Summary Report Rough Draft (Playground Importance to Child Development)

Ryan Farias           Why Playgrounds Are Important for Child Development

Playgrounds are everywhere. You see them at schools, on streets, near beaches, they’re easy to find. The majority of the time, you see children of all different ages on these playgrounds.  There could be teenagers shooting hoops with their friends. You could see kindergarteners on the swing set, with their parents pushing them. You might catch a glimpse of a kid on his or her own, using the slide. Normally, it’s a little part of childhood. It’s just a place where kids go to play; a way for a child to go outside, run around, and have some fun. When you stop to think about it, and do a little research, you’ll find that it is a crucial part of child development.

There is a ton of research out there about what playgrounds do for children. Just going outside to play, in itself, is something that children greatly benefit from. “Research shows us that many of the fundamental tasks that children must achieve, such as, exploring, risk-taking, fine and gross motor development and the absorption of vast amounts of basic knowledge, can be most effectively learned through outdoor play” (Adams, et al. 4). This goes to show that playing outside can help the psychological development in children.  Playing outside also helps children physically develop, especially with playground equipment. For example, “…there is the climbing equipment such as the jungle gym that challenges the child to pull himself upwards coordinating hands and feet with his body strength”(Hollman, Ph.D). In fact, in a study of preschoolers on the playground, it was found that physical play was the most positively related to social competence, or the ability to start and maintain a positive social interaction (Veiga, et al. 2, 12). This supports the fact that the playground makes a great place for children to socialize. They build social skills, especially when they make up games to play. “Children learn to negotiate, compromise, work together, and also to control themselves and tolerate their frustrations in a social setting because without abiding by the invented ‘rules’ the child cannot continue to play successfully with their peers”(Duerr Evaluation Resources 3). Not only do children have fun with themselves, but they have fun with potential friends they meet.

With this new generation of personal devices and video games, though, there are increasingly more children that are staying inside. “According to research, children ages 2 to 5 spend close to 25 hours of TV time each week” (Adams, et al. 5). These children are missing out on not just the fun of being outside, but also the opportunity to improve themselves physically, mentally, and socially. Plus, playing outside is more encouraged by professionals than using personal devices, anyway. So, “What is a simple thing to do that encourages child development? Go to the local playground!!”(Hollman, Ph.D)

Works Cited

Solomon, Susan G. The Science of Play: How to Build Playgrounds That Enhance Children’s Development. University Press of New England, 2014.

The book The Science of Play: How to Build Playgrounds That Enhance Children’s Development provides an argument by the author of the problems with today’s playgrounds, specifically those that interfere with the psychological development of children. The book also gives solutions to these problems. This source is credible because it is published by the University Press of New England.

 

Veiga, Guida, et al. “Social Competence at the Playground: Preschoolers during Recess.“ Infant & Child Development, vol. 26, no. 1, Jan/Feb2017. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/icd.1957.

This journal entry refers to a study of preschool students during their recess time. The goal of this study was to find a specific kind of play that significantly affects social competence. This source is credible because it was published by Infant & Child Development.

 

Hollman, Ph.D. Laurie. “How Outdoor Playgrounds Affect Child Development.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017,

This online article talks about children playing on specific playground structures, such as the sandbox, or the swing set. It also talks about how each structure helps with child development. This source is credible because it was written by a Ph.D Infant-Parent and Child Psychoanalyst.

 

Adams, Christy, et al. The Importance of Outdoor Play and Its Impact on Brain Development In Children. 2016, pp. 1–24, The Importance of Outdoor Play and Its Impact on Brain Development In Children.

This college report talks about the benefits of playing outside on the development of the brain of children of different age groups. It also gives ideas for outdoor play at home for these age groups. This source is credible because it was published by the University of Missouri–Kansas City.

 

Duerr Evaluation Resources . “The-Benefits-of-Playgrounds-for-Children-Aged-0-5.Pdf.” 27 May 2003.

This research paper talks about the importance of outside play, physical, and mental, for children age 5 or below. It also talks about how playgrounds help with physical and mental development for these children. This source is credible because it was written published by Duerr Evaluation Resources.