For many kids throughout the world, daycare is the place where they develop their first friendships, try a variety of activities for the first time, and spend a good portion of some of their most formative years. A daycare has the potential to completely change a child’s life. Ensuring that daycare is a place they’re excited to be can make the process even easier.
Creating a unique, engaging playground in your daycare is a tall order, but if done correctly, it won’t just be a space where children can play and create memories they’ll cherish. It can also be a place that helps your business stand out and sets you apart from the other daycare providers in your area.
Today, we’re going to walk you through the essential steps you’ll need to create a completely unique daycare play area that you, the kids, and their parents will all love.
Assess the Space You Have
Playgrounds are made or busted based on the use (or misuse) of their available space. The area you have available for your playground won’t just determine how many custom plastic parts you can place. It’ll also determine how many children you can safely have playing at any given time. For example, the same footprint required for a swing set on which three kids can play could hold a ball pit designed for five.
You’ll want to be realistic about how much space you have at your disposal, and make sure that as you’re getting a sense of what you can place, you leave room for children to pass one another or to play in the same area without feeling claustrophobic or confined.
Themed or Freeform?
Freeform play spaces tend to focus on the activities they offer, whether it’s a wall of activity panels or a twisty-twirly slide. If you want to make a themed play area, you’re likely going to need a few custom plastic parts to bring your vision to life, but you’ll also be creating a space that is uniquely conducive to encouraging creative play.
The first task is to decide what theme your play area will be centered around. Try to pick a theme that appeals to children of all ages and interests. A few good starting points might be:
- A Jungle
- A Space Station
- An Arctic Wonderland
- A Castle or Boat
- A Fantasy Land
Consider Your Layout
When kids enter the playground, what should they focus on first? Can the kids who want to try the slide safely make their way around the kids who want to play on the swings? Will the main focus of your play area be a cube structure, or will it be an open-air slide with connecting platforms?
Deciding on where different components should go will also depend on whether or not your play area is indoors or outdoors. Do you need to make sure that certain components or the playground slides are protected from bad weather? Does the play area have plenty of shade for outdoor entertainment? If your playground will be inside, what kind of flooring is available? Will the components you have in mind work well with a rubberized ground covering or soft mat?
Answering these questions early in the process is one of the best ways to ensure that your playground won’t need any last-minute revisions.
Get Your Equipment or Custom Plastic Parts
It’s time for the fun part! Once the outline of your daycare play area is set and ready to go, it’s time to pick out the playground equipment you need to make that plan a reality. For some components, you may be content to choose pre-designed items out of an online catalogue. You can easily find and customize items like:
- Plastic playground slides
- Complete daycare systems
- Riding animals
- Climbing walls
- Fun panel activities
For other components, however, you may have a specific vision in mind. In this case, custom plastic parts is the way to go. From playground slides with a special pattern or a climbing wall with flower-shaped footholds, requesting a custom plastic component is as easy as placing a call to a rotational molding supplier. At SPI Plastics, our in-house rotational molding service can begin with nothing more than your idea. We’ll handle the design, 3D mockup, mold creation, and production of your items.
From there, all you have to do is place your custom plastic playground equipment where it needs to go. And just that easily, you’ve created a completely unique play area for your daycare.
If you’d like to learn more about SPI’s custom plastic parts (including custom-designed playground slides), call us at 1-800-269-6533 or contact us online.