New playground!

The K2 children have been absolutely loving the new playground set since they've been back at school! Instead of a climbing frame that is set into the ground, the different parts i.e. cubes, ladders, planks, etc. can be reconfigured in numerous ways to create a different playground every time. In fact, the children themselves have been taking apart the playground equipment and re-attaching parts onto other pieces. This encourages children to be agentic in their play and taps into their creativity and design thinking, as well as other developmental areas such as:

• A wide range of gross motor skills
• Imaginative and social play with others
• Risk and adventure in their play and movement 

Let's take a deeper look into each of the above areas and see how our new playground supports the children's play. 

Gross motor skills

In the pictures above, we see children developing stability. When crossing planks and ladders with their bodies, they are engaging in dynamic balance- this is when the body maintains balance whilst moving. During movement, children have to manage instability by constantly shifting their center of gravity especially when moving over a narrow base of support such as a wooden plank. As children gain an increasing sense of body control, they become more aware of how their body moves and in turn develops steady balance when moving.

The playground parts also encourage children to move at different levels, sometimes upright, while at other times lowering their center of gravity so that they're crawling. This supports their development of body coordination and forward planning as they decide how to safely navigate through the playground!

Risk & Adventure

The way the playground is configured, there aren't necessarily handrails or fencing, which promotes a healthy element of risk-taking. Children learn to judge for themselves what they're comfortable with, and to assess for risk in their environment. Research shows children are less likely to get injured because they are habitually observing their environment and making safe decisions for themselves. It also supports children to set their own goals such as getting out of their comfort zone and getting across a new ladder!

In the above picture, a child is jumping off a cube at a height- this simple locomotive action is not only a thrill, but actually requires skill in taking off with two feet and safely landing with bent knees. This can take some practice!

Imaginative & social play

The way the playground parts are configurated, it is very open-ended and there are no clear entry and exit points. Because of this, children are given ample opportunities to use social language to work out scenarios involving turn taking, being patient, and even teamwork (especially when moving parts around!) 

We are excited to explore all the learning and play opportunities our new playground provides. Because the playground is changeable, every day is a new day for outside play :)