The playground pictured above once had a twelve foot high slide with no railings and a metal merry-go-round my children called the “decapitator.”  If a child ever fell into the middle while it sped in orbit the metal spokes would rapidly slice the child in two.  Mercifully that never happened. 

Back in the day,  children had a real sense of  life and death realities.  No matter how careless or motor planning challenged the child,  I can guarantee that  each took great care while slinging the legs from ladder to sliding surface (there was no level platform at the top) to fly down the precipitous angle.  Boy what a vestibular surge!  I personally can not recall any emergency visits from this playground, but I’m quite certain some child fell off at some point between 1967 and the mid 90’s when the playground was “upgraded.”

Playgrounds now require something akin to “child proofing.”  The fear of law suits as well as genuine concern for children’s safety have led to reconfiguring all aspects of equipment to minimize the risk of an injury.  Thoughtful engineering has created climbing structures and swinging apparatus that help build upper body strength, stronger limbs and all the rest.   This is particularly true if  the children actually play on these structures.

I once chaired a playground study committee, thanks to my background in child development and a friend who was president of the PTA.   We developed a parent questionnaire touching all aspects of recess and playground issues.  What we found, were some concerns regarding the lack of equipment to strengthen the upper trunk (there were no hanging elements to the structures in place).  Mostly, the children and parents were frustrated because there was a huge open playing field connected to the play structure that the children were not allowed to access.  Instead, all the classes were required to cram into the tight playground  space.  Investigation as to why this was the case led to understanding that the hired playground aides felt it was too much work to keep track of children in the larger space.  As a result, the aides spent most of their time refereeing fractious encounters between dueling groups due to the tight quarters. When  a trial period was instituted to allow play in the forbidden area, the aides discovered that much less time was spent settling disputes.

I live in the “land of the lucky” so access and opportunities to utilize wide open spaces are available.  I mention this case primarily because we often work with a set framework and fail to look beyond the existing structure to determine what other opportunities might be available. 

Richard Louv discusses the importance of nature exploration  in his book, Last Child in the Woods.  One school* I consult with recently built a Leed Certified school building.  Care was taken to maintain the integrity of the landscape while accessing open spaces and natural environments for the children to play in.  Children choose to run in this inviting open space.  Many, however, gravitate to the back of the property, where shrubs and trees are tastefully placed to allow children playtime with nature.  Whenever I go out to find a student, I will see several collecting  and piling up rocks, sticks and the like.  They love to hide in the bushes, which have been thoughtfully spaced to seem private but open enough for adults to easily supervise.

In this natural setting,  instructors can assess social interaction and play skills without the intruding eyes of adults apparent to the children.

By leaving boulders in place, the children have opportunities to climb, stand and sit on uneven surfaces that challenge dynamic balancing skills.  These natural objects invite imagination and creativity in a way plastic structures do not.

For schools with land surrounding the school building(s), look carefully at how the space is used.  The clump of bushes in a far corner may be thinned to allow access for children to play hide and seek under the still watchful eye of  adult supervision.  Large rocks, if not present, can be found and brought to the school by parent volunteers.  Construction sites are often quite happy to donate these rather than paying a carting fee.  The recent storm in New England brought an unprecedented number of trees down.  As a result, the school is requisitioning families to “donate” large tree trunks to place about for the children to climb on or use as natural tables and chairs.

Another determination of the “Playground study,” mentioned earlier, was that older students enjoyed playing on the black top to bounce and play various ball games.   Opportunities to play on ride toys became available as well, when the staff cordoned off a parking area during recess time.   For city schools, this is often the only choice.  Hard surface games become the de facto choice.  Expanding the space temporarily by limiting parking during recess alleviates the crowding element and affords more space for games.

As an individual who has had a car towed in Baltimore and a $150 ticket disbursed while I SAT in my running car for  2 minutes in NY, I am sensitive to parking shortages.  If  parents and caretakers  understand when parking is not permitted in a designated area, they can plan accordingly.  Some schools work with the municipalities to cordon off a side street during recess.  Obviously this only works if the school abuts  a secondary road with easy alternatives.  When adults understand the critical importance of outdoor play for children and establish children’s needs  as a PRIORITY, the community will hopefully collaborate to find the best way to provide a healthy environment  for all the children.

