieties and in this way builds their self-esteem.
- Playhouses and other structures with openings and place for playing. All such structures have different functions, but each of them reinforces general psychomotor development of children. If there are more children playing there, they interact with each other and develop social behaviors. They often play house, store or other thematic games. Such play is based on imitating adult behaviors. Children visualize different adult life situations and act them out. Such play develops their imagination and facilitates their future life.
f) Materials.
It’s a good idea to use different materials in the playground, because it develops children’s sensitivity.
- Ropes + wood – it’s a very good and nice combination that is interesting and safe for children. Broadleaf wood should be used (there are no splinters). Coniferous wood can be used for roofs, near the ground and everywhere where children don’t have access. If a structure is in contact with soil, it should be made of acacia wood or other resistant types.
- Metal may be used but rather in small quantities and as an addition. Metal is hard and when child hits on it, it will hurt. It’s useful for slides.
- Other materials may be used as long as they’re safe, natural and eco-friendly.
Materials to be avoided:
- Wood derivatives, any highly-processed materials that contain mainly glue and other chemicals, and where wood is only a small addition. They may be harmful to children, they’re ugly and their durability is very short. What’s more, when they break down, dangerous edges are created.
- Metal tubes are relics of the past. Many such monsters still haunt playgrounds, and what’s worse, a lot of companies continue to produce such equipment. It’s particularly harmful to children in cities, it kills their imagination, but it’s a topic for another article.
- We also advise against plastic. The situation is similar to this with metal tubes: plastic equipment is artificial and dull, it’s texture is uninteresting, colors are usually bright and very vivid. It’s better not to arouse such sensitivity in children, there are enough plastic people around anyway. Bright colors tire and mar the area in the long term.
g) Characteristics of a good design: what we should pay attention to, choosing a design.
Making a playground is a serious matter and it’s better if we have it designed by a specialist. The place where children play presents a particular challenge: we have to take care of their safety and create ideal conditions to foster their psychomotor development.
- It’s better to avoid obvious shapes that direct children’s play. For example, if we build a playground in the shape of a boat, not finding room for their imagination, children will soon get bored with such a playground, because how long can you play sailing? Such shapes work well if the playground is for visiting children who will be playing there only for a short time. If a structure has a more abstract shape, children have an opportunity to arouse their imagination and to come up with many creative games.
- Playgrounds need to be safe, but we shouldn’t exaggerate with safety issues, because children like challenges and they like to overcome their anxieties. We should take care that they’ll be able to assess the risk and their own abilities by themselves in the future.
- Playgrounds should be adapted to the needs of a child that is growing. If you make a small opening, an older child won’t get through it, and a younger one will be very pleased that only they are able to do it. Later the child will grow and will climb the structures which they were afraid to climb before. For teenagers, such a playground will become a place for privacy or physical exercises. And when they grow up, they’ll go there with their own children or will be playing there themselves:D. That’s why a good playground is worth investing, because it’s a lifetime investment.
- A good playground should be unique. Cities, blocks of apartments, factories, serial production – it all makes our world uniform. Maybe it’d be a good idea to make it possible for children at least to experience different things in their childhood. We should let them develop their personalities. If we want our child to be someone unique, we should take care to provide them with experiences and environments that are unique. But if we want our child to have a career in the army, it’s a good idea to make a playground for them, using metal tubes and plastic elements, because training grounds have these too, so it will make it easier for them in the future. But we can’t expect then that our child will be somebody else than just a private in the army, a small cog in the machine.
- The playground should be beautiful. And it doesn’t mean that everyone should like it, because tastes are different. The playground is a large structure that can dominate the area, so you’d better order something that you’ll find pleasing to the eye and won’t get bored with soon.
h) Details: how to finish playground structures.
- Texture. Children should interact with various textures, so apart from smooth and soft materials, we should use rough ones (e.g. natural bark) and bumpy ones (e.g. making tree rings bulge gives an interesting effect). If we have a cascade sandbox, it’s a good idea to fill it up with sand and gravel with grains of various sizes.
- Colors. Diversity is an advantage, but it doesn’t always look nice so we need to use colors with moderation. It’s a good idea to match the colors to the surroundings. We recommend natural lively tints. If we’re painting wood, it’s better if the tree rings remain visible (they arouse the imagination). Base coat paints usually create a layer which prevents wood from breathing. We should use eco-friendly paints that don’t harm nature or poison children (who may chew on or bite playground elements). It’s a good idea to check if the paints comply with the norms concerning contact with saliva and if they’re not harmful.
- Screws and bolts should be safe for children and difficult to unscrew.
i) The playground is more than just objects.
- We can plant some fruits, e.g. strawberries.
- We can plant some fragrant plants.
- We can introduce some animals: cats, dogs, rabbits or others, whatever we keep. We should let children play with these animals.
- We can invite other children. It’s particularly important if the playground is situated in a backyard, and the child is an only child and plays on their own.
- We should let the child modify the playground: let them bring their own toys, attach a flag to a structure, draw with crayons on it or write something on it. In this way the child will mark their area and will feel better there.
Of course this information is only the tip of the iceberg, so if you have any specific questions or you want to order a playground, write an email or call 607 916 616.
Barnaba Wójtowicz Szczotka
PS. If you like this article and you want to use it on your website or publish it in a magazine, let me know – I have nothing against it, but I’d like to know about it:-)