Kids require the ability to play with other kids for their social and emotional development. Every kid deserves the opportunity to have this experience. Unfortunately, older playgrounds may not have inclusive play options that allow all of the children a space to play. The good news is that there are ways that you can add inclusive play into an existing playground so that you don’t have to spend the money replacing everything. By reading on, you can learn how you can add these inclusive options so that every kid can play safely.
Evaluate the Current Playground Design
Before you can begin any retrofitting process, you need to carefully evaluate your existing playground, including considering the age of the current equipment. This is when you can determine whether or not your equipment is up to the current standards. This is important because it will ensure that your playground equipment is safe enough to upgrade for inclusive play. If it is, you can move on to incorporating inclusive play into your new design. If not, you need to make sure everything is up to current standards of safety before adding inclusive elements into the playground.
Add Sensory Components
Embedded sensory panels and events that encourage creative play are a great way to make a playground great for every kid that comes to the park. Sensory play is meant to engage all of the body’s senses, which helps regulate the sensory systems that are essential for coordinating movement and behavior in kids. There are plenty of different options that you can choose from here, allowing you to pick the perfect sensory panels for your existing playground.
One of the great things about adding these features is that this is an affordable way for you to add inclusiveness to your play. You can replace any outdated panels that need replacement with these items, allowing you to upgrade the playground set without having to spend a lot of money.
Add Free-Standing or Ground-Level Events
These are essential features to have because it means that your park will have features that are accessible for kids of all ages and abilities. Ground-level events are especially great for accessibility and generational play. Again, consider your current design and see where you can include these types of devices for your space.
You have several different options in this category that you can consider, depending on the space available for these features.
Conclusion
By working with a professional Preschool playground equipment company, you can utilize your existing playground design while still adding inclusive features that allow kids of all ages and abilities to play at the playground. This is important because all kids should have the opportunity to play in a playground and reap all of the benefits that playgrounds have in common. Inclusive play means that everyone can play together and develop the social and emotional skills essential to becoming functioning adults.
Austin Stanfel 