Why Are Playgrounds Important?

The amount of time children spend outdoors has rapidly decreased in the last ten years and it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that children of all ages are getting a good amount of exercise.
With the introduction of computers and games consoles, children are becoming use to staying indoors and only interacting with screens and monitors. However, it is essential that children get outdoors both for their health and wellbeing.

This highlights the importance of providing children access to fun, stimulating and safe outdoor play areas.
With the obesity rate for children in the UK consistently increasing, it is important to encourage children to do regular exercise, ideally on a daily basis.

Nearly one in every four children starting out at primary school are now obese or overweight and the figures increase by the time they move to secondary school.
The Government recommends one hour of exercise daily as well as a balanced diet in order to stay healthy and help children grow properly.
The playground at school provides the perfect opportunity for children to run around and stay active for an hour during lunchtime.

School playgrounds also provide variety for children during their school day.

Younger children have much shorter attention spans and sitting down in a classroom for long periods will not keep them engaged. Allowing them breaks to go and have fun will keep their minds active and give them a chance to refresh their memories before going back to the classroom to learn more. Whilst you may think that playgrounds are used purely for the enjoyment of children, they will constantly be learning through outdoor play.

Playground slides and jungle gyms help children to learn how to interact with each other and build upon their social skills.

Children learn how to share and take turns and can start to understand what social behaviour is acceptable. For children with no brothers and sisters, these are fundamental skills to learn and the playground hosts the perfect environment.

By providing children with an exciting playground environment, it stimulates their mind and allows for cognitive development.

When children play on playground swings, sandpits and children's play tunnels they use their imagination which is crucial for developing problem solving skills.

They then learn to think for themselves, thus improving their independence.
Having a variety of different pieces of equipment will contribute to the development of different areas within the brain.

Finally, playgrounds also provide children with a safe and fun environment in order to release tension and stress.

It is important for children to have 'down time' where they are allowed to relax and get rid of any excess energy. This will also assist them in the classroom, meaning they are able to concentrate better.

Therefore the importance of the playground is not to be underestimated and should be well thought out and planned.