The Science of Successful Playground Designs
Raising the Bar on Effective Playground Equipment Design
Raise the bar? Seriously, the only time I want the bar raised is if I'm in a limbo contest.
The origin of this phrase comes from literally raising the bar in the track and field high jump.
You've cleared the last height, so it makes sense to raise that bar to see if you can clear the next height and so on. Outside of track and field, we often see this concept get misused and mis-strategized throughout many industries.
"We're going to raise the bar, because you didn't clear the last one." That … seems counterproductive. "Try harder" isn't much of a strategy. "Jump higher" isn't a plan. Instead, let's find out why and work together on elevating the skills, techniques, mindset, focus, physical requirements, and whatever else is involved in a given sport, skill, course, or occupation.
Custom Playgrounds Designed for Development
Raising the bar also refers to raising standards or expectations. Expecting more of others or even ourselves isn't a strategy either. By itself, it's just an unrealistic expectation, backed by nothing. What are you going to do about it is really the question. When it comes to the science of playground design (yes, there's a science to it), the good ones are created with developmental continuum in mind. What?
Age-Appropriate Play Space Considerations
Most playground designs are broken into age groupings. The two most common are systems designed for 2-5 year olds and 5-12 year olds. Most of the biggest differences here are in the height of the playground components. Obviously, the 5-12 year olds can have much higher play activities than those of a 2-5 design.
Other playground design differences are in the individual play activity products where the developmental challenges are age-appropriately designed. To "raise the bar," a well-designed system will incorporate a continuum to challenge abilities as a child progresses through and with that playground.
How Children Balance Play and Growth
Children are very fast at leveling up, but there are still individual paces in which this happens. A challenge today is nothing tomorrow, but for some, it may still be a challenge. However, they're navigating it with much more dexterity, confidence, and skill.
They will raise the bar on themselves. All we have to do is let them. "Hey, Jimmy, come on, use the monkey bars. Let me help you up. Grab the bar."
Jimmy pushes back, "No, no, no!"
It seems high and he wasn't ready. Now maybe because of that, he steers clear of the monkey bars for a long time, when, if left alone, he may have done it tomorrow. If he asks to be lifted up, that's a different story. He's ready to go! When we raise the bar on others forcefully, it can have the opposite effect we were looking to achieve.
While a child is playing, a lot is going on inside and it's very personal. Going up to that higher deck is an uncomfortable decision, but they're doing it. Make sure they're safe and be observant, but let them do their thing. By balancing their play with incremental challenges, they get to move at their own pace.
Nature of Child-Led Development in Playgrounds
Kids often self-graduate from a lower-level play panel to the monkey bars. Today they test it, tomorrow they traverse it (which is a huge victory), and one day it just isn't that challenging anymore and they raise the bar on themselves, moving onto the 5-12 playground and the continuum begins again.
While this all sounds physical, it's much more than that: through all this, it develops critical thinking skills, spatial awareness, and resiliency. It stimulates tactical perceptions, visual perception of distance, and gross and fine motor skills. More? How about kinesthetic awareness, cognitive development, proprioception, and vestibular development, not to mention the development of social skills and navigating risk-taking.
Burke playgrounds are scientifically engineered through research, designed to encourage children to raise the bar on themselves.
To learn more of have one of our design professionals help you with your next project, call 800-921-4509 or email us at info@toplinerec.com
Now, where's that limbo stick?