For young children, the daycare playground to the church playground to the elementary school playground is often a very important part of their childhoods. Play is essential to growing up in a healthy way, something that more and more people are realizing. But playgrounds like the daycare playground have been around for quite some time, particularly here in the United States.
In fact, the first playground originated around one hundred and thirty years ago was was built in Boston. Boston now has many playgrounds, as do many other cities all throughout the country. In fact, the city of Chicago has upwards of three hundred playgrounds in its public parks alone, let alone the the amount of daycare playground equipment, private school playground equipment, and church playground equipment seen throughout the city.
And playground equipment is more diversified now than ever before. For instance, daycare playground equipment is likely to be geared towards younger children, as daycare locations typically cater to children who are to young to attend preschool but still need a viable form of child care. Playgrounds aside from the typical daycare playground, however, might include equipment for older children, like a tire swing or even a playground climbing wall. And many playgrounds, more than ever before are becoming handicap accessible, with some playgrounds dedicated solely to providing an immersive play experience for children with physical disabilities that would prevent them from fully enjoying play at a typical playground.
But no matter the kind of outdoor playground equipment that is used, from the daycare playground equipment to the preschool outdoor playground equipment to the elementary school playground equipment, it is important above anything else that children simply get up and moving. Unfortunately, it’s currently estimated that only about one third of all kids in the United States are getting the recommended amount of physical activity, instead spending up to seven and a half hours a day using screens of various natures. This has become so problematic that now more than half (two thirds, to be more exact) of American parents feel at least some concern over their children using electronic devices more frequently.
Playgrounds, however, can encourage children to get up and moving, especially if they are well kept and modern. In fact, the statistics show that when an older playground is redone, the amount of time that children spend playing on it can increase by as much as two thirds, a truly impressive amount by any standards. And playground play often accounts for their physical movement that all children are in need of – at least sixty minutes each and every day.
This regular physical exercise will help to prevent them from becoming overweight or even obese, especially when it is coupled with a nutritionally complete diet and a healthy lifestyle overall, such as getting enough sleep and a healthy home life. But playground play such as what occurs on a daycare playground (or really any other type of playground, for that matter) is also essential for brain development as well as for the development of both fine and gross motor skills alike.
In fact, these fine and gross motor skills are primarily developed through the type of physical movement seen on a playground – and it is important that they are fully developed by the time that the typical child reaches the age of six. If not, the child in question could even suffer from a life long deficit. And on top of this, it has been discovered that up to four hundred total genes are developed in the cerebral cortex when children engage in regular play – such as the kind of play that is seen on a playground.
Playground play also gives children the chance to interact with one another, and to connect in ways that typically aren’t possible and supported in the regular classroom environment of the typical elementary school. Playgrounds give the opportunity for children to create games together, to be imaginative together, and let loose for a little while. For all of these reasons, recess for young children in preschool and elementary school is very much important to their growth and their development and even their overall ability to learn.
