How to Choose an Age-Appropriate Playground

Wondering why our playgrounds are categorized by age? Trust us, there’s a reason! And we’ll help guide you on choosing age-appropriate play equipment for your community.

In an effort to provide high-quality and safe playgrounds for kids, our reputable manufacturers adhere to the playground safety guidelines set forth by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). These organizations set the guidelines for determining the types of playground equipment that is appropriate for kids within specific age groups: 6-23 months, 2-5 years, and 5-12 years.

We won’t go in-depth into details, but in short, this means we categorize our playgrounds based on the developmental stage, physical abilities, and sizes of children in each age group. You wouldn’t expect an infant or toddler to use the same play equipment as a 12-year-old, right?

When choosing a play structure for children, one of the most important factors you should consider is the age range of children that will use the play structure. Age-appropriate playground equipment is vital because it helps children advance intellectually, physically, and socially. Schools and child care centers can easily target this, while parks, churches, and other community areas would need to cater to a wider age range of children since the ages of children may vary.

Benefits of Playgrounds for Kids of All Ages

Choosing a playground that caters to all ages is beneficial to your site, families, and the community as a whole. Catering to all children makes your play environment a go-to place within the community. Families with children of all ages are able to go to the same place to play and explore. Once as young toddlers and as they grow into school-agers, there’s play equipment for kids that will be fun and challenging at each developmental stage.

Solutions for a Community Age-Appropriate Playground

When choosing a playground that’s appropriate for all ages, there are a variety of options to choose from that fit your budget and space.

Multiple Play Structures

If you have plenty of space to work with, consider incorporating multiple play structures that cater to each age group. This allows your play environment to have specific play areas based on age and ability, so it lowers the risk of younger ones getting knocked down by bigger, older kids. To add some additional play value, include some independent play items between the different play structures – they also help define the separate play spaces!

One Structure Option

If you’re tight on budget or space, you can still have a playground suitable for kids of many ages. We offer play structures appropriate for kids 2-12! Include some independent play components for younger kids as well as some physically challenging ones like monkey bars so the playground is fun for kids of all ages.

Need More Assistance?

Our team can work with you to create the playground you’ve been imagining. We’re available via email and phone. We look forward to hearing from you!