Early start: Playgrounds For All

CEBU, Philippines - Playgrounds are important places for children. In playgrounds, children meet other children and learn how to share a common space. Playgrounds provide children with equipment where they can move in different ways, thereby developing their motor skills. Children also learn to assess situations and take on risk while navigating through a playground. Well-designed playgrounds will also stimulate children's creativity and imagination (one day the playground is a ship, another day a deep and dark forest) and develop their problem solving skills ("I want to get there but have to climb over this. How do I do it?").

When we think of playgrounds, we often think of different elements in an enclosed space: a swing set, a seesaw, a slide, and a monkey bar. We often buy these elements at the department store or have them made using metal and other expensive materials. In our country, access to a playground is often a luxury reserved for the more privileged.

But playgrounds do not have to be expensive. The organization Playground Ideas (www.playgroundideas.org) is an international non-government organization that designs and builds playgrounds in the developing world. Their playground are designed with the following principles to ensure that they are accessible to all communities and benefit all children:

1)First, when designing a playground, remember that this space will be used by children.

Ensure that the focus is on children's needs, interests, and their safety. Incorporate local culture and materials.

2)Use locally available materials, labor, and tools. Bamboo, used tires, rope are all strong, wonderful materials for playgrounds. Because they are readily available in the community, if any element in the playground needs to be repaired, it can be done quickly and at a low cost. Using local labor (preferably someone from the community) to build the playground also ensures that maintenance and repairs can be done easily.

3)Think about how many children will be using the playground. The minimum play space for children is .25 square meters.

4)The design of the playground should enable movement between elements. Some elements should be connected to each other to ensure good "flow". This will allow children to explore in different directions and ways each time they step into the play space. For example, if the monkey bar is connected to the slide by a tire bridge, children can run and climb from one to another.

5)Balance safety and risk. One thing is sure, children will fall and get their knees scratched while playing. This is inevitable and part of children learning to get up again. However, playground design must minimize "bad" risk, or risk that can lead to very serious injury. Elements should be place so they have a safe "fall zone", where children can fall without risking getting hit by another element (e.g. a swing). The fall zone should be covered in softer material such as sand, mulch, wood chips, pea gravel, or grass.

6)Playgrounds should provide some rest space and space for shade.

7)There should be a space/seating for adult supervision. This should be placed in an area where the supervisor can monitor the entire playground.

8)Natural elements and features such as trees, hills, and rocks can be incorporated into playground design.

This model of building playgrounds was currently implemented in the day care center in Sitio Dumalerio, Barangay San Isidro, Camotes. The playground was designed by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Dolores Aboitiz Children's Fund (DACF) Engineer Reah Cuevas. The materials (bamboo, nipa, old tires, rope, sand) were sourced from the barangay. The community, led by the barangay captain, provided the labor and built the playground in less than two weeks. After the playground was opened, children ran in and immediately began to play and enjoy.

If you are interested in learning more about designing a playground for your school or community, please contact RAFI DACF's Engineer Reah Cuevas at [email protected] 

The website of Playground Ideas (www.playgroundideas.org) also has many fun ideas and useful resources.