Communities are built with services and amenities that people need—for example, a post office, grocery store, and library. These and other community staples help create the fabric of a community. Communities without a playground for friends, family, and neighbors to gather are missing something. Playgrounds provide a free, safe, and engaging space for children, teens, and adults alike, which is why the benefits of playgrounds for community members abound.
What Is a Community Playground?
A community playground is built with the intention of being accessible to all members of a community. It's an outdoor gathering place where everyone is welcome. The goal of a community playground is to give people a social, physical, and cognitive outlet where they can safely roam, express their curiosity, strengthen their physical abilities, and interact with others in a fun, safe, and engaging environment.
Why Are Community Playgrounds Important?
Just as a library is an excellent resource for people of all ages, the same can be said for a playground. The benefits of playgrounds for community members match many of the benefits found in libraries, churches, schools, community centers, and similar community spaces. These are places where people feel inspired to learn, grow, share, and connect. Playgrounds pave the way for friendships to form and lasting memories to be made. The more community playgrounds that are in existence, the more chances children have to develop in myriad ways and the better chance a community has at strengthening its bonds.
Benefits of Community Playgrounds
The benefits of community playgrounds are numerous. Playgrounds are located in an outdoor space, which enables children, their friends, and their families to enjoy the natural world around them.
Another benefit is the exercise—both mental and physical—that children are afforded when they spend time on their community playground. In terms of physical exercise, a playground invites children to climb, run, swing, slide, balance . . . all these activities get their little hearts pumping, which is excellent news for their cardiovascular health.
In regard to mental exercise, community playground equipment is designed to encourage creative play. Playgrounds are a perfect place for children to "let loose" and play pretend, whether that entails them playing on their own or getting parents, siblings, and/or friends involved.
The benefits of playgrounds for community members do not go unnoticed—hence the reason everyone deserves access to a well-built one.
How to Build a Community Playground
If you're wondering how to build a community playground, your friends at EcoPlay Structures would be delighted to help.
Community playgrounds come in all shapes and sizes. Community playground equipment can even be themed. For example, a pirate ship-themed playground may involve a main structure coming in the form of a pirate ship, while components in and around it could include a helm, flags, and even play telescopes.
The key to designing a community playground that will beckon children and their families to use it regularly is to offer a wide variety of freestanding structures and components that permit all visitors to participate in the interactive and imaginative fun waiting to be had.
Community playground equipment features structures that can include steps, ramps, slides, rock climbing walls, monkey bars, and suspension bridges (just to name a few). Components that can be installed alongside structures include playground climbing structures, commercial water tables, and crawl tubes. Since your playground is being built to cater to everyone in your community, you may wish to consider adding inclusive components, which are ideal for neighborhood friends with physical and/or cognitive disabilities.
Community playgrounds can be fully customized to meet your needs and budget. Our team at EcoPlay Structures kindly recommends that you contact us for help, insights, and recommendations. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that community playground equipment accommodates various age groups and skill levels. Our experienced consultants will gladly walk you through the design process as well as address any concerns and answer any questions you may have.
The benefits of playgrounds for community members are plentiful, especially in regard to how they foster a sense of belonging. For this and other reasons, it's always our pleasure to help our customers envision, design, and install a playground that can be enjoyed by countless people for years to come.
About EcoPlay Structures
For nearly 20 years, EcoPlay Structures has been designing, manufacturing, and installing commercial playground equipment and amenities. That said, we know how to build a community playground that will make a positive impression on all visitors. The playground-wide lumber our company uses ensures that the upfront investment you make today offers you long-term value for the future. Customers continue to be impressed by the fact that our structures and playground components are by and large maintenance-free in that they do not require painting, treating, or sealing. We stand by our structures and their durability; they will never rot, rust, splinter, crack, swell, or degrade. To further enhance our commitment to those who place their trust in us, we offer a 50-year warranty on our EcoPlay® lumber, which is made from our proprietary blend of environmentally friendly materials and is used in place of wood, composite lumber, or steel for all structural components found in our structures. At EcoPlay Structures, we are proud to promote the benefits of playgrounds for community members.
Our Commitment to the Environment
Community members care about the environment, and so do we. At EcoPlay Structures, we would be remiss not to recognize that the children playing on our playgrounds today are the children who will be inheriting the environmental issues we face in the decades to come. That's why EcoPlay Structures is committed to helping communities like yours build playgrounds in an environmentally friendly way with the strictest safety standards in mind. We are proud to state that our EcoPlay® lumber is made from post-consumer, recycled milk jugs, which means that each playground we build gives us a chance to keep an impressive number of milk jugs out of landfills. While it's true that we strive to build community playgrounds that inspire creative play, we also strive to inspire entire communities to recognize the ways in which they can reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Contact Us
For more information about the commercial playground equipment offered at EcoPlay Structures, contact us by calling 470-280-7529 or email markm@ecoplaystructures.com today. Now that you're well-versed in the incredible benefits of playgrounds for community members, we hope you'll feel motivated to ensure that your own community has access to this mood-boosting, stress-reducing amenity.