How to Ensure Safety in Playgrounds for Children

Playgrounds are important for the children’s physical and cognitive development. It’s one of the places where they can be challenged, learn to cooperate and take risks, use and develop their imagination and socialise with friends.

How to ensure safety in playgrounds for children

With those recognised benefits to children, it’s important then to ensure that playgrounds are safe. Aside from concerns about the COVID-19, the surfaces and playground equipment also make parents worry. Even with close adult supervision, children seem to have limitless amounts of energy and the adults can’t keep up. One moment the child is totally safe and steady and then the next moment he/she is crying because of a fall.

It’s then crucial to go beyond supervision and choose the playgrounds that promote safety in the first place. For example, with soft fall rubber surfacing in early childhood centres, schools, local government and sporting facilities, the risks of injuries drop (especially if the surface meets the Australian Standards for each critical fall height). This can minimise or eliminate the incidents of dangerous falls and other painful injuries from playground surfaces.

Aside from preventing both small and major accidents in playgrounds, the rubber surfacing also promotes playfulness, adventure and peace of mind. Parents gain peace of mind and instead of worrying about their children’s safety, they can now enjoy watching how their children play. For children, when they feel safe they are more inclined to laugh, enjoy and make friends.

In other words, safe surfaces and environments encourage and facilitate higher levels of enjoyment, focus and learning. It’s hard or almost impossible to quantify the benefits, but we’re all aware of the benefits of having a safe environment especially for young children. Notice that even with the concerns about COVID-19, authorities are still finding ways to make playgrounds accessible and safe. Indeed, safe playgrounds play a huge role to children’s physical and cognitive development as well as their sweet journey into this childhood despite the uncertain future we face.