Why Outdoor Equipment Is Important?
The importance of playground equipment is often underestimated when considering the design of a recreational area for a child to enjoy.
Playgrounds need a range of equipment to ensure all kids can enjoy themselves, particularly when they are young and in the early stages of physical play. This is because different types of equipment provide opportunities for movement, exploration and interaction with other children. The age of the child will also dictate the type of equipment required.
Listed below are some examples of different types of playground equipment:
- Sports Trail
- Dart Board
- Multi Court
- Football Target
- Bleep Test
- Ball Catcher
- Combi Goal
…all of which are designed to entice children to play, by manufacturing them with bright colours!
Health
There is a variety of outdoor sport(s) equipment that can be used to improve the health of a child, whilst also helping to improve coordination and balance. In addition, using outdoor playground equipment can reduce obesity rates.
Balance beams for example, can help improve balance and coordination of a child. Whilst playing on a balance beam, the child is constantly having to adjust their balance, which in turn helps improve their balance skills.
Coordination can also be improved by using outdoor sporting equipment. Balls for example, improves coordination as the child has to use different parts of their body to control the ball. This in turn reduces clumsiness in children.
To see our range of Balance Beams, click here.
Mental Health
Fitness is not only about having strong muscles and bones. It is also about having a healthy mind. Outdoor exercise can help kids learn problem-solving skills, teamwork, and how to handle winning and losing. These skills can assist them in all areas of their lives.
Boredom
Kids usually don’t like doing the same things over again. That’s why playing sports outdoors encourages kids to try out new activities. Each sport has its own rules, strategies, and challenges that keep kids interested. If they want to learn more about the game, their friends can teach them how to play. Plus, each time kids play the game, they can try their own way and see what happens.
Friendship
Outdoor sport provides kids with a fun way to meet new friends. Kids from different schools might play against each other in games such as baseball, hockey, rugby, football, tennis and cricket to name a few.
When kids play sports together they get a chance to meet new people which allows them to build strong friendships with the people they play with.
Stress Relief
Kids are under a lot of pressure to get good grades at school these days. They are constantly judged by how well they perform in sports or what subjects they fail. This can lead to a lot of stress.
Playing outdoors on various sports equipment can help kids relieve some of that stress. It allows them to forget about their troubles for a little while and just have fun.
There are many benefits to playing outdoor sports. Not only do they keep kids physically fit, but they also keep their minds healthy and provide opportunities for friendship and stress relief.
Social Play
By playing with friends on the balance beam for example, children start talking to each other about their experiences on the beam. This can improve communication skills and also helps them to make friends.
In addition, by playing as a team, kids learn the values of working together and helping each other. This is an important skill that can be used in later life.
Physical Activity
Outdoor sporting equipment can also be used to increase the amount of physical activity in a child. Balls for example, require the user to run around in order to control the ball and hit it with their hands, head, feet or chest. This is a great way to get youngsters into better physical condition.
Brain Development
When a child plays outdoors, they are not only improving their physical health, they are also developing their brain.
When kids play outdoors, they are using senses such as smell, sound, touch and sight. They are also exercising their imagination while exploring the great outdoors.
These two things combined, will encourage them to develop new neural pathways in the brain, which helps with learning.
