Minimize the Risk of Injuries to Kids by Making Their Playing Environments Safe
If parents could put knee pads and elbow pads on their kids to prevent the risk of injury they would. But unfortunately, as most will tend to agree, wrapping your kids up in cotton wool is not the answer to ensuring their health.
Playground-related injuries are common on all corners of the globe and range from simple scrapes and bruises to more serious injuries like fractures, dislocations, concussions and even death.
From the moment that kids walk out of home for school in the morning, parents are conscious of the injuries that may occur whilst they’re out of their sights. They place their trust in teachers and friends to help prevent accidents from happening. It’s not the potential for classroom injury that worries parents, but the playground – the one place where kids get to release their stored-up energy and express their new skills. It’s here that, up until a few years ago, most injuries occurred.
It’s taken a while, since the days of concrete and grass surfaces in the playground area, but finally schools are now making concerted efforts to put the health and well-being of their pupils first. More and more schools are introducing rubber matting to the playgrounds. This surface is the ultimate in playground safety. It not only cushions the falls and trips of kids, but it also prevents slips from happening when it’s wet. The number of accidents hasn’t reduced but fortunately the playground matting has ensured a rapid decline in the number of injuries – all to the satisfaction of kids, teachers and parents.
Kids are always quick to remind us of their new found skills but the time in which it takes them to develop their coordination and strength is a simple reminder of just how vulnerable they can be to accidents. No matter how wet or cold it is, kids will always venture and explore and by introducing the appropriate safety precautions, there’ll be no need to hold them back from doing what they love.
