Playgrounds are not just for playtime. There are creative ways you can use playground surfaces for teaching your children as well. Weather permitting, it’s a great way to encourage children to be outdoors, get some fresh air and be active. There are plenty of engaging games and activities for children of all ages to enjoy, and which can help progress their education, social development and physical abilities.
Learning by numbers and letters
For reception-age children, you can add number based activities, such as hopscotch, or you could have allocated boxes containing letters of the alphabet which can be used to practice spelling. It’s certainly a lot more fun than the traditional spelling tests. It’s the perfect way to move some of your essential English and Maths lessons outside.
Activities like hopscotch also come with other benefits for young children. The practice of standing on one leg, for instance, will help improve their balancing skills.
Team games to improve social development
If you want to plan ahead before hiring a surfacing contractor, there are a wealth of team games for children to enjoy in the playground. Some of these can be enhanced with markings on the ground. Whether it’s a traditional ‘tag’ game, competitive baton racing exercise, or the over, under ball game, there are so many playground activities that can help children learn the importance of teamwork and embracing the competitive spirit.
Sports activities to improve fitness and coordination
Particularly where sporting activities are concerned, you may want to invest in anti-slip surfacing to minimise the risk of injury if a child falls over. Ball games and races are all good for improving coordination and teaching children the basics of sports, but you should provide them with a safe space where they can play, learn and compete with other children. In other words, they should be able to run without the risk of slipping on the surface.
Soft surfaces for safer play areas
Also, any areas with equipment such as open swings, climbing frames and fireman’s poles should have a soft landing area should a child fall. With Wet Pour rubber surfaces, you can even allocate specific play zones using different surfacing colours.
Speak to our team at A&MT today to discuss your playground surfacing options.
