Playgrounds and children's play areas are an essential need of society as the land available for open spaces keeps shrinking. A complete playground includes play equipment and additional parts that create an area for children to play and move. So what is playground equipment, and how do you use playground equipment effectively and for the long term? Join Winam to find out in the article below.
1. What is playground equipment?
Playground equipment is everything in a playground that children can use to move, have fun and play. Playground equipment is very diverse in style and type, suiting many groups of children, and each piece has its own specific features.
The playground equipment market today is very rich. You only need to search with a few simple phrases like "children's playground equipment" or "using play and entertainment equipment", and a host of playground suppliers with hundreds of models and types will appear for you to choose from. To get a fuller picture, let's look at the common equipment in playgrounds and their features in the content below.
What is playground equipment?
1.1. Common children's playground equipment
Plenty of playground equipment is available for children, but by and large today's playgrounds use quite similar equipment. For outdoor playgrounds: slides, swings, combined sets, spring riders, seesaws, roundabouts and climbing sets are the most common and popular. They are easy to play on, easy to install and suit many spaces. You can install them in apartment complex playgrounds, children's playgrounds in parks, villa areas or even private homes.
For indoor playgrounds: coconut swings, slides, ball pits, roundabouts, sand toys and role-play toys are common equipment. They are usually made of soft, spongy materials suited to indoor spaces.
Indoor playground equipment is also diverse and varied
Each playground has different games to suit many of children's needs, so parents can choose any type of play for their child. As long as the child can play to their heart's content, the playground fulfills its role.
1.2. Characteristics of playground equipment
Although each piece of equipment has a different design and way of playing, they all share common features that are easy to recognize. Winam would like to go over 7 characteristics of playground equipment:
- All playground equipment is safe for children
- Easy to use, durable and long-lasting
- Diverse in design, color and size
- Materials suited to the environment
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Suited to many ages
- Warranty of 5-10 years
Read more: What parts make up WINAM playground equipment? to better understand the features of playground equipment.
2. What does using playground equipment correctly mean?
Playing is easy, but using children's playground equipment correctly is not easy at all. The common situation today in most playgrounds is that equipment starts to degrade and break down a short time after being put into use, so children cannot play even though a playground stands there. The basic cause is still that managers do not have detailed instructions for using the playground, and players do not know how to play. So what does using equipment correctly mean?
Using playground equipment correctly means following the instructions given by the equipment supplier. Avoid using equipment for the wrong purpose (on a swing you should sit on the seat and swing up and down instead of hanging from the two ropes or standing on the swing, or putting heavy objects on it), use it for the right users (a seesaw for young children should not be used by adults sitting on it), clean and maintain it regularly, check safety often, replace it when needed, and always follow the playground rules.
3. Guide to using some children's playground equipment safely
As a unit with many years of experience in consulting and building children's playgrounds, Winam would like to share how to use some common children's playground equipment today. Please follow along.
3.1. How to use spring riders
Spring riders are essential equipment in a playground. Spring riders come in many different designs but generally consist of two main parts: the seat and the spring. The child sits on the seat and uses the force of their hands and feet to push the spring rider forward, backward or up and down according to the spring's movement. Parents can let the child play on a spring rider alone if the child is older.
How to use spring riders correctly
To use a spring rider correctly for the long term, the number of children playing must match the number of seats. For example, a single spring rider is for one child, and a double spring rider is for two children playing together. Adults should not play on children's spring riders, because most of the equipment is designed with a weight suited to young children.
In addition, the playground management unit should regularly check the firmness of the spring rider's support legs and the spring's elasticity. If there are signs of degradation, there should be a plan to renovate or replace it in time.
3.2. How to play on a seesaw correctly
In structure, a seesaw is quite similar to a spring rider, with a seat and support legs. However, the seesaw's support legs are fixed, holding the seesaw seat above to balance both sides. Seesaws come in many types: single-seat, double-seat and so on. When playing, two children must take part, each sitting at one end and using leg force to push the seesaw up and down (when one goes up, the other goes down).
How to play on a seesaw correctly
Like the spring rider, the correct way to play on a seesaw is to let only two children play. The number of children should match the seesaw's seats. Do not overload the seesaw for a long time. The management unit should clean, check and replace it regularly when damaged.
3.3. How to play on a swing safely
A swing is an essential piece of play equipment in children's playgrounds, whether indoor or outdoor.
Swing is very much loved by children because it brings many benefits. It also comes in many models and styles: ordinary swings, baby swings and swings for children with disabilities. To play on a swing, a child can play alone or with friends and parents.
For young children, an adult should stay nearby to watch them. Older children can play on the swing by themselves. When playing, the child just sits on the seat and grips the ropes on both sides of the swing firmly. If no one pushes from behind, the child can use their legs to create a pushing force that moves the swing up and down. The swing is a game that is both useful and a little adventurous, very suitable for children of many ages.
How to play on a swing safely
Any piece of equipment can only bear a certain load, so do not let too many children play at once, which makes the swing degrade quickly. At the same time, children's swings need to be maintained, with the firmness of the ropes and posts checked regularly to avoid unwanted accidents.
3.4. How to use a roundabout
A roundabout is a circular piece of equipment whose platform spins around a fixed axis, giving children a new and exciting feeling when they play. Playing on a roundabout is very simple: 2-3 children stand on the platform while another child or an adult below spins the platform around.
This game trains children's courage and picks its players, because children may find it quite hard to get used to the somewhat adventurous spinning. Always keep within the load limit, check regularly and lubricate the axle system; that is the best way to keep a roundabout working for a long time.
3.5. Playing with educational panels for effective learning
Educational panels are fairly new play equipment that is gradually becoming popular in today's playgrounds. They play an important role in filling the empty spaces in a playground while creating the best learning opportunities for children at play. There are many educational themes, from music, math and geometry to path-finding games, word-joining and shape-matching, all woven into games.
When playing, children come into contact with many new concepts and, through that, learn and apply them in life. The child just needs to find the answer for each game or recognize each matching shape, and they can play skillfully. In practice, educational panels suit children aged 1-3, because this is the stage when children love to explore and learn fastest. Parents can also play with their child to strengthen the bond between family members.
Understanding and using playground equipment correctly is the key factor that extends the life of a playground and creates the real meaning of a play area. We hope Winam's sharing above helps parents, investors and managers take a more correct view of using and preserving playground equipment. Thank you for reading the article.
For any questions about how to use playground equipment and any needs for consulting, designing and installing children's playgrounds, please contact Winam at the hotline: (+84) 9 6161 0202 or send your request to the address:
WINAM
- Address: 226/4A Le Trong Tan, Tay Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City
- Tel: (028) 66 86 7777
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.winamgroup.net
- Fanpage: WinAmGroup
