The 6 Things That Make Amazing Children’s Play Areas

If you are a business owner or a site manager, you will know how important it is to have a really great outdoor play area for children. If the children are happy, so are the parents, and they will come back time and time again to play on your well-maintained outdoor play area.

An example of somewhere just like this is Moors Valley. They know what they’re doing. The play trail is a magnet for families, with spaced out play areas and a meandering walk between each stop, and a large picnic area and more well-maintained play areas for the children at the end of the walk.

So, what exactly makes an amazing outdoor children’s play area? Let’s have a look.

A Great Climbing Structure

A well thought out and relatively safe climbing structure is key. Children love this kind of this thing and will flock to it. This should be the central feature of your play area, it should also be planned by a professional, and installed by a professional play ground installation company. The structure should have lots of bits to climb up, run through and hang on, hide in, and of course, it should have slides. No play area is complete without a slide!

Natural Elements

Children love natural elements when it comes to outdoor play areas; it connects them with nature and makes playing outside feel magical. Wooden climbing structures and constructions can contribute to the natural elements, as well as a natural playground surface like play chip or bark, and surrounding shrubbery and trees. This will be more appreciated and provide a higher satisfaction level than metal structures on concrete.

Balance

Kids love to walk along things and balance. Parents may find it a little nerve-racking at times, but it’s great for kids’ development, both physically and mentally. Balance structures needn’t be too high off the ground. Some of the best balancing beams that children play on are quite low to the ground. However you decide to incorporate one, a balance obstacle should be essential.

An Obstacle Course

An obstacle course for children to work their way along, from start to finish, is a great thing to incorporate in a children’s playground. It can start off easy and gradually become more difficult, with a big pay off at the end like a slide, to make it feel worth while! An obstacle course will challenge the children and gives them a sense of achievement once they have completed it (even if someone did have to hold them steady occasionally). You will find that children complete obstacle courses over and over again, gaining more confidence each time.

Mazes

Whether they are on the ground for children to walk along, or through, or whether they consist of a ball bearing in a spinning wall maze; kids love mazes. Completing a maze will give a great sense of achievement, and mazes are great for a child’s development, including problem solving and growing confidence.

A Safe Surface

A safe playground surface is probably one of the most overlooked aspects of an amazing playground. For a surface to be truly safe it should absorb impacts from falls and be free from toxins and chemicals. A natural and sustainable sourced playground woodchip is one of, if not the best, option for a playground surface as it ticks both of these boxes. It’s also easy to install, easy to maintain, and easy to replace once it reaches the end of its life.