It doesn’t seem like a stretch to argue that playgrounds can play a positive role in a child’s development. After all, kids love visiting the playground, and these are popular places for parents to take the kids in order to pass time and burn off some energy. But what is it about playgrounds that makes them such a positive impact on the life on a child? In this article, we are going to take a closer look at this topic.
Making Physical Strides
This is the benefit that you can see just from watching kids play over and over on a playground as the months and years go by. There are a variety of physical skills used on a standard playground, and those skills are bound to develop with practice and repetition. For instance, the skill of climbing up a rope ladder is something that might not come easily at first, but most children will develop quickly with some practice. Along the way, they are going to be developing strength, stamina, and countless other physical attributes.
It’s likely true that the physical benefits of playing on playground equipment have never been more important, given the largely sedentary state of society today. Kids have access to countless forms of entertainment at any given time, most of which don’t require them to even stand up, let alone move around and exercise. While there is a time and place for things like video games, the health benefits of physical activity cannot be ignored. Time on the playground is a great way to keep kids physically active while having fun at the same time.
Finding New Friends
Making friends is not as hard for kids as it tends to be for adults, but it can still be a challenge. At the playground, it is common for kids to begin playing together shortly after meeting – it’s just that kind of place. With a shared excitement for playing with all of the fun equipment that is available, kids can make fast friends and potentially build relationships that will last for years.
Not only is it great for kids to simply make friends, but there is a developmental aspect to this benefit, as well. There are interpersonal skills required in order to communicate with other kids and form friendships, and those skills are going to be improved through practice on the playground. If a child becomes comfortable talking to other kids on the playground, that newfound confidence is likely to spill over to school and other areas of life, as well. Making friends is something that comes easily for some kids and is a big challenge for others, so the playground is a great way to bring them all together and build social bonds.
Emotional Growth
There are many stages of emotional growth and development that children need to reach as they work toward adulthood. It’s never easy to build confidence and self-esteem in a tough world, but the playground environment is a great place to do just that. A perfect example is a child who is fearful of a particularly tall or steep slide. At first, the child might not even want to walk all the way up on the play structure to the top of the slide. Then, once that fear is conquered, the child might not quite be ready to go down. Eventually, the child will go for it, and probably have a lot of fun on the way down.
Of course, kids aren’t thinking about the growth they are achieving while playing on playground equipment – they are just having fun. And that’s exactly the point. The growth happens naturally, as a result of the things they are pushing themselves to do, whether it is through personal motivation or to keep up with their friends. Overcoming challenges on the playground is only going to help when it comes time to deal with challenges in ‘real life’.
Compromise and Fair Play
It’s one thing to enjoy time on a playground when all alone and no one is in the way – it’s another thing to learn how to play nicely with others. This is a lesson that all kids need to learn at some point, and some adults could probably use a refresher course, as well. Sometimes, the playground is going to be busy and a child is going to need to wait his or her turn to go down the slide or get on the swing. It’s those moments that provide a great opportunity for growth.
For parents, the playground is full of ‘teachable moments’. When a small conflict arises, a parent can step in and help to moderate the situation. In time, kids will learn how to deal with these little issues themselves, and the involvement of adults will become less and less necessary.
In the end, the lesson of this blog post is quite simple – playgrounds are great for the development of children. Those developmental benefits come along with the simple benefit of letting children have fun playing outside, which is always a good thing. With access to a great playground, you can sit back and provide supervision while watching your children grow!
