Playgrounds allow children to learn and develop skills beyond the classroom. Developing a well-designed playground space that meets the necessary criteria for safety, ease of access, and risk-taking can be a difficult balancing act. When done right, these principles of playground design play a role in improving learning and boosting both physical and mental development.
The importance of playground spaces
Playgrounds act as an informal learning space and provide a safe space for children to learn and develop through play. Alongside physical skills, playground space helps children develop social, cognitive, and emotional skills that can benefit them for life.
Outdoor play also contributes towards developing better reflexes and movement control, which in turn contributes to greater coordination and balance. This carries through into later life, with increased confidence, alongside physical and mental well-being.
Outdoor playground space also offers children some respite from the indoor-focused classroom activities. Time spent away from classroom learning gives the brain time to relax and re-process information. It also reduces mental exhaustion and increases learning enjoyment.
Playgrounds also provide an idyllic play environment for children to use their imagination and make-believe, allowing them to experiment with different ideas and identities. Children can develop a stronger sense of self, including their beliefs, morals, and principles.
Find out more about the need for play and its impact on child development.
How do playgrounds benefit children’s learning and development?
Playgrounds play a significant role in children’s learning and development, providing an environment that encourages physical, cognitive, emotional, and social growth. Here’s how they contribute to various aspects of development:
1. Physical Development
- Motor skills: Playgrounds encourage running, climbing, swinging, and balancing, which develop fine and gross motor skills.
- Strength and coordination: Activities like climbing ladders or swinging enhance muscle strength, coordination, and balance.
- Health benefits: Active play promotes cardiovascular health, reduces obesity, and encourages lifelong habits of physical activity.
2. Cognitive Development
- Problem-solving: Navigating playground structures, solving how to climb or descend, and overcoming obstacles improve critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Creativity and imagination: Open-ended play areas stimulate imaginative play, allowing children to create scenarios and stories.
- Spatial awareness: Playing on slides, seesaws, or merry-go-rounds helps children understand spatial relationships and physics concepts, such as speed and motion.
3. Social Development
- Communication skills: Interaction with peers teaches children how to communicate, negotiate, and collaborate.
- Conflict resolution: Disputes during play (e.g., taking turns) offer opportunities to learn conflict resolution and compromise.
- Empathy and teamwork: Group activities promote empathy, understanding of others’ perspectives, and the importance of teamwork.
4. Emotional Development
- Independence: Playgrounds provide a safe space for children to explore and take risks, building self-confidence and independence.
- Resilience: Retrying tasks on playground equipment teaches perseverance and resilience.
- Stress relief: Physical activity and the joy of play help reduce stress and improve mood.
5. Learning and Academic Skills
- Focus and attention: Active play improves focus and cognitive performance in academic settings.
- Sensory stimulation: Playgrounds with diverse textures, colours, and shapes engage the senses, aiding sensory processing and learning.
- Executive functioning: Activities requiring planning, sequencing, and decision-making enhance executive functioning skills.
6. Inclusive Development
Modern playgrounds often include accessible equipment for children of all abilities or those with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and teaching all children about diversity and acceptance.
The principles of playground design
Below are ten principles that are key to designing a successful playground space. Integrating these principles can help improve the success of a playground space in boosting learning success. These principles should work alongside playground standards, such as EN 1176.
Variety
The first principle to consider in designing a playground space for improving learning is variety.
The greater the variety in a playground space, the more children have to develop and experiment with learning through play. A playground lacking a key feature or lacking enough variety can hold back early-year development.
Branching away from the traditional swings and slides is essential for adding playground variety. Try to include elements that stimulate minds and allow children to get creative. Integrating art-based and music-based play activities, such as talking tubes, helps add variety to a playground space.
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is another important principle when designing an effective playground space. A playground must look appealing in order to encourage children to play. The better a playground looks, the more children will enjoy the space and make the most of the equipment on offer.
