Playing outdoors has many proven benefits for children including physical, mental, and social. Physical benefits show reduced obesity rates because of the exercise children get from climbing and running. Mental benefits help children connect motor activities and sensory experiences, which leads to an increased amount of neural connections. Social benefits help children learn to cooperate and exercise self control. Children can increase their self-confidence when they master the equipment.
With all these benefits for children, besides the power to exercise their imagination, it is clear why childrens outdoor play equipment is so popular all around the world. Most equipment comes with a variety of slides, ropes, ladders, and even rock climbing. This equipment can come in a themed play system where it is all interconnected, or it can come separately. Some equipment that comes separately includes seesaws, swings, and merry-go-rounds.
Thrillers are children’s outdoor play equipment with exciting alternatives. Some slides are made for more than one child, are in spirals, or are covered. Ropes and ladders are often varying heights and materials, either rope or metal. Rock climbing walls are relatively short and often have plastic rocks with inserts for the hands on top. Seesaws can be standard, multi-seated, or themed with elephants or dolphins. Like seesaws, merry-go-rounds can be a plain platform, a seated platform, or a theme one like ducks or cycles. Out of the ordinary options include the walking barrel where children hold onto two handles and walk on a barrel, or the rock-n-roll where they walk in a wheel. There is a balancing bridge where children can walk across and balance with a rope they hold onto.
Children’s equipment is often separated by age group. The grouping is typically divided into years. For example, spring riders are animals with seats that are attached to springs, so children aged six months to one year can ride it. For the Thriller rides, the age group can vary from four years to twelve years. The age group is set for safety precautions. Some rides have different restrictions than others. Seesaws have a variation in age groups from three years to ten years.
