Importance of playground

CEBU, Philippines - For Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. Do you still remember climbing monkey bars or running down a grassy slope during your childhood? Yes, play was our comfort zone and great escape!

Play permits children to be young adults on their own, but with no expectations set. It allows children to have their own space and time to explore the world around them. It is not just about letting off steam, but is actually a vital part of their growing process.

Play is a self-initiated act where children learn in ways not quite possible in their other activities. It develops their physical strength, rapport, cognitive capabilities, and social skills. To put it simply, play is a good learning experience for children.

Playing games, for instance, encourages young minds to “think outside the box,” to be creative in their thinking, and devise other ways of how to play a game. Materials such as clays and scrap papers allow for creating different characters, as far as their rich imagination goes.

Children learn when allowed to be “in charge” of what they are doing. They acquire and master new skills when let alone at play with others and, as they do, they improve their competence and gain confidence in their own physical and social abilities.

They shall be allowed to investigate, test their own theories, assess risks, and discover new things at their own pace. Their sense of connection to places, to peers, and to their local community and environment will develop.

Thus, enough play space shall be allotted for active, quiet, free, social, creative, and exploratory activities. A larger area is more conducive to imaginative play, even sports and outdoor activities, and stimulates creative thinking and movement.

Points to consider in planning a playground:

• Free-play areas shall include open, grassed spaces and slopes for running, informal ball games, cartwheels, and rolling. Fixed equipment offering swinging, climbing, sliding, hanging, jumping, and balancing option fits in the active area. The space shall be enough to allow children t0 move freely.

• Quiet areas allow a child or small group of children to read, to talk, or to play a game. Good landscaping and plants help create semi-enclosed spaces, better with shelter and seats.

• Trees, shrubs, and ground covers provide different scent and texture, as well as shapes, colors, and sound that help stimulate imaginative and creative play. These also encourage bugs, birds, and other wildlife into the environment, and bring diverse learning opportunities. Boulders, rocks, and logs can be used as play settings. Wind chimes and other musical elements add opportunities for play.

Designing and constructing a playground is a serious matter. A good balance of fun and safety is important. To a child, the playground is like a miniature of the adult world where he is on his own. As important as for children to have fun, they also need to be secure. (Reference: www.kidsafewa.com.au) (FREEMAN)