In today’s society, the importance of creating inclusive and safe play spaces for children cannot be overstated. In particular, it is crucial to ensure that girls have access to engaging, empowering and inclusive play environments. By fostering a welcoming atmosphere that encourages girls to explore, learn, and develop new skills, we can empower them to thrive both on and off the playground. In this article, we will delve into the significance of creating welcoming play spaces for girls, exploring the benefits, design considerations, safety measures, and community involvement that contribute to their success.

Recognising the importance of inclusive play spaces:

Play is not only a source of enjoyment but also a vital component of a child’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. However, gender stereotypes and biases often restrict girls’ play experiences, limiting their opportunities for growth and exploration. Creating welcoming play spaces provides girls with an environment free from these constraints, enabling them to express themselves freely and embrace their individual interests and abilities. 

As stated in our previous blog The Positive Effects For Mental Health That A Playground Can Bring a playground offer a multitude of ways to boost mental health whether it be through letting off steam, overcoming challenges or creating a safe space to meet friends. Creating a playground needs to ensure that all are welcome and able to continue to enhance happy and secure minds.

Playgrounds as inclusive and empowering environments: 

Thoughtful playground design plays a significant role in fostering girls’ engagement and enjoyment. By incorporating elements such as swings, benches, and monkey bars, we can create a well-rounded play space that caters to girls’ diverse interests and promotes inclusivity.

Swings: Swings offer a timeless play experience that can be enjoyed by children of all ages and genders. By including swings in the play space, we provide girls with the opportunity to experience the joy of soaring through the air, enhancing their sense of freedom and physical coordination.

Benches: Including benches strategically throughout the play area encourages social interaction and creates spaces for girls to rest, observe, and engage in imaginative play. Benches serve as gathering spots for friendships to flourish and provide a sense of inclusivity by inviting girls to connect with one another.

Monkey Bars: Monkey bars offer an exhilarating challenge that promotes upper body strength, coordination, and problem-solving skills. By incorporating monkey bars into the play space, we encourage girls to push their boundaries, build confidence, and develop resilience.

By offering a diverse range of play equipment, including swings, benches, and monkey bars, we ensure that girls have ample opportunities for exploration, physical activity, and skill development. It is essential to choose gender-neutral and non-stereotypical designs for these elements, allowing girls to feel included and empowered in their play experiences.

Ensuring safe play spaces for girls:

Safety is of utmost importance when creating welcoming play spaces for girls. Adhering to safety measures and standards, such as age-appropriate equipment and soft surfacing, minimises the risk of injuries. Additionally, providing adequate supervision and implementing secure environments allows girls to explore confidently, boosting their self-assurance and sense of independence. Lighting of a playground is something that we are seeing more and more of playgrounds. A well lit space we feel more secure  as well as allowing the space to be used all year round.

Fostering social connections through play:

Play spaces serve as platforms for social interaction and collaboration among children. By fostering an inclusive environment that breaks down social barriers, we can promote positive social connections among girls. Inclusive activities and games that encourage collaboration, teamwork, and problem-solving can help girls develop valuable social skills, empathy, and cooperation.

Engaging the community in creating welcoming play spaces:

Creating welcoming play spaces for girls requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including community organisations, schools, and parents. By involving the community in the design and implementation process, we can ensure that the play spaces truly meet the needs and preferences of the girls they serve. Successful initiatives and partnerships that promote girls’ participation provide inspiration and guidance for other communities looking to embark on similar endeavours.

Company Make Space for Girls quote that ‘It’s essential that ideas from the gender mainstreaming movement are brought into the decision making, design and planning process in the UK out of a need for equality, and to enable girls and
young women to take part in public space.’

Numerous organisations and communities have already implemented inclusive play spaces for girls, setting examples for others to follow. These initiatives often involve innovative approaches, design elements, and strategies that foster inclusivity and empowerment. By examining these case studies and success stories, we can gain valuable insights into how welcoming play spaces positively impact girls’ physical, social, and cognitive development.