No matter what the alternatives, time on the playground is critical for each student’s ability to learn.  It is not so much an issue of physical fitness; it is the body’s need to move, to help reenergize the brain for the remainder of the day.  Various topics review the reason why movement helps organize the brain and influence attention.

Refer to:  Keeping Control in the Classroom

                Organizing That Body

Suffice it to say, that no matter how limited the space, it is important that children have the opportunity to run around in slightly less demanding ways than in physical education. 

Expensive play ground equipment is NOT necessary to set up a healthy playground environment.  Thought and creativity are the primary ingredients.  Open spaces allow children to come up with their own ideas, which, after all is one of the key things about play.   Children get to think things up and try things out without the dictates of the all knowing adults.  Imagination, motor planning,  problem solving, and social skills all develop organically when the direct intervention of an adult is left out. 

Supervision by adults is very important at all time.  Some facilitation by adults can be helpful as well.  A recent article in the NY times** and a subsequent editorial piece by David Elkind, author of The Power of Play, (and PRIOR to this by me!) discussed a trend of school districts to purchase expensive playground coaches to enforce “play” during recess.   Refer to articles sited for pros and cons regarding this topic.  It is important for children to know that adults are nearby when a conflict begins to get out of control.  And some children need support to be drawn into the action.  Everyone recalls the “picking teams scenario” and the child chosen last.  Adults can help prevent that painful situation.

Appreciating the difference between SUPERVISION, FACILITATION and DIRECTING, are very important.   The playground coaches are DIRECTING the activity.  The children are left without free choice in their play.  FACILITATION occurs when adults may suggest an activity, invite students into an already existing “game” thereby making sure they are not excluded, or set up and play some game others may or may not choose to play.  When all children are happily engaged in some form of wholesome play, supervision is all that is necessary.  When you see children lurking in a corner and not running around in some way,  I suggest some facilitation.  Remember,  children need to MOVE AROUND to get their brains reorganized for the remainder of the day.

The following provides a brief description of the benefit of some playground activities.

It is in no means an exhaustive list and does not pass judgement on what is best.  In most cases, you will think, “I remember that.”  The list is meant not to provide a list of all new “slices and dices” activities, but rather REMIND you of the many common activities that provide a very healthy base for childhood play.  Hopefully, it will jar your memory of other games, as well, to add to your own personal repertoire.  I will begin with the activities that require little financial capital and space demands.

Sidewalk Chalk Games:

hop scotch

four square

Benefit:  balance, proprioceptive input, eye hand 

Rope Games:

jumping over the squiggle snake (younger children)

jump rope games

limbo

Chinese jump rope

Benefit:  balance, proprioceptive input, body awareness, motor sequencing, increase gross motor coordination

Hoola hoops:

rolling vertically- eye hand coordination

on body- sequencing and body awareness/movement

Ball:

catch, bounce catch, clap catch*

Dodge Ball

Four Square

Wall ball and “Butts Up”

Keep Away**

HORSE

Benefit:  eye hand coordination, bilateral motor coordination

*motor sequencing  **endurance

Yard games:

Tag

Hide and Seek

SPUD

“Mother Says...May I?”

Benefit:  strategy, following rules, endurance

For an extended list in all of these areas refer to:

www.gameskidsplay.net

More organized “pick up games can also be played.

1. -Running bases is a great substitute for a full baseball field but reinforces skills and strategies without the tedium of waiting to be “up.”
   

2. -Kick ball teaches the game skills of baseball/softball without the batting and catching skill demands.
   

3. -Soccer can be modified to passing games in a circle, setting up a few cones for
   

   dribbling or working on juggling.  But it is recess-DON’T make it a soccer drill.

1. -Basketball.  If the school doesn’t have a hoop set up a mock target at the appropriate
   

   height for the age group intended.  The reason is is called “basket” ball is because

   the game originated with a basket.

