Play is simply necessary these days for the physical, mental, and emotional growth of children. As a parent or caregiver you know that playground equipment motivates children to get up and move, by providing play atmospheres which contribute to gross motor development, strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance through active play. An exciting and fun outdoor or indoor playground environment that consists of a variety of key elements assists greatly in promoting fitness, physical well-being and mental health throughout a child’s development.
How Did the Significance of Play Begin, Anyways?
Plato and Aristotle discovered that play was an integral role in a child’s education. Additionally, Locke, Rousseau, Deway, Montessori and others reiterated that play should be an important and prominent component in educational programs. The National Recreation Association in the 1900’s created guidelines for playground equipment, such as ensuring there is a sand box present, swings, a small slide and a climber. Today, this variety of elements points to what is considered a “traditional playground”.
It has been found that there are two factors in the development of the child: unstructured and structured learning. Most of the child’s development is from unstructured activities which most innovative and traditional playgrounds provide.
At SPI, we manufacture playgrounds that consist of design climbers, panels, roofs, slides, tubes, and more. Our products are world class in the playground industry, and can be fully customized to bring your product vision to life.
What Do Different Types of Play do for Fitness and Health?
Climbing
- Improves spatial awareness
- Contributes to better coordination
- Assists in flexibility
Brachiating
- Perfect for growing muscle and developing endurance
- Encourages hand-eye coordination and rhythmic body movement
Spinning
- Helps with postural control
- Contributes to kinesthetic awareness
- Assists in understanding force, speed, and directional aspects of movement
Swinging
- Teaches the importance of energy transfer while moving
- Encourages body awareness and muscle use
- Offers a great level of aerobic fitness
Balancing
- Improves body control and counterbalancing
- Teaches the principles of gravity and equilibrium
- Helps with the development of endurance and muscle strength
Check out our gallery for inspiration and for photos from previous projects. Have questions about our work or an idea? We’d love to hear from you to get things started.
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