School playgrounds have undergone significant transformations over the years, evolving from simple recreational areas to versatile spaces that accommodate a range of activities. With careful planning and innovative designs, modern school playgrounds now encompass various zones and features that enhance learning, physical development, social interaction and imaginative play. In this article, we will explore the different zones you can include within a playground and the equipment that can be incorporated into each area, along with the important surfacing requirements.
- Sports zone
A dedicated sports zone encourages physical activity and fosters teamwork among pupils. With active participation, this can be beneficial to both the physical and mental health of pupils. What’s more, a well-equipped sports zone can double up as both a play area and an outdoor resource for teaching PE.
Sports courts and pitches can be affordably created through the simple installation of playground markings, and these can be embellished with basketball hoops, football goals and various other equipment. When it comes to surfacing, artificial grass or recycled rubber wetpour surfacing are ideal as they provide a safe and durable surface for running, jumping and playing sports.
In addition, schools can now install multi-skills training areas, daily mile courses and even outdoor gyms that are safe for children as they only use body weights.
- Messy play area
A highly popular element of many nurseries and infant school playgrounds, messy play areas are designed to stimulate children’s creativity and sensory exploration while offering endless hours of fun. They are also great for getting children to play together.
These zones can include sand pits, water play tables, mud kitchens and art stations. Surfaces like resin bound gravel or wetpour provide a forgiving base for these activities, making it easy to clean up afterwards.
- Quiet nature space
A tranquil and natural environment offers a calming retreat for students. They are ideal places for small groups to sit and chat together and can be a safe haven for children with SEND. These areas can incorporate elements such as gardens, flower beds, trees and seating areas, or in schools with no natural space, they can be created using artificial grass, fences, planters and trellises.
In addition, these spaces can also be used for teaching science. Installing butterfly boxes, bug houses and bird feeders encourages wildlife into the spaces, while there is a variety of science equipment that can be installed, including exploration tables, discovery planters and growing boards, to learn about plant growth and soil life.
- Climbing zone
Top of virtually every child’s playground wish list, climbing zones have become a regular feature of the modern playground. And whilst they are amazing fun to play on, they are also incredibly beneficial. Playing on climbing equipment enhances gross motor skills, builds strength and coordination, and improves all-around fitness. If that isn’t reason enough, then you also need to consider the positive impact of overcoming the challenges posed by climbing equipment. Successfully meeting a challenge can benefit a child’s self-esteem and resilience, while helping them develop their risk-taking and problem-solving skills.
Today, there is a wide variety of climbing equipment available, including climbing frames, rope courses, trim trail obstacle courses, traversing walls and play towers. Safety surfacing, such as impact-absorbing wetpour or artificial grass, can help reduce the chance of injury when laid under climbing equipment.
- Outdoor classroom
Taking learning beyond its traditional setting, an outdoor classroom provides a dynamic environment for hands-on education. This can be created by installing features like class-sized octagonal shelters, seating areas, outdoor desks and whiteboards.
Today, there is a growing range of curriculum-focused equipment for outdoor classroom use, including a large selection of interchangeable learning boards. Subject-specific items are available for maths, English, science, geography, history, art, design and technology, music, drama, dance and MFL. There are even resources for cross-curricular activities.
- Traditional games area
Children still love to play traditional playground games, like hopscotch and tig, and these are great for social interaction and getting the kids active. For this, they need a safe space to run around and some markings to play the games. Creating a zone that is clearly demarcated can prevent children doing other activities, like football, from getting in the way and causing accidents. As for the markings, there is now a huge range to choose from, including many that also have an educational purpose, such as helping children learn letters and numbers while having fun.
- Imaginative play zone
It is important to encourage creativity from a very young age and one of the best ways to do this in the playground is to create a zone for imaginative play. This zone can include playhouses, pirate ships, wooden trains, tunnels, medieval fort-inspired play towers and much more. These are ideal for stimulating role play and firing the imagination.
Conclusion
School playgrounds have transformed into multi-purpose spaces that go beyond traditional play areas. By designing and incorporating different zones, schools can provide pupils with opportunities for physical activity, imaginative play, nature exploration and interactive learning.
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