Embracing the power of welcoming play spaces for girls:

By providing girls with welcoming play spaces, we equip them with the tools they need to thrive. They learn to assert themselves, challenge stereotypes, and embrace their unique abilities and interests. Moreover, these play spaces become platforms for social connection, where girls can build friendships, develop empathy, and cultivate essential social skills. It is our collective responsibility to advocate for and contribute to the creation of these inclusive spaces in our communities.

Remember, a well-designed playground with inclusive features not only accommodates girls’ interests but also provides a platform for them to challenge gender stereotypes and thrive in their playtime. Let us continue to design play spaces that embrace the diverse needs and aspirations of all children, fostering a sense of belonging and empowerment.

Playgrounds provide a key component to a child’s development, they offer a multitude of developmental opportunities for children to advance their skills and confidence. Whether it be emotional, physical, social or cognitive playgrounds are fundamental in helping children to play and practise their skills. With this in mind, skill-building and brain and body development can’t take place without safe, age and developmentally appropriate challenges.

As with all the playgrounds we design and install, we need to provide a safe environment that allows children to play freely whilst offering challenges that will not only test them, but in doing so teach them new skills. At PlayEquip we work closely with our clients and the prevailing safety concerns from parents, teachers and governors, along with increased regulations and standards, are at the forefront of our design process. This helps to ensure that all parties’ minds are at ease, but also offers as much fun and development opportunities for the children as possible.

Challenging yet safe

Incorporating more challenging elements within the playground shouldn’t come at the cost of a child’s safety. It is not something that needs to be compromised on, a one or the other conversation, but instead should be a balance that must be met by considering both. Arguably, the importance of providing developmentally and age appropriate playground equipment that helps children take risks takes just as high of a place as the safety of the equipment and child.

At PlayEquip we are committed to working with and complying with the EN1176 and other organisations to ensure that playground equipment products are safe for children. We’re also passionate about providing appropriate challenges to enhance a child’s development and truly believe that our site specific approach to playground design always gives a better outcome. Our playground equipment designs are key to making the balance between challenge and safety a possibility. We view playgrounds as a gateway to keep children away from dangerous hazards, whilst encouraging them to test their limits, learn to overcome challenges and take healthy risks

Our Robinia Climber Stack is a great example of how we offer children opportunities to challenge themselves in a multitude of ways by providing a piece of equipment and experience completely different from those offered by traditional play structures. This particular design offers a less apparent method of play and a more explorative way of use; this in turn allows the type of play to be more creative and help develop cognitive, social and problem solving skills.

We hope that designs such as this can provide appropriate challenges whilst ensuring safety, satisfying the children, parents and complying with regulations.

Our process

When working with clients; be it landscape architects, designers, schools or councils, we have a tried and tested process which has meant we can collaborate in a way that preserves the innovative designs whilst also ensuring safety and standards are kept to the highest spec. As we have been working with playgrounds for years we would consider ourselves to be experts in the field. When concepts are presented to us, we happily cast our eyes over the designs and are able to highlight any pitfalls and conflicting arrangements that may not be compliant with the EN1176. 

At PlayEquip we find working closely with our clients ensures that we are able to complete projects to a premium specification, ensure customer satisfaction and often exceed expectations. We have found the perfect balance of listening to our clients’ needs, understanding and delivering exactly what they need to help enhance and improve their spaces, working alongside each other.

Of course, we would never be able to give complete professional judgement over this which is why once we have collaborated with our clients we then organise for the designs to be assessed by an unbiased independent play safety inspector on desktop. This occurs before any manufacturing or any contractors are commissioned to ensure that there are no errors and to keep each project cost and time effective.

For bespoke designs in particular, our process involves the design and development of play structures and equipment in 3D CAD. One of the reasons we do design work in 3D CAD is to help us and the independent play safety inspector to fully understand our design intent before fabrication. Sometimes 2D drawings don’t reveal potential pitfalls in the design, these 3D drawings are desktop assessed by the independent play safety inspector and ourselves to make sure nothing has been overlooked.

