The meaning of play matters significantly in shaping young children’s skills and creativity and it creates the opportunity to bring out the best in every kid. Before ensuring that your children test their limits and strengths through fun and play, you need to take into consideration the factor, SAFETY. Children love to test their limits, but often don’t know where those limits are. Watch your child play and guide them to age-appropriate equipment:
- Check for dangerous points: When you enter a playground, whether it’s your first time or your sixth, take a moment to check your surroundings. Look for dangerous equipment and advise your child to avoid it. Check the surface of the park; rubber, sand, and wood chips provide good cushioning for falls and should extend more than three feet beyond each piece of equipment.
- Help your child play safely: When you spot potential dangerous points, explain them to your child so they know what to avoid. Also, make sure to remove any hazards your child brings to the playground.
In addition, you need to be aware that Commercial Playgrounds, the ones that are intended for public use, should be certified and aligned with the standard EN-1176 and likewise, the safety surface should follow the standard EN-1177. This way, the playground owner ensures that the area and the units that are in it have been designed and installed in a proper way and that minimises the risk of potential accidents for our little fellows.
