Playground Sets Promote Imaginative Play
Playground sets made for modern children are designed to get kids thinking and learning. They may not know it, but the whole time they are playing, they are also developing skills. These skills are appropriate to a particular age, such as the toddler and preschool age group, or elementary school children looking for a serious challenge.
For example, there are certain physical skills a child should learn as early as possible. A number of sets come with climbing areas. Some resemble rock climbing walls with small hand and foot holds screwed into a frame, and are either slightly angled or completely vertical. This gives kids the opportunity to learn reasoning skills, and to slow down for some careful decision making. Another way to climb is by holding on to a rope and hauling themselves up. In a game of tag, any climbing area evens the playing field if a runner is very fast.
Climbing is an essential part of childhood, and if kids did not have playground sets, they would simply get into the trees. Some ladder areas force kids to mimic the movements of tree climbing by spacing bars widely and making them curve or twist. These are challenging obstacles. Monkey bars and rolling bars are still popular no matter how old fashioned they may sound. Slides are also an essential part of a playground, both straight and twisty. No playground is complete without at least one and sometimes more. If your set is going to be used in a park, or you expect to have lots of kids around, have two set side by side for races and make sure there is at least one suitable for very small children. The tunnel slide is always a treat.
Playground sets get kids moving, but they are frequently designed with a theme in mind. One might look like a tree house with a cabin in the branches, or it could resemble a shop. This shop could have striped awnings at the top and a little service area at the bottom with a take-away booth where customers visit for wood chip ice cream. There will be bridges for pretending to be pirates, plus lookout points with binoculars.
Wood swing sets continue to be popular with kids. Modern versions are not the treated ones being ripped out of school yards today. These are safe wooden sets. Kids love the feeling of freedom they get when they are swinging. Not everything about a playground has to be educational or energetic. Even kids need to relax. Playground equipment is offered with features for different age groups, such as bucket or protected seats for little users. Tire swings are still great for playing ’round the world.’
