It’s hard to imagine a school without a playground.
This is a key area of the whole facility, giving children a place to run around, let off steam and enjoy themselves while on breaks.
As a consequence, every school needs to have some equipment for its playground. The question is, why is this so important? Why do school playgrounds need a diverse array of
equipment for the kids to enjoy?
When you take a step back and look at the benefits of playground equipment, it’s very easy to see why it’s so essential…
Encourages Physical Activity
Children need to be physically active to help them develop into strong young adults in the future.
Sitting inside all day is not going to be good for their bodies in the long run. So, school playground equipment gives them a chance to exercise and partake in physical activities
every single day.
From climbing frames to outdoor sports equipment, there are lots of things you can put in a playground that gets kids moving around and improving their health.
Helps Develop Social Skills
Likewise, playgrounds are a fantastic place for children to develop their social skills.
They can spend the whole break time playing with other children, but the beauty of the playground is that it lets them interact with kids from different classes.
Plus, certain playground equipment encourages socialising more than others. For instance, a lot of imaginative play equipment encourages kids to play in groups, which is
great for developing common social skills as they grow up.
It also helps them make new friends, which is so important for a young child at school – especially if they’re new and have recently moved from elsewhere.
Enables Learning Outside Of The Classroom
Playgrounds aren’t just for playing and having fun, they can also be used to encourage learning outside of the classroom.
Adding some playground markings to a school playground can let kids play certain educational-based games that might include counting, puzzles and so on.
Alongside this, items like seesaws and swings can also encourage learning in a different way.
These items often need multiple people to work together for them to work properly, therefore, they encourage kids to develop teamwork skills with others!
Improves Creativity
Finally, playground equipment can improve creativity in young kids.
It’s a chance for them to run around pretending they are in the middle of a battle while playing on a large pirate ship. They can conjure up so many imaginative stories while
roaming the school playground, and this can translate back to their work.
It sparks creativity in their brains, which is always an important thing for children to have.
Summary
Ultimately, every school needs playground equipment to give kids the complete school experience.
It helps them remain fit and healthy, make new friends & improve social skills, learn outside of the classroom and improve their creativity.
This is why it’s so important that schools don’t just have playground equipment, but they have a diversity of items to ensure the kids see all the benefits.
Why not read our What Items Are In A Playground blog.