Pre-completion inspection

Once our projects are 90% completed we organise another inspection by an independent play safety inspector. This is where any snagging issues, questions or unforeseen issues may have arisen. We choose to undertake this before it has been 100% completed as this is often before any safety surfacing has been installed. In doing so, this allows us to move pieces of equipment should it be needed and in turn another great time and cost effective practice. This is particularly important if the surfacing chosen is from our wet pour or rubber mulch range – having to dig this up once it has been installed can incur unforeseen costs and can be incredibly inconvenient for a client especially as it can be prevented.

A pre-completion assessment is also a great chance for clients to see whether they are also satisfied with how their final designs are looking, whether they would like to add anything else or simply to help reassure everything is being completed to a safe and high standard.

Post-completion inspection

Once all snags and potential safety risks have been amended we undertake a final post completion inspection via an independent play safety inspector. We ensure that a thorough examination of the playground is carried out and a final inspection report is given to our clients. This provides complete satisfaction and well-being on all sides, ensuring all parties involved are content with the project. 

This is our tried and tested technique to reassure the client, landscape architect and ourselves that all the t’s are crossed, i’s are dotted and to make sure everything that can be done to make sure the playground is safe is achieved.

For help in designing a safe and challenging playground for your community, school or organisation, get in touch with us via email or phone, we will be happy to help!

School playgrounds are an integral part of any child’s day. They are what all students look forward to to break up the day, reconnect with friends and the outdoors and let off steam. Time spent in the playground plays a fundamental role in all children’s development providing a great way to decompress any built up energy and emotions helping to increase focus when they return to the classroom lessons. 

A school playground is also a place where children learn to communicate with others, encouraging social development which goes hand in hand with expanding their emotional skills, speech and language and even cognitive and intellectual skills. Not only this, but a school playground can be a great tool to stretch a child’s imagination, help with learning organisation and also time management.

At PlayEquip we have acknowledged the great importance of school playgrounds which is why we have been working with schools throughout the UK to help enhance and improve their spaces, working alongside each one, understanding their needs and delivering exactly what they need.

Open ended play

More often than not we have councils, schools and private clients coming to us with great ideas for how they would like to use the space that they have, this is where our bespoke playground service is a perfect option. We are able to work alongside the client to tailor make layouts and structures that are site specific and make the most out of the space and budget that they have.

One of the many great advantages of our bespoke structures, and in fact our off-the-shelf products, is that we like to design and build pieces that help inspire imagination and promote open ended play. 

Open ended play has a multitude of important factors:

• Helps to encourage and teach independent play, freedom without rules
• Challenges the child to use their imagination, including investigation and problem-solving.
• Establishes confidence, patience and resilience, skills that feed into all forms throughout life.
• Increases the play value of equipment – one day it could be a ‘pirate ship’, the next it could be a ‘rocket’.

Test their skills

We understand that it may seem hard to cater to all ages within a school, making sure not to exclude any pupils whilst also staying within a budget. Trim Trails are the perfect answer for this, and a great way to get children having fun whilst also including an element of exercise and fitness. 

Exploring the varying pieces of equipment and environment sparks excitement and challenge as they tackle the series of obstacles, helping them build on motor skills, cognitive development and social skills.

With trim trails you are able to tailor your course to become an age-appropriate playground. Whether that be crossing a balance beam for EYFS, traversing swinging steps for KS1 or swinging across tricky monkey bars for KS2 pupils, our Trim Trail range has something that will push children of all ages to test their skills and build on their self-esteem as a result. 

Another great option is to choose from our selection of monkey bars, all of which can be adapted to a child’s needs and appropriate skill set. It has been found that the use of monkey bars has positive effects on the attainment of children during lesson time. Monkey bars help strengthen upper body muscles from fingers to back, improving posture allowing children to engage more effectively during lessons.

A lot of our products, including monkey bars, have been the result of working alongside teachers who have recognised areas of exercise and play that can be optimised.

