Planning Age-Appropriate Play Equipment.
Outdoor play was once the staple play diet of every Kiwi kid. We can all probably
remember those long summer days in the backyard building huts, swinging from the trees, swimming in the local stream and mum or dad telling us to be home “when the streetlights come on”.
Today, play has changed. With the increase in ‘entertaining’ technology children are moving less, preferring screen time over physical play. It is for this reason that physical development in some children can be hindered and, in some cases, children can be more prone to injury.
As children grow, they “progress” through different stages of play development. Providing age and developmental stage appropriate play equipment is a key consideration in playground design. At Park Supplies & Playgrounds, our research along with the expertise of experienced athlete development coaches allows us to design, build and manufacture playgrounds that will cater to the individual
progressions of each child.
Progressions are important because just like laying the correct foundations when building a house, children also require the correct foundations when learning new movements. Providing the appropriate equipment to build necessary strength,
coordination, fluidity, and accuracy will progressively help to develop the correct pathways for children to accomplish each obstacle.
By working with your school, we create progressive play activities to guide physical and mental development and most importantly, to keep children engaged, active and outdoors for as much time as possible.
Below are some visual examples of how we build progressive play into our playground designs.
SKILL PROGRESSION:
Early Childhood:
Crawling, grasping, pulling themselves up, balancing, walking, climbing, running, pushing, pulling, jumping.
Primary Age:
Early Childhood: Crawling, grasping, pulling themselves up, balancing, walking, climbing, running, pushing, pulling, jumping.
Intermediate through to High School age:
Refined movement including coordination, developing strength and endurance, becoming more agile, developing quicker reaction times.
