If you are responsible for purchasing equipment for a school playground or city park, you may be researching different types of park equipment. One of the types of equipment that is gaining in popularity is obstacle courses for kids.
In addition to typical play equipment, such as climbing structures, slides and swings; playgrounds and parks are opting for obstacle courses. These courses may include things such as climbing towers, breakaway footwork equipment, sprawl walls and crossway climbers. The reason these items are gaining in popularity is because there are numerous benefits to kids who play on this type of equipment. Here are some of those benefits.
One of the most notable benefits associated with obstacle courses for kids is that they encourage kids to exercise while also working with different muscle groups. Obstacle courses allow kids to work everything from legs to arms to core muscles. This helps children to develop strength in different parts of their body; providing them with a full body workout.
Another benefit associated with obstacle courses for kids is that they can help children with motor skills, coordination and balance. Children need to develop and use a lot of different skills to make it through an obstacle course, and the skills that are used can vary based on the age of the child.
As a child is making their way across a balance beam, climbing a net climbing structure, or leaping on breakaways, they learn different types of skills that they can use throughout life, especially if they plan on playing sports.
One of the lesser-known benefits of obstacle courses for kids is that obstacle courses force children to look at a piece of equipment and figure out how they are going to get over or through that equipment. They have to solve problems. If they are playing on the equipment repeatedly, they may also use their memory to remember how they got through the obstacle in the past. As such, obstacle courses not only work the body, but they help to strengthen different skills within the mind.
The final benefit associated with obstacle courses for kids is that these types of courses encourage children to work together and communicate. While a child can play independently on the equipment, there are usually multiple kids playing together on a piece of equipment. Children can interact, talk to each other and encourage each other to get through different parts of the obstacle course. They may have to work on their communication skills to help other children make it through the obstacle course or to guide a child over a specific piece of equipment on the course.
Here at May Recreation, we specialize in bringing you the playground and park equipment that you need to ensure kids have a place to exercise their bodies and maximize their brain power. If you are looking to design a new playground or park, including obstacle courses for kids provides many benefits. Reach out to us and let's work together to create a fun, safe and engaging play area for children of all ages.