Nowadays, children like to play in indoor playgrounds, but the appropriate amusement facilities will change with their age. Therefore, it is difficult to judge whether the existing equipment is suitable for a specific age group. Therefore, it is necessary to know the functional requirements of amusement equipment for each age group. The following will introduce you how to choose amusement equipment suitable for each age group.
Importance of choosing age-appropriate equipment
1. Promote physical development
Choosing the right equipment can provide children with appropriate physical exercise opportunities and help their physical development. For example, crawling tunnels, small climbing frames, slides playgrounds and other equipment in the early childhood stage can help to exercise children's coordination and balance; skipping ropes and basketball stands in childhood have a positive effect on children's bone growth; some challenging expansion training equipment in adolescence can enhance children's physical fitness.
2. Support cognitive development
Choosing equipment that is suitable for children's age can stimulate their curiosity, imagination and creativity, and promote cognitive development. Toddlers learn basic concepts through equipment with rich colors and sounds; children develop language, logic and social cognition through role-playing equipment; teenagers develop scientific thinking, spatial cognition and problem-solving skills from challenging equipment.
3. Improve social skills
Choosing age-appropriate equipment can also provide children with good social opportunities and help them learn to interact and cooperate with others. Young children can learn to share and communicate in simple interactive game equipment; children and teenagers can cultivate teamwork spirit and improve their social skills and emotional intelligence by participating in teamwork amusement equipment, such as multi-person swings and expansion training projects.
Playground equipment for all ages
1. when do kids start learning sliding age
Children aged 1-3 years old have poor coordination and balance, their skeletal muscles are still developing, their activities are limited and their cognition is shallow. Choose simple, gentle and colorful equipment, choose slides for infants and slides for 1 year olds with a lower height, generally about 0.5-1 meters high and with a gentle slope, and a soft ocean ball pool, which can exercise the sense of touch and bring a pleasant experience.
2. Childhood
The physical functions of children aged 4-6 years old gradually increase, and they begin to have more exploration and activity ability, and have certain motor skills and spatial perception ability. It is more appropriate to choose equipment that is challenging and interactive, such as climbing frames, which are generally about 1.5-2 meters high, and small trampolines, which help improve children's jumping ability and physical coordination.
3. Playground for 10 year olds
Children aged 7-12 years old have complete physical development, strong motor skills, adventurous spirit, logical and abstract thinking begin to develop, and social needs increase. At this stage, challenging and teamwork-oriented equipment is preferred, such as large slides with various slides to meet the stimulation needs, rope climbing facilities to train courage and perseverance, and expansion projects to cultivate children's cooperation and communication skills.
4. Adolescence
13-18-year-olds have bodies close to those of adults, strong athletic and reaction abilities, mature thinking, high self-awareness and social needs, and are keen on exciting challenges. Popular equipment includes roller coasters with high-speed flip elements, which can satisfy the desire for adventure; large water slides, slide parks, and surfing facilities bring water passion; competitive sports such as karting and archery can exercise reaction and psychological qualities, and are conducive to social interaction.
Determine if existing playground equipment is appropriate for specific ages
1. Age labeling
We need to check whether the equipment itself has a clear age label or recommended age range, which is a reference given by the equipment manufacturer based on design principles and safety standards.
2. Physical development needs
We need to analyze the equipment's requirements for physical ability. For example, equipment for toddlers should be suitable for their underdeveloped bodies, with more designs for sitting, climbing, and holding; equipment for teenagers can match their stronger athletic ability, such as high-intensity physical challenges or quick response requirements.
3. Cognitive and psychological characteristics
We can combine the cognitive and psychological development levels of children of different ages. Toddler equipment is often colorful and full of sounds to attract their attention; equipment for teenagers and young people may contain more strategic and competitive elements, which is in line with their pursuit of challenges and self-realization.
4. Risk factors
We need to check whether the equipment has factors that may pose a risk to children of a certain age. For example, if toddler equipment has sharp corners, large gaps, or too high a drop, it is easy to cause injury; and for older children, some equipment that is too fast or requires too much strength may be risky due to their lack of physical control.
5. Protective measures
Confirm that the protective measures of the equipment need to be adapted to the age of the child: the equipment for young children needs soft and comprehensive protective pads and fixing devices that are adapted to the body size; the equipment for older children focuses on preventing high-speed movement or collision risks.
6. Refer to user feedback
We can consult the playground staff, who usually have a certain understanding of the applicable age of the equipment, and have experience in observing children of different ages using the equipment, and can provide practical suggestions. Or we can communicate with other parents to understand their experience of using the equipment with their children, especially those whose children are close to the age group you are concerned about. Their feedback is more valuable for reference.
7. Conduct actual safety tests
Let the child experience the equipment for a short time, observe his or her expression, movements and emotions. If there is excessive fear, discomfort or inability to complete basic operations, it may mean that the equipment is not suitable for the age. At the same time, pay attention to whether the child's body, thinking and reaction ability match the requirements of the equipment, whether he or she can easily operate the control device, etc.
The above is to introduce to you what kind of equipment should be chosen for each age group. We at Tongle focus on the supply of children's playground equipment and are committed to adapting equipment for all age groups to facilitate everyone to choose the amusement equipment that suits them. If you have a favorite product, please contact us for a quote. Let your children unleash their imagination and feel the fun of childhood!
