Every day schools across the nation are installing playground equipment that’s been chosen specifically for their students and their grounds. Is it any wonder either when there’s such a variety of equipment on offer? Playground equipment is now constructed using the most durable materials and what’s more, they’re constructed, ensuring they meet the highest safety standards.
If your school premises is yet to invest in a playground, and needs a reason to do so, perhaps these 5 benefits of playground equipment within your school may convince you to take that all important step. Here’s a run down beginning with the encouragement of outdoor activity.
Encourage More Outdoor Activity
Children are choosing to spend their time in front of their tablets, the television or glued to their gaming devices and because of this, their activities levels are reducing and childhood obesity is rising. In order to battle this startling rise in childhood obesity, the government has recommended that children partake in at least one hour of exercise per day. With classroom learning taking up a great deal of a child’s day Monday-Friday, encouraging activity as much as possible during break times is imperative and that’s where playground equipment can prove to be so valuable.
The aim of playground equipment isn’t just to help children remain active when they’re using it but to attract them in the first place. The right equipment will entice children without the need for teachers to ask them to play. It will provide active stimulation for children of all abilities to stay active and help schools achieve the recommended daily amount of exercise.
Improve A Child’s Physical Health
Playgrounds aren’t just there to provide little one’s with a fun way to let off steam. They’re also an incredible way to help improve a child’s physical health. From their strength to their fitness and even their fine and gross motor skills, playground equipment can prove invaluable. With the right playground equipment, you can have children swinging, climbing, balancing, stretching and much much more, all of which are fantastic for their physical health.
While slides and swings will help children to develop their core strength, climbing frames and other similar pieces of equipment will help young ones with their fine and gross motor skills, improving dexterity. It will even help improve upper and lower body strength, coordination and it will do all of this without them even realising it.
Help Develop Social Skills
Place children in an empty playground and you may be surprised to see the majority of them simply sit or move around with no direction or aim. Place EYFS playground equipment in there however and you suddenly see a shift in behaviour as little ones gravitate towards the fun and enticing play area. Not only will you see children enjoying themselves but you’ll see far more interaction between the children as they navigate equipment around each other and ultimately learn to play together. By offering more socialisation as they grow up, children learn to express themselves better and often benefit from more confidence too.
Improve Learning Opportunities
While classroom learning is invaluable, it can often become too much for some children, resulting in wandering minds as they become stifled within four walls. By incorporating outdoor learning however, you awaken children, allowing them the opportunity to supplement their classroom learning with learning that incorporates the natural world around them. Playground equipment along with playground markings can be fantastic in terms of facilitating learning, from role play areas to number markings and more. Schools can even benefit from incorporating numeracy and literacy markings into their playgrounds, allowing for more outdoor learning opportunities that will directly benefit classroom led learning such as maths and English.
Further Support Mental Health
Children as young as preschool age can find themselves with surprisingly strict schedules. They can feel stressed and overwhelmed. This can continue throughout school and when coupled with the modern demands of society, it’s easy to see how young minds can feel under a great deal of pressure. With the addition of playground equipment within your school premises however, you’re providing a place for young ones to let off steam and move away from what can feel like a strict regime. Children are allowed to run, play and generally forget about learning while they climb, swing and slide during break and lunch times. Playground equipment is, in short, a great remedy for stress and anxiety.
Want To Find Out More About Playground Equipment For Your School?
More and more schools are now embracing the benefits of playground equipment within their educational setting and with the likes of Sovereign Play, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers providing durable, safe and creative playground equipment for schools across the nation, achieving the ultimate school playground just got a whole lot easier. Contact Sovereign Play today on 01702 804200.
