One Size Fits All?
Not all playground equipment is appropriate for all ages.
by Donna Thompson, Ph.D., Susan Hudson, Ph.D. and Heather Olsen, MS

The weather’s warming up. After months of cabin fever, Megan and Jack can’t wait to hit the swings and slides again at their local park. Their parents can’t wait to let them burn off a little pent-up energy.

Should 8-year-old Megan and 3-year-old Jack play together on the same equipment? No. Unless parents want a fun-filled afternoon to turn to tears, they should keep in mind one simple point: one size does not fit all.

Both Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines and manufacturer’s standards state that playground equipment should be designed for ages 2-5 and 5-12. Currently there are no pieces of playground equipment recommended for children under the age of 2.

Keeping this in mind can help prevent an injury to your child. According to the CPSC, more than 200,000 children are injured on public playgrounds each year. About 30 percent (60,000) of those children are under the age of 5. They are often hurt by using equipment that is not developmentally appropriate for them.
Remember, children need to walk before they run. While equipment designed for preschoolers may not look exciting to you as an adult, keep in mind that your physical, emotional, social and intellectual characteristics are much different than that of your 3-year-old child. You need to have a child’s perspective, not an adult’s perspective, when looking at the playground.

How do you know what pieces of equipment are appropriate for your child? Use the following information to help you guide children to the appropriate equipment.

•Many public playgrounds now provide signs indicating which equipment is designed for what ages. Newer playgrounds should have labels on the equipment itself.

•If no signs are present, size and height of the equipment is a good indicator.
-Preschool children should never play on equipment above the maximum height of six feet. The most prevalent playground injuries to children under the age of 5 are to the face and head. This is because when they fall, they tend to fall face first.
-Never lift children up to equipment. If they cannot reach overhead rungs by themselves, it is a good indication that the equipment is not designed for their use.

•Do not put children under 5 on spiral or tube slides.
-Young children want to see the end point. Spiral slides with 360º turns prevent children from seeing where they are going. As a result, they may panic and try to climb out of the slide chute.
-Likewise, completely enclosed tube slides may scare children and they could refuse to go all the way down, sticking at a midway point.
Used correctly, playgrounds can help a child grow physically, emotionally, socially and intellectually. They should be places for children to enjoy a challenge, not face unnecessary risk to their health and safety. The following are illustrations that match children to developmentally appropriate equipment:

•Physical Development: For children ages 2-5, one physical aspect that can be enhanced through play is balance. Look for wide straight balance beams close to the ground. To add a physical challenge, look for beams that curve or increase in length. Adding height does nothing to increase challenge, but does raise the risk of injury from a fall. For children ages 5-12, look for ways to increase physical arm strength. One primary piece of equipment that can help in this area is a horizontal ladder. Complexity is added by increasing the spaces between rungs or adding curves.

•Emotional Development: Children ages 2-5 want to please adults. Therefore, expect children to ask you to watch them perform actions on the playgrounds. It may be as simple as watching them play with a steering wheel or a play panel. By the time children are 5-12, they want to engage in activities to impress their peers. Items like parallel track rides allow kids to race against each other to get to the other side.

•Social Development: Children ages 2-5 want to play alone. They may enjoy stacking blocks or moving the sand in the digger. However, children ages 5-12 want to play together. They may enjoy swinging to different heights, sliding down the slides parallel to one another, or climbing a rope, cable or pole as quickly as possible.

•Intellectual Development: Preschool-age children love repetition. That is the way they learn. Allow children to climb up ladders or steps and move down the slide frequently. At this level they benefit from swinging back and forth repetitiously. They are gaining confidence and increasing their skills. On the other hand, school-age children need more complex environments so that they have an opportunity to make choices. For example, they need to be able to choose among going down a sliding pole, across a horizontal ladder or down a slide. They need opportunities to scale a climbing device more than one way. They need more challenge including balance beams with angles, curves, increased length, a narrower base on which to walk, and places at the end to jump to, such as stepping pods.

Keep this information in mind the next time you take your children to a playground. Lead them to a safe environment with equipment that meets the challenges they’re ready for. Protect your children from the risk of using equipment that is too difficult for their age and abilities. Remember, one size does not fit all.

Donna Thompson, Ph.D., director; Susan Hudson, Ph.D., education director; and Heather Olsen, MS, project coordinator all work for The National Program for Playground Safety, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.