Using colours, textures, shapes, and imagery can help improve the aesthetics of a playground space. However, while the design is important, you shouldn’t let it overshadow other aspects. The aesthetics should be enhanced by how usable and playable the playground is.
Ease of access
This also ties into another principle of designing effective playground spaces: ease of access. Ease of access refers to ensuring a playground environment is accessible to everyone, including those with special needs.
All playgrounds should be easy to access, with multiple entrances and exits. A natural flow within a playground space can also help improve ease of access by allowing for ease of movement throughout the space.
Disabled and special needs children will need to be considered in the ease of access of a playground. Ease of access is the biggest barrier preventing disabled children from using a playground space.
Check out our guide on inclusive design for disabled and special needs children.
Different types of play
The different types of play also need to be considered when designing a playground. Children can learn and develop different skills depending on the type of play. Encouraging different types of play beyond physical and active play can help children better understand and develop life skills.
These are the different types of play that should be considered when designing a playground space:
- Active play – play involving running, jumping, or climbing.
- Sensory play – using the different senses, including smell, hearing, and sight.
- Creative play – involves creative activities, such as drawing, painting, or crafting.
- Imaginative play – letting children imagine and create situations or characters.
- Social play – communicate, cooperate, and share with others.
- Reflective play – using reflection, thinking or watching in play.
Comfort
Just as comfort is important for classrooms and indoor learning spaces, the same goes for playground spaces. A playground that is comfortable to play on encourages children to use it.
There are several ways you can incorporate ‘comfort’ to improve an outdoor learning space. Outdoor seating should be comfortable, with sufficient surfaces for creative play activities. There should also be shade from the sun or shelter from the wind and rain. There should also be comfortable seating available for parents and children who need a break from activities.
Sense of place
Creating a sense of place is another important design principle. A playground with a strong sense of place will feel connected to its community and environment. A playground with a stronger sense of place offers more benefits and enjoyment, such as higher energy levels.
The best way to create a sense of place is to incorporate features and design elements that connect with children’s interests and passions. A themed design for a playground can help establish a strong identity, improve imaginative play, and boost critical thinking skills. Engaging the community for ideas and feedback on design elements is a great way to develop the playground’s identity and involve the community during the early stages of development.
Safety
Safety is an essential design principle and is the biggest potential barrier to the success of a playground space. Children want a safe space to explore and take risks while minimising the risk of injury.
Several factors need to be considered in terms of playground safety. These include the playground’s location, meeting the required safety regulations, ensuring that the playground equipment is age-appropriate, including safety flooring, and planning for any deterioration that can cause health risks.
Create zones
Creating zones is another important principle of playground design. Zones can provide tailored areas with a focus on specific play activities or play types. For example, a quiet zone can provide a place for children to retreat during sensory overload.
Different zones or play areas may also focus on different play types, splitting up play equipment and activities based on age, skill set, or type of play involved. The aesthetics, including the use of colours and imagery, are great ways to distinguish multiple zones in a playground.
Blend with nature
Blending a playground space with nature is another principle that can be utilised to great effect. Playgrounds should work with nature by integrating natural elements into the design. Many playground features can incorporate or benefit from the existing landscape.
A play space that includes natural elements can benefit children more than synthetic playground equipment. This is the case where nature may be limited, such as in urban areas. Try to integrate as many natural elements into a playground as possible. For example, wood, water and sand are all accessible elements that can be added to enhance play.
Engage all senses
Our last principle for improving learning is to engage all the senses. Modern playgrounds should offer more than just encouraging physical activity. A successful playground will stimulate all the senses.
Playgrounds should feature various activities utilising smell, sound, touch, and sight. A sensory playground includes different equipment and areas that provide the chance to stimulate each of the senses to encourage healthy exploration and learning.
By integrating the different principles of playground design above, children can benefit from a safe environment that helps improve learning. With the benefits children can gain through play, a successful playground space is crucial for enhancing learning both inside and away from the classroom.