PLAY should be fun; however, ending up in hospital or permanently scarred as a result of play is not fun, nor is it a learning experience, as the “life’s tough” followers would have us believe.
Play helps to develop children’s motor and cognitive skills, as well as teaching sharing and taking turns.
For some children however, play can end up in a trip to hospital or the local medical centre. Playgrounds and play equipment feature frequently in children’s play-related injuries.
The trend has been for playground providers to put in bright, colourful play structures that are essentially similar to a dozen others. Unfortunately, opportunities for children to interact with the natural environment and experience creative play are often neglected.
This often leads to children exercising their imagination and creativity by using play equipment in ways that it was not intended to be used.
A great way to achieve creative play spaces is to combine elements of the natural environment with manufactured equipment.
The natural environment provides opportunities for creative play, which assists the development of children’s imagination, social and cognitive abilities as well as their co-ordination and physical skills; while structured equipment offers opportunities for physical and motor skills development.
Play spaces, whether natural or equipment-based, should set developmentally appropriate challenges for children so that they can learn the balance between safety and taking risks.
However, they should also minimise hazards, those unseen or unforeseeable hazards, to reduce the risk of injuries.
Kidsafe WA is holding a conference, The Nature of Play, at the Subiaco Arts Centre on April 19-20 to discuss a range of issues related to play spaces and natural play settings. Together, we can create safe, challenging and memorable play spaces for children.