Get musical

When space is at a premium, opting for a smaller piece of play equipment like our playground instruments may be a smart choice. Although playground instruments may not be an obvious choice when thinking about enhancing your playground, it is an incredible option with many advantages.

When a child has musical experiences, this brain activity can lead to a boost in cognitive development and in particular help to encourage the learning of reading and language skills. Not only that, learning an instrument helps to improve mathematical learning and aids academic ability.

Much like open ended play, introducing musical instruments into a child’s play helps children to explore and create on their terms, building their self-esteem and independence.

Offer a place to sit and recoup

As we all know, every child is different and has their own likes and dislikes so it makes sense to cater for the child that isn’t inclined to run around the playground during their break.

Offering a shelter with seating is a great way to provide solace from the hustle and bustle or even to simply cool down on a hot sunny day.

Our Playground Shelter is the perfect option for a hide-out, relaxing area or quiet outdoor space for school playgrounds, pairing it with a couple of sleeper benches makes for a great spot for all children. It could even be used during lesson time for outdoor learning.

Get in touch

At PlayEquip we understand that childhood should involve both time to explore, play and learn in order to build strengths, interests and skills. Get in touch today to discuss what you may be interested in or perhaps we could help suggest what may work for you.

At PlayEquip there is nothing we like to get our teeth stuck into than a site specific play structure. The artistic licence, the conceptual designs and, most importantly, the happiness and amazement from our clients upon seeing the finalised project. 

Bespoke

‘Bespoke’ can be a daunting word for many. Clients have often perceived ‘bespoke’ and ‘site-specific’ as a gamble – on their time, on the longevity of the structure and even a gamble on whether they will get what they are looking for. However, we at PlayEquip like to see it as a service that helps a client get exactly what they are in need of, whilst still offering the same reassurance, durability and low maintenance as if  they would have bought our ‘off the shelf’ products.

Components

As with PlayEquip’s off the shelf products, the components used for the site specific play structures are tried and tested. The oak timbers used provide a guarantee of 15 years with the potential of up to 25 years of use along with the stainless steel fixings and steel substructures providing 20 years of guaranteed durability. All of which is an incredible time span considering other alternatives can provide as little as 10 years of use, not to mention the aesthetic becomes outdated far sooner. 

Clients have noted how they enjoy how we incorporate steel substructures and ground fixings into wooden equipment. Using the timber to clad and soften the appearance and steel components, substructures and fixings to increase the structures’ durability it allows for a natural aesthetic of wood whilst giving the client the reassurance of structural strength and durability of steel.

Maintenance

At PlayEquip we have a multitude of maintenance teams situated around the country ready to ensure that maintenance is quickly and efficiently carried out. No job is too big or small as we strive to not only finish a project with a happy client, but continue to keep a happy client. 

All of the parts used with both our ‘off the shelf products’ and bespoke products are also easily accessible meaning that any upkeep and tweaks are able to be completed with little waiting involved.

Semi-bespoke

We also offer a semi-bespoke design service, adapting ‘off the shelf’ designs free of charge to make the most of all spaces and budgets. A great example of this is the Triple Platform Climbing Frame, this piece of equipment can be adapted in a multitude of ways – adding height, swapping or changing obstacles and adding extra pieces to it such as a climbing wall or platforms.

PlayEquip bespoke and semi-bespoke play structures and equipment cater to all spaces and environments to provide unique site specific pieces. 

Why we are different

Our company thrives on a challenge with years of experience of beautiful site specific bespoke designs and building awe inspiring play structures. From inclusive wooden ramp structures for all abilities to conceptual pirate ships suspended from pillars. PlayEquip’s designs use tried and tested methods of construction and component parts that have the durability of ‘off the shelf’ products which can equally be easily maintained.

Communication

Ultimately, the best way for clients to get exactly what they are looking for is to get in touch and let us know about their requirements and ideas. This way we are able to work closely with each client to ensure the brief is not only met, but exceeded.

At PlayEquip, we believe a bespoke site-specific approach is often the best way to optimise any budget and to help a play space reach its maximum potential.