Playgrounds

Over the years of observing play spaces in Cyprus, nothing really has changed, my passion to have better recreational and learning environments for children is still as passionate as it ever was.  I get quite upset when I take my son to his public school and his playground is still as grey and uninviting as it was when he first started school.  As a country that does a lot for their children’s welfare, I still wonder is it just me that thinks this way.

We need to rethink our issues and how to make better spaces for our children

There’s a growing concern about children spending too much time sitting indoors instead of playing outdoors. Many studies and research about the benefits of outdoor environments conclude that, through playing and activities in a natural environment, the children’s motor fitness is improved. Our kids need more outdoor spaces.

School grounds can play a significant role in a child’s life by providing a safe, stimulating environment where children and young people can learn, explore, interact and play. Let our playgrounds be assets to our children and optimize the space.

Play is an essential part of a child’s life and vital to their development. It helps them explore and develop understanding and practice new skills. Play can be on their own or with others, maybe boisterous, active or quiet. Children learn best through play.

The Importance of School Playgrounds!

• Play settings to provide a challenging and stimulating environment
• To allow children to take risks
• To provide a range of environments which will encourage children to explore and play imaginatively
• A play which supports children’s learning across the curriculum and learning about the world around them.

Landscapes for children

What is needed, is quite simple:

• Create a landscape setting suitable for school and community
• Meet educational and social needs
• Provide a safe, diverse and stimulating environment
• Accommodate a range of activities and opportunities
• Build flexibility to accommodate change and development
• Balance design, management and use with functionality
• Improve sustainability within

Designing for play

The goal of designing children’s outdoor playground environment is to use the landscape and vegetation as a play setting and use as many natural materials for the playspace

• Trees to climb – or tree houses around existing trees
• Bushes to hide – Playing amongst shrubs
• Play mounds – modifying flat playground, building mounds to make them more interesting and allowing children to safely ascend to new heights – either earth, planted, paved with hard materials with covered safety surfacing
• Hillside Slides – climbing up high with the excitement of sliding down quickly
• Tunnels – tunnels to crawl through – concrete water pipes covered with mounds of earth
• Mazes and Labyrinths – are ancient designs which generally composed of winding pathways that follow winding routes from beginning to end

Designing a playspace objectives with play value, choice of different activities and test boundaries but most of all Play learning, Play safely, Play caring about your space, Play in an environment suitable for children to have fun and respect their surroundings. These simple steps will help create good and playful environments for our children. I would love to hear your comments on how you feel about our playgrounds in Cyprus.