Why Are Playgrounds So Crucial For a Child’s Development?

Playgrounds allow children to be themselves while engaging in genuine fun with their peers. They also offer many additional benefits that parents should know before deciding how their young ones spend a weekend afternoon. These benefits include the necessary growth of a child’s physical, emotional, and social skills.

The most noticeable growth is usually with a child’s physical abilities. Running and climbing around a jungle gym is an excellent way for children to stay physically fit and promote healthy heart and lung functions. Playground exercise also provides children with improved motor skills and a reduced risk of obesity. Exercise is not the only physical benefit playgrounds offer, however. Idle outdoor play, such as at a sand and water table, can be incredibly beneficial to a child as well. Just interacting with new people and places can do wonders for a young child’s immune system, reducing the number of sick days short and long-term. Children who spend more time playing outdoors also fall asleep quicker and wake up more refreshed.

Running and climbing around a jungle gym is an excellent way for children to stay physically fit

The emotional benefits that a playground offers young children are almost endless. Playgrounds provide children with a whole new environment to expand their cognitive skills and creativity. They present children with unique challenges that further their problem-solving skills and competence levels. Completing such challenges as an overhead ladder can build up a kid’s self-esteem and confidence to try new activities. Failure in such activities can help children learn how to deal with new emotions such as frustration and boredom in a healthy way. A playground can also be an excellent environment for children to overcome negative experiences felt elsewhere.

Playgrounds provide children with a whole new environment to expand their cognitive skills and creativity

While learning to deal with their own emotions, children also have to learn to cope with the feelings of others as well. A playground is an ideal place to do so by teaching children how to navigate a complex social network. Instead of one-on-one interactions with a familiar kid, children experience a great deal of social activity from all around them. Learning to play with others teaches children valuable listening and collaboration skills, such as strategizing a plan. Experiences with other children also teach kids how to properly communicate with each other, advancing their emotional intelligence from a young age.

Learning to play with others teaches children valuable listening and collaboration skills, such as strategizing a plan

Playgrounds and other outdoor play areas are everywhere. We at Pelican Playgrounds strongly recommend parents bring their children here frequently from a young age due to the innumerable benefits they offer to a child’s many skill sets. If your community has any playgrounds needs, contact us so we can help create and maintain these crucial environments.