David Christopher asked: Playground Equipment for Public and Private Facilities
Playgrounds are designed for kids. And where a huge number of children converge, playgrounds replete with all the play structures are most likely there too. Most people already recognize the importance of the playground and the crucial role it plays in the progressing development of a child. But from a child’s own simplistic point of view, a playground is his territory, his realm so to speak. And he is there to enjoy life as he should, with play as his business.
School
In the school, a playground offers children a chance for breaks between their classes where they can participate in various play activities. School playground equipment instantly becomes the children’s domain. However, childhood learning experts concur that a child also learns essential skills during play such as creativity, dexterity, cognitive skills, emotional management, and socializing skills. Play also helps in laying the foundation of knowledge needed for academic success.
Playing with school playground equipment during recess also de-stresses children from their academic loads, as the venue allows a change in the child’s mental orientation and a means to expel energy. Such release minimizes disorderly behavior in children once they return to the classroom, which helps children pay more attention to their academic responsibilities. School playground equipment also offers a training ground for children to practice the cognitive abilities they acquire in the classroom.
Allowing children to tinker and play with school playground equipment develops the physical aspects of their bodies. Physical movement is critical to healthy growth and development. The more active a child gets, the more his or her body requires proper sustenance to fuel the necessary physical and mental activities that play demands.
Sharing and playing with school playground equipment with other children promotes social and emotional development for the child. Spending recess playing on school playground equipment creates opportunities for children to interact with their peers and form a social group, instilling in them: the sense of belongingness; a deep respect for rules; and self-confidence. Peer interaction during recess also entails emotional progression, as children learn to curb their anxieties and tolerate and handle their own emotions as well as others’.
Church and Sunday School
The church is where the congregation gathers and listens attentively to the residing priest, reverend or vicar. What happens after the mass is the usual socializing of the faithful, exchanging stories, recent news, and more. Since going to church is a family affair, children are always present.
The presence of church playground equipment gives children the impression that the church is not just a place of serious contemplation but also a place where they can have fun.
Church grounds that have church playground equipment is a good venue for children to interact with fellow church kids. Aside from gaining playmates while interacting with other children on the church playground equipment, the church playground presents children with a perfect opportunity to put into practice the values and the deeds they have learned in church such as honesty, patience, generosity, and cheerfulness among others.
The church playground is also an ideal place for Sunday school. Church playground equipment like elaborate play systems may provide a learning nook for the Sunday school teacher and his or her students, instead of the typical classroom setting.
When a Presbyterian Church pastor was asked why he ordered church playground equipment to be constructed, he directly quoted Jesus, “Let the children come unto me and do not hinder them.” For the pastor, providing children with such joy seemed the same as doing God’s will.
Hospitals
Hospitals are where people go to when they require professional medical attention to recover from their illnesses, have their operations, and have their periodic checkups. But for a child, a stay or even a visit can be a traumatic experience.
For children who are staying in the hospital to recuperate, a playground offers more than just a place to play. A playground gives the chance for one to become a child again. Allowing a sickly child to play with playground equipment can lift up his or her spirits and at the same time produces endorphins that relieves stress. Playground equipment in hospital facilities can help to obliterate a child’s pain and fear, making the overall hospital experience less traumatic.
Community Park
The park is where most of the children from the neighborhood converge and engage in free play. Park playground equipment such as jungle gyms, seesaws, and swings become a venue where children can forge and strengthen friendships and values like loyalty and sharing.
Parks and recreational areas with park playground equipment are also a great alternative for parents whose children are too engrossed with television shows and video games. Encouraging children to go out in the park and play with park playground equipment may also be a precursor to good quality time with the family. Spending more time with family members playing with park playground equipment enables a child to easily connect with his or her parents, as well as siblings. Park playground equipment also encourages a child to do some fun physical activity, instead of lounging in a chair playing video games for hours.
Ultimately, the playground, be it in the park, the school, or at the church, has a host of positive effects on children. These benefits not only touch the children, but those around them as well, their friends, playmates, and families.
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