There’s nothing quite like a park to cure what ails us. How do you make sure you keep yours well-maintained all throughout the year?
From heavy duty park benches to the classic playground swing seat, a playground can’t simply be left to fester in the elements without some upkeep. Not only will this potentially discourage new visitors from setting up personal memories amid your commercial playground slides, you could even put children in danger with splintered edges or rust build-up. The art of play is a fundamental part of our lives, adults included, and a little effort toward keeping your commercial playground equipment sound will go a long way in keeping everyone happy.
What does play do for our health? Quite a few things. It’s a fundamental part of our brain development, essential in helping children grow up into stable and happy adults. Psychology studies have shown it’s extremely important for children to have regular access to ‘gross motor activities’ so they can flourish emotionally, physically and socially. Children who are not given this interaction within the first six years of their life run the risk of facing a lifetime of limited brain power, that of which can affect everything from their education to their own family.
Just how consequential is a lack of play on a child’s psychology? Research has shown children with poorly developed motor skills by the age of five will never develop them properly down the road. Outdoor play, however, is an easily accessible and very important environment to foster these skills. Motor skills essential to a child’s healthy development include running, jumping, climbing, handling simple objects and engaging in group activities like drawing, building or playing sports. Today’s children are struggling with gaining the proper amount of physical activity, setting them up for failure early on.
It’s thought as many as one-third of children reach the Sports And Fitness Industry Association’s classification of ‘active to a health level’. How much is this? A mere 25 minutes of high-calorie burning physical activity three times per week or so can do wonders for helping your child stay healthy. A recent study found two-thirds of parents actively worrying their child spends far too much time on electronic devices. The Kaiser Family Foundation saw children between the ages of eight and 18 spending four and a half hours per day watching television in one form or another.
While learning technology is incredibly important, being active and socially adept is something that shouldn’t be overlooked on your child’s personal journey. Children often spend less time playing outside than even their parents, with research finding children will play outside for a mere four hours per week compared to the eight hours their parents did when they were kids. The playground swing seat and plastic tire swing is more than just a hallmark of times long past. It’s a way to get children to engage with their natural development and allow them to flourish.
Creativity, gross motor skills, a larger circle of friends…all of these can be better found with the aid of a simple playground swing seat and tube slide set. There’s a reason you can find commercial playsets not just at your average school, but at dentist offices, large businesses and just about any park you go to. But it’s not enough to simply have a playset. You need to have plenty of replacement parts and playground supplies to supplement worn-out equipment or sets that aren’t drawing in the same numbers they used to. Failing to do so can put both adults and children at danger of hurting themselves.
Consider giving your playground swing seat set-up or playground trash cans another look to usher in the warm season. There’s a lot of potential to be found for both your business and every child that drops by with the urge to play.
