Designing a playground and finding the right outdoor playground equipment for your school can be tough to do. You need to ensure your playground is beneficial in both a playful and developmental sense and this takes a little more time and research than first thought.
Not only do you need to find the right supplier, but you’ll also need to consider the purpose, and your school’s or commercial area needs, such as age, space, zoning and much more.
See our guide to choosing and designing the right playground, or contact our design team experts for assistance.
Research Before Designing a Playground
Researching for a playground equipment supplier will help you get the equipment you need, but designing the playground can be the trickier part of the process. Here are some considerations you need before starting the process:
User Age
The general age of your intended users will have a huge impact on the type of equipment you look to install. While we may offer a wide selection that caters to all age ranges, you will need to specify whether you need EYFS playground equipment or pieces more suitable for older children.
If however, you intend on creating a playground that caters to a variety of ages – while this may be difficult, it isn’t impossible.
Getting a playground design team could help you the most, creating a bespoke style playground that will help cater to the variety of ages you need it for.
Available Space
This will be a hugely important factor to consider, as you’ll need to decide just how much equipment you can fit into your playground area. There must also be required space between each piece of equipment – otherwise known as safety space.
Ask yourself the following questions in the research phase: Do you have a large open space or are we dealing with an area that’s a little more compact?
Do we need to make the most of what we have?
While smaller playgrounds may take some work, they can still provide a nourishing and enriching area for children. Again, our team is very adept at making the most of every space.
Budget
As with everything in life, it always comes down to budget. Having a clear–cut idea in mind about how much you can spend will make your choices easier. Not only will you have a rough idea of just how many pieces you can have in the available space but you’ll then be able to prioritise those pieces.
Top Tips for Designing A Playground
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Playground Versatility
Creating a versatile playground is key, particularly with smaller spaces. Multi-use zones will enhance your space for more than a single purpose, making use of the area for different purposes. This could be a multi-use games area that can be used for a variety of sports and P.E. lessons to enhance physical development, or you can install an outdoor learning space that can double up as a quiet seating area during breaks.
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Types of Play
For child development purposes, a playground needs to incorporate different types of play equipment for example:
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- Sensory play: Having a variety of textures to touch in the playground can help children learn. From sandpits to mud kitchens, children can learn about the world around them through touch.
- Active play: Incorporating children’s gym equipment and fun ways to exercise will promote increased activity in the playground, which contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
- Socialisation: Increased social play at all children’s ages are key to increasing communication skills. From playground games to benches, there are a few ways to encourage children to talk and play together.
- Imaginative play: Playground can be used to increase or encourage a child to use their imaginations. Equipment and structures can be used for children to make up stories and role-play through games.
- Creative play: Utilising equipment for creative play extends and encourages creativity in the playground. Drawing, building or making music are perfect ways that playground equipment can help enhance creativity.
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Piecing Areas Together
Whether you’re building a brand-new playground or replacing an area, it is important to consider how each area flows into one another. Some key factors include grouping areas of play cohesively, assessing the viewpoint of the playgrounds for parents, adequate seating near high-energy pieces for breaks, types of playground surfacing for each area, enough space between areas to avoid clashing and the nature around the playground.
You want to create a safe space for all that is enjoyable and practical to use.
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Inclusive Spaces
Inclusive playground equipment ensures all children can have access to play. For example, if you’re looking for a trampoline, you can make it a sunken trampoline to ease difficulties getting onto the equipment. Also, you can opt for different sizes, such as a DDA swing or roundabout so wheelchair users can join in.
Considering physical and developmental disabilities can help more children have access to play and socialise with their peers.
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Creating A Usable Space For Everyone
When creating a playground, adding personalised touches, working with location and ensuring everyone can enjoy it is important. If you’re looking for a new school playground, for example, working with the surrounding nature and opting for wooden equipment in a more woodland area keeps in line with aesthetics. For commercial playgrounds, you want a playground to encourage a sense of community and belonging. Ensuring parents also have adequate and comfortable seating areas that can see most of the playground helps them ease and socialise with each other, too.
What are the Steps to Making A Playground?
As mentioned, the steps to making a playground can be a lengthy process and task. The typical steps include the following:
- Define your playground purpose: Who is using it? What type of play will it be used for? Why are you redesigning or creating?
- Have a brief design idea: Start to think about the look you would like, subtle woodland design or bright, colourful and sensory?
- Set your budget: It will be easier to define your playground goals and work alongside a playground supplier when you know your budget.
- Find your supplier and design team: Our playground experts will help you from initial ideas to design to installation and beyond. Providing a free quotation will give you full transparency of the work involved.
- Finalise the order: Place your equipment order and book an installation date.
- Playground installation: It’s time to install the new playground! Having an experienced team of installers will make the process run smoothly, with minimal disruption.
- Playground Maintenance: Maintaining a playground is important to comply with safety regulations.
Contact Sovereign Play to Design Your Playground
Creating and designing the perfect playground is no easy task but with our incredible team behind you, it’s going to be a lot easier than you first thought.
We’ll help you create the best possible playground that not only fits in the space available, complete with safety space, but we’ll also ensure it stays within budget and caters to your desired age range.
If you have any questions or to book a free quotation with our specialist team, contact us online or call us on 01702 804200.
