Over two-thirds of America’s children have all available parents in the workforce. This gives day care centers a vital role in shaping our kids’ futures. Millions of kids spend some of their most formative hours at a day care center, where the staff and facilities support their developing minds and bodies. At day cares that have them, the greatest strides in growth often happen on the playground. Here are some of the most significant benefits and advantages of having a playground at your day care.

1. Promote Inclusivity

Everyone is welcome on the playground. With the right equipment, a playground can encourage kids of different backgrounds and abilities to play together. Consider accessibility and inclusivity when choosing playground equipment for your day care. Playground equipment that meets or exceeds compliance standards from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows every child at your day care center to join in the fun, fostering a community that celebrates diversity.

The ADA requires a playground to have:

• An accessible path from the building to the play area’s edge
• An accessible path from the play area’s edge to the equipment
• Safety surfacing compliant with ASTM 1951 standards
• Equipment accessible with a mobility device
• Equipment featuring mobility device transfer stations
• Ground-level equipment making up roughly 25% of the playground
• Ramps onto play areas

2. Fuel Creativity

A playground is the perfect canvas for a developing imagination. Day care playgrounds encourage creative, imaginative play. Themed play areas are especially powerful fuel for imagination, inviting kids to invent thrilling role-play scenarios. For example, a safari-themed playground encourages young minds to imagine interacting with or pretend to be the wild animals they are learning about in lessons.

3. Enhance Physical Activity in Day Care

Day care playgrounds allow children to improve their health and physical skills while having fun. Day care play area benefits for physical health include:

• Gross motor skills: Most playground equipment is designed for kids to use their fundamental gross motor skills, including climbing, balancing, jumping, swinging and hanging.
• Fine motor skills: Some playground equipment also helps kids practice fine motor skills. Kids engage these skills when using their grip and coordination with monkey bars, ladders and sandboxes.
• Cardiovascular fitness: An active play session on the day care playground elevates a child’s heart rate, developing their cardiovascular health and fitness. Cardiovascular exercise through play is also crucial for preventing childhood obesity and reducing the risks of lifestyle-related illnesses later in life. Childhood obesity affects nearly 1 in 5 American children and predicts an array of other health problems, making active play vital to better health outcomes.
• Musculoskeletal development: The playground allows kids to engage their whole bodies in fundamental movements that support healthy muscles and bones as they grow.

4. Develop Cognitive Abilities

Early childhood playground experiences benefit cognitive health as kids grow. Playground games challenge kids to develop decision-making, focus, executive functioning and other cognitive skills. They also teach kids about cause and effect, gravity and force in a fun, embodied way. Activities like swinging, spinning and sliding help develop a child’s brain and nervous system by stimulating their visual, balance and body awareness functions.

Having an outlet for their energy at day care can also help kids improve their focus during lesson times, meaning they get quality learning experiences inside and outside the classroom.

5. Apply Social Skills in Day Care

Playgrounds are important spaces for kids to develop their social skills by interacting and playing with others. They encounter different perspectives and learn fairness in negotiating with other viewpoints.

Interactive games rely on collaboration, conflict resolution, sharing, turn-taking, communication and forming new relationships. These are the same social skills they need to maintain healthy relationships at home, school and work as they grow up.

6. Enrich Emotional Well-Being

Emotional intelligence is essential for children’s well-being. Day care playgrounds help kids develop confidence, impulse control and self-esteem. On the playground, kids learn the joy of taking considered risks, the sense of triumph when they succeed and the discovery that fun can continue even when things don’t go according to plan.

The playground also offers a healthy outlet for stress and frustrations, teaching kids how to cope with negative feelings constructively. Research shows that outdoor play lowers cortisol levels in children, providing both physical and emotional benefits through stress relief.

7. Expand Play Possibilities

Day care playgrounds offer scope for kids to explore different kinds of play, each with distinct benefits:

• Sensory play: This style of play promotes healthy minds by stimulating the senses. Children develop their sensory perception and discover how it feels to interact with the world in different ways while enjoying a rich play experience. Playground equipment with stimulating colors and textures can encourage sensory play.
• Free play: This style of play involves kids taking the initiative to craft their own play experiences. Instead of adults defining the structure and rules, the kids can experiment with self-guided play. Free play develops creativity, leadership qualities and maturity in children. Kids can use playground equipment in various ways rather than sticking to a predefined game, making free play possible. Young kids should get at least an hour of unstructured physical play daily.
• Imaginative play: This style of play is similar to free play, with the addition of role play and imaginative scenarios. Imaginative play is crucial for developing moral character and empathy. Explore themed playground equipment to encourage imaginative play at your day care center.
• Active play: This style of play involves physical movement and exercise. Day care outdoor play gives kids the opportunity to challenge their bodies in safe and fun ways, laying the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle as they grow up.

Day Care Playground Benefits for Centers

The positive impact of a playground on children is also an advantage for the day care center. If an area has more than one day care center available, parents will choose the one they believe is best for their kids. If yours boasts a quality playground, parents will take this into account. A well-equipped playground shows parents that your day care does its part to keep kids healthy and happy.

Along with the competitive advantage, a playground supports your day care’s daily operations. Children who use their excess energy on the playground will likely be calmer and more obedient during lessons and mealtimes, removing unnecessary pressure from facilitators.

Unlock Child Care Playground Advantages With Soft Play®

If you want to install playground equipment for your day care center, Soft Play has everything you need to unlock the advantages of a whimsical day care playground. We’ll create custom, colorful, innovative playground designs for your day care center. As a global leader in playground solutions with installations in over 60 countries over four decades, Soft Play is your perfect playground partner.