Play prepares for life - How to offer optimal educational experiences for children

What educational experiences are you able to achieve on a school playground?

Playing is so much more than just an enjoyable activity for children - it can also help develop physical, social, emotional, and cognitive skills. Physical motor skills are strengthened when you climb, run, swing, and slide, while interactions between peers in a play environment teach the basics of communication and social integration. Emotional growth comes from feeling part of a group and developing such key cognitive abilities such as memory recall (short-term or long-term), principles of logic to make decisions and solve problems effectively, creative idea generation through visual thinking processes plus concentrated focus on tasks at hand.

3. Motoric tracks on school playgrounds for developing physical motor skills

Motoric tracks provide endless play (=exercise!) as it encourages going round and round. The skill to cross the assumed centre line of the body is a prerequisite for the child to learn to read and write. This allows the child to create handedness and ability to do daily activities such as cutting with scissors. That's why climbing is the most effective activity during breaks at schools.

The look of motoric tracks is not childish, making it street credible enough also for the teenagers. To test abilities and skills on a climbing frame, prepares the user to face a chance. Therefore, it provides a natural way to learn to avoid possible danger.

How does playful learning benefit children? 

Playful learning, also known as play-based learning, can be based on exercise and movement. It`s been scientifically proven, that physically active children have more active brain cells. This helps to absorb the information better. With Lappset playground equipment, you`ll get the children to be more active with the help of physical games and problems, or children can decide their own how they are moving during lessons. 

Suppose the educational experience in question requires more cognitive skills, like imaginary play or roles. In that case, Lappset`s outdoor classrooms and playground equipment structures with the surrounding nature offer children a great way to experience learning and get some fresh air instead of classrooms inside.

Playful learning has a number of benefits for children and young learners. Some of these benefits include:

• Improved social skills: Playful learning environments provide children with opportunities to practice and develop social skills such as communication, cooperation, and problem-solving.
• Increased creativity and imagination: Playful learning encourages children to use their imagination and be creative, which can lead to improved problem-solving skills and more flexible thinking.
• Better emotional regulation: Playful learning helps children to understand their emotions better and provides them with tools to regulate their emotions better.
• Improved physical development: Playful learning activities, such as movement games, can help children develop fine and gross motor skills.
  
• Increased motivation and engagement: Playful learning activities are often more engaging and motivating for children, which can lead to improved attention, focus, and overall learning outcomes.
• Better preparation for academic learning: Playful learning activities can help children develop the fundamental skills and knowledge needed for later academic success, such as pre-literacy and numeracy skills.
• Provide authentic context to the learning: Playful activities are often situated in the child's world and provide them with opportunities to apply the knowledge in real-life context, which support children to retain the information for a longer time.