School playground equipment is not just there to help your kids while away the free time that they have. Playing at the playground also helps them develop vital motor skills. This is why it’s very important for us, as parents, to let our kids go and play with other kids in the playground no matter how protective we may be feeling.
Swing sets
One of the best ways this school playground equipment helps kids develop their motor skills is by teaching them balance. While using the swing, they get to learn how to shift their weight so they can stay on the swing and not fall off. The swings also enhance their grip as they hold on to the chain while swinging. Their legs are also made stronger as they push. This is also a simple and relatively safe way for them to have spatial intelligence: by learning how to balance weight and gravity in relation to how their body is positioned.
Monkey bars
Monkey bars, or overhead bars, strengthen children’s’ arms. They also learn how to carry and shift their weights so their clamped arm holds them on air while the other arm reaches for the next bar. It teaches them timing and hand-eye coordination. There will be a few misses, but as long as the monkey bars are not too high and there is enough padding underfoot, your kids should be fine even if they make mistakes.
Climbing
Climbing is an essential skill to learn. As your kids climb up and down schools playground equipment, they learn to be nimble. These ladders won’t be the only ladders they will be climbing. In most tasks in life, climbing is essential. It also helps them think critically whenever there’s something in their way (for example, other kids who are already on their way to the top of the slide). Aside from fine and gross motor skills, your kids will get to practice good manners by waiting for their turn or saying excuse me instead of pushing. They can learn essential negotiation skills.
Ball games
Hand, eye, feet coordinations are best learned when you let your children play ball at the playground. This can be a simple game of catch, or if they are older, football, basketball, or tennis. This teaches them how to catch and execute throws. This also teaches them to think critically, for example in baseball. Your child will have to know when it is wise to run to the next base. It also teaches them teamwork–and essential skill to learn as they go through school and later on, at work.
Other games
Other games in the playground teach your kids to form not just fine and gross motor skills but essential social skills as well. Here, they learn the fine art of balancing kindness with negotiating for what they want. They get to learn how to work as a team. They learn how to apologize when they did something wrong, or to move on and cope when they do not get their way. Letting your child play with other kids in the playground can be challenging. There could be accidents along the way as they learn their motor skills. However, if the school chooses the right playground equipment, injuries can be avoided–or perhaps even eliminated.
At General Recreations, we deliver top-quality schools playground equipment. Our team of professionals will guide you from planning to turning your dream playground into reality.