Constructing a Commercial Playground: Tips and Tricks

Commercial playgrounds will not only enhance your  school, church, or park, but they also will add value to the community at large. When you invest in a thoughtful playground design and create an inclusive play space, you will find that those who frequent your property are able to enjoy a safe, family-friendly atmosphere. Playgrounds benefit children because they promote physical activity and social interaction in a fun, interactive and secure setting.

Importance of Playgrounds

It's often said that play is the work of childhood, and playgrounds provide the perfect place for children to build the foundational skills they will need to succeed for the rest of their lives.

Playgrounds play an important role in any community because:

Playgrounds Allow Children to Live Active, Healthy Lives

Children of all ages have energy to burn, but all too often, they do not have the space they need to get the physical exercise their bodies and minds crave. A commercial playground can quickly become a community space where children can safely get the activity that they need to improve their physical health.

Some of the physical health benefits of playgrounds include:

• Allowing children to improve their balance and flexibility.
• Promoting muscle growth and development.
• Improving cardiovascular health and lung development.
• Enhancing the development of gross motor skills.

Playgrounds Aid in Social Development

Young children are just beginning to navigate the world around them, and they need to interact with their peers in order to develop the social skills that they will rely on for the rest of their lives. A commercial playground, in particular, can be a gathering spot for children of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Not only will children come to the playground with their friends that they know, but they also will meet new peers on the playground and quickly form connections with them.

Some of the social benefits of playgrounds include:

• Teaching children how to cooperate and play with others.
• Providing children with opportunities to resolve their own conflicts.
• Giving children a chance to practice their patience as they take turns with others on the playground.
• Allowing children to form friendships and recognize the beauty of diversity in their own community.

Playgrounds Improve Emotional Well-Being

Playgrounds provide a place where children can engage in unstructured and even less-supervised play with their peers, which can improve their emotional health in many ways, such as:

• Giving them a natural self-confidence boost as they navigate the equipment.
• Providing them with an opportunity to make their own choices and have a sense of control.
• Allowing them to take on challenges and overcome adversity.

Benefits of a Commercial Playground

By investing in a commercial playground for your school, church, business or retail space, you are investing in your community. These are a few of the benefits of building a commercial playground:

• Commercial playgrounds add value to the community by providing an affordable and accessible space for residents to gather and connect with one another.
• Commercial playgrounds will provide children with a safe and enjoyable place to play without traveling far from home.
• Depending on the type of property that you have, commercial playgrounds also will be a beneficial feature for adults who frequent your building.
• Commercial playgrounds can strengthen the relationship that your organization has with the larger community.

Planning a Playground

The first step in building a commercial playground is the planning phase. During this time, you will want to thoughtfully consider a variety of factors before you make any decisions regarding overall design, equipment or surfacing material.

When you begin dreaming about your commercial playground, you will also want to start doing your research. You will want to know what local laws and regulations are in place before you begin purchasing equipment and excavating the landscape. Your local municipality will have more information about the guidelines you must adhere to.

In addition, you will want to evaluate what types of play spaces and park areas exist within your local community. Study the existing playgrounds, and think about what your community might be missing. You also will want to consider the target needs of your visitors and guests. A church that needs a playground for nursery school students may require a different type of playground than an elementary school.

Finally, you will want to evaluate your budget and determine what funding will be necessary to move forward. It's very important that you have a budget in place before you begin designing your commercial playground.

Designing a Playground

Once you have the logistics in place, the fun part can begin — it's time to design your commercial playground. There are a lot of decisions to make, and each one has to be considered carefully. When you are designing a playground, you will need to:

• Evaluate the space that you have available, and consider the layout that you want for your playground. The space that you have as well as the landscape of the local area will have a major impact on the type of equipment that you choose.
• Think about the target age range for your commercial playground. There are height requirements in place depending on the age of the children who will be using the playground, so you will want to keep this in mind before finalizing your equipment decisions.
• Consider the various options that you have with equipment. This is particularly important if you are trying to build an accessible playground that is appealing to children of all ages. Generally speaking, you will want to choose pieces of equipment that feature different accessories, such as slides, swings, climbing structures and more. The equipment that you choose will depend heavily on the space that you have available and the age range that you are focusing on for your playground.
• Prioritize playground surfacing when finalizing your design. Playground surfacing plays a pivotal role in the overall success of your commercial playground, as parents and caregivers are often seeking spaces that are safe, inviting and enjoyable. Poured in place rubber, for instance, is a more significant financial investment, but it offers versatile color options and is known for its extended lifespan. Loose fill surfacing is affordable, durable and eco-friendly, but it often needs more maintenance over its lifetime.

Maintaining a Playground

The work doesn't stop once your commercial playground has been built. Maintaining your playground is critical, as it will ensure that it is always a safe place for children to enjoy. Not to mention, proper maintenance will extend the lifespan of your equipment and allow you to maximize your investment in your commercial development.

You can properly maintain your new commercial playground by:

• Scheduling regular inspections to ensure that all equipment is safe to use at all times.
• Quickly identifying issues or concerns so that any affected equipment can be repaired or replaced.
• Working with your maintenance team to ensure that debris is removed from the playground on the regular basis, and that it is always a clean place to play.
• Verifying that your playground surfacing material is in good working condition. Some surfacing materials, such as loose fill surfacing, will need to be refilled to maintain proper fall height requirements.

Get Started with Robertson's Playground Surfacing

Before you can install that twirling slide or the fantastic tree house that is accessible to all children, you will need to have the right playground surfacing material in place. At Robertson's Recreational Surfacing, we offer the best playground surfacing materials for a commercial playground, including poured in place rubber, bonded rubber, synthetic turf, rubber tile and loose fill surfacing. From affordable surfacing materials that are easy to install to colorful, long-lasting surfacing options that will enhance your playground, we have everything you need to design the commercial playground of your dreams.

For more information about our products, contact Robertson's Playground Surfacing today and receive a customized quote for your project.