Safe Playgrounds for All Ages

Playgrounds are intended to serve children of all ages, the layout of pathways and the landscaping of the playground should show the distinct areas for the different age groups. The areas should be separated at least by a buffer zone, which could be an area with shrubs or benches. This separation and buffer zone will reduce the chance of injury from older, more active children running through areas filled with younger children with generally slower movement and reaction times. Having the proper fall-zone safety surfacing in those playground areas will also drastically decrease the chances of injury. Playground Safety Surfacing is the most important aspect of a playground design. 

In areas where access to the playground is unlimited or enforced only by signage, the playground designer should recognize that since child development is fluid, parents and caregivers may select a playground slightly above or slightly below their child’s abilities, especially for children at or near a cut-off age (e.g., 2-years old and 5-years old). This could be for ease of supervising multiple children, misperceptions about the hazards a playground may pose to children of a different age, advanced development of a child, or other reasons. For this reason, there is an overlap at age 5. Developmentally a similar overlap also exists around age 2. Playgrounds used primarily by children under the supervision of paid, trained professionals (e.g., child-care centers and schools) may wish to consider separating playgrounds by the facility’s age groupings. For example, a childcare facility may wish to limit a playground to toddlers under 2 exclusively and can draw information from this guide and ASTM F2373. A school, on the other hand, may have no children under 4 attending, and can likewise plan appropriately. 

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