1. -Stick games require equipment (or identifies the haves and have nots who already own them), and can easily be converted to a weapon.  I’d keep those for gym class and outside activities. 
   

- Substitute frisbees, koosh games and other foam product substitutes. 

   These develop eye hand skills without the issues

   that potentially develop from the hockey and lacrosse stick scenarios.

1. -If pick up “touch football” or a similar game is to be played, make sure there is
   

   “Adult Directing” going on.  The “touch” can easily turn into a tackle.

Playground Equipment:***

Slides:  Climbing skills, balance as transition to sitting occurs.  Vestibular input sliding down; proprioceptive input landing.

Swings:**** Balance, sequencing, vestibular and proprioceptive input,  builds endurance and works all muscles in the body (including the hands).

Tire swings: Balance and vestibular input.

Climbing structures (stationary):  muscle strengthening

Climbing structures do not need to be elaborate expensive structures like this.

        Simple sturdy boxes and tires can be made attractive and enticing to children.+

                +Refer to US Safety Regs listed below for tire safety considerations.

Climbing structures (that move e.g. rope):  Dynamic balancing, body awareness and motor planning.

 

Sand boxes:****  tactile input,  motor planning,  cooperative play, bilateral motor coordination and fine motor development.

  

Hanging apparatus (static e.g. hanging bar):  Trunk and upper extremity strengthening; kinesthetic input.  Jumping off and landing adds proprioceptive input.

Hanging apparatus (moving via swinging or gliding like a zip line):  Trunk and upper extremity strengthening, vestibular and kinesthetic stimulation.  Jumping off adds proprioceptive input.

****If I had the resources for only two items it would be a basic swing set and

sand box.  Happily these are probably among the least expensive.  A plastic tarp can be used to cover a sandbox to prevent animals from using it for their own purposes.

Both provide invaluable sensory motor experiences for children.  Adding a few inexpensive plastic sand toys (or donated hand-me downs from kitchen supplies-such as spoons,  plastic containers and sieves) provides many opportunities to develop artistic, building and fine motor skills to the mix of motor activities. The sand box is also fertile breeding ground for social interaction from parallel play to sophisticated cooperative play. 

The down side of swings is there is a limited number so this requires children to take turns and figure out how to use their time while they wait, which perhaps turns into a benefit.  Another issue is surveillance to make sure children do not run too close to the swings.  This requires close adult supervision (not a bad thing) and children paying attention to space, which helps develop broader spatial awareness.  You see the negatives, turn into positives, so swings, all in all, are a win win situation.

To summarize, the points I wanted to make are the following:

1. 1. Recess or play time outside is critical for children’s wellbeing and learning.
   

2. 2. There are many social as well as physical benefits to playtime outside.
   

3. 3.  Natural environments, carefully planned can provide the child with hours of   
   

      exploration and fun and taps into the child’s creativity in new ways.

4. 4. Old fashioned yard games and simple inexpensive yard toys will keep children
   

      active for hours (rope, chalk, plastic balls, frisbee, hoola hoops)

5. 5. Assess the children’s ability to ACTIVELY play independently.  This determines
   

     the level of supervision and direction needed for success on the playground.

6. 6. The playground does NOT need to be equipped with the most expensive/modern
   

      equipment.  Safety and careful planning are key to a terrific playground.

      The US Government has developed a wonderful resource that is comprehensive,

      on line and free:

***Playground Safety Handbook

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Information targeting day care centers, schools and public park playground development.  This is a comprehensive book providing safety guidelines as well as important considerations related to developmental appropriateness and just about everything else.  I would say this  is a shining example of your tax dollars at work.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/325.pdf

For more in depth research:  Listing of publications related to Safety and playground Equipment:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/playpubs.html

*A special thanks to The Children’s School for allowing me to photograph their  beautiful play space.

**NY Times articles:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/opinion/27elkind.html?ref=opinion

NY Times article:  “Recess Coaches.”  NY Times 3/15/2010  A1 “Forget Goofing Around:  Recess has a New Boss” by Winnie Hu.

And for more on the importance of natural play refer to:

For more on “Nature Deficit Disorders:”

http://richardlouv.com