The best way for children to develop their senses is through active participation. Be it through moving, running, climbing, and jumping through the world around them, they will learn how to process many sensory inputs in a way that their bodies move through space in a fun way!
In this article, we are going to explain why Sensory Playground Equipment is vital in a child’s development, and how you could incorporate it into your student’s learning and playtime.
Create A Varied Environment With Playground Sensory Equipment
Playground sensory equipment is vital in encouraging the interpretation of sensory information and the development of social skills, imagination, and physical development from an early age. The importance of choice and possibility is something we understand to be of great importance in child development, the reason why creating a varied playground equipment environment for children’s play will help them to process, organise, and filter any sensory input with greater ease, and respond to this accordingly.
Having multiple choices of sensory outdoor play equipment will facilitate a child’s understanding of the best way to manage their emotional responses to their sensory experiences, and get used to the functionality of their own bodies. By being given the chance to play and learn freely in a diverse and interactive sensory playground environment, children will develop motor and social skills equally, in a safe and exciting setting.
This understanding of the importance of choice is why we are so passionate about creating Bespoke Playground Equipment that meets the personalised needs of you, your school, and your children, no matter what shape and size. At Red Monkey Play, we are always keen to work alongside you to design and create a fun and unique environment for your children to learn and play with the right sensory playground equipment.
However, when trying to choose the ideal outdoor sensory playground equipment for your pupils, there are various elements of design you must consider.
Role Play
A child’s imagination is endless, the reason why we created Outdoor Classrooms & Shelters and dens that can be transformed into shops, houses, nurseries, or maybe even a quiet place to relax with your buddies. By crafting a varied play environment, we can best facilitate a child’s ability to role-play their own games and situations.
Resembling something straight from The Shire, our Explorer House is one example of the wonderful and enchanting sensory play equipment we offer, so children can learn and play amongst safe surroundings, fully equipped with a grass roof and viewing panel.
Furniture
We never forget that the playground is not just a place for active play and learning, but also a safe haven for children to relax, make friends, and develop. Wooden benches and seating areas are a vital element to facilitate the development of social skills, giving children an area to read and improve their literacy skills within a calm environment dedicated to lifelong friendships blossoming.
Our Wooden Play Area Equipment provided for Service Master at a popular shopping centre in Nottingham is one example of our ability to create safe, social, and fun environments within any space we are asked to. Additionally, children can enjoy their school breaks, have their lunch, and chill out on our Amphitheatre Seating, which can be made bespoke in size and customised to suit your exact needs.
Nature
The visual appearance of your playground design is vital in promoting natural play and learning. Implementing natural elements into our sensory playground equipment is a clear reflection of our own love for the world around us. Maintaining a natural theme throughout the playground allows your children to connect with nature, learn about their environment, and incorporate what they learn into their daily role-play activities.
Even more, our Wooden Playground Equipment fits perfectly into a natural woodland area with sand, wood chips, rocks, and trails. When your children engage in role-play games, it’s very important they can fully immerse themselves into their surroundings, and learn to value and respect our natural world from a young age. Our Wooden Interactive Pirate Ship is one of our favourite wooden role play features that give children the freedom to let their imaginations run free.
Sensory
Creating a tactile and visually striking world of play and learning is the best way to get your children to immerse themselves within their own development. Water Play, Sand Play, and good old-fashioned Mud Play lie in wait to be explored, with a whole range of textures to be discovered and color patterns to be seen.
Our Interactive Water Area is a prime example of the unique sensory experiences we offer through our expertly designed outdoor sensory play equipment. This unit is a completely customizable combination of mesh and wood, interchangeable with interactive chutes, waterways, water pulley systems, and tactile Discovery Tables.
Physical Development
The best sensory play equipment understands the importance of safety whilst equally giving kids the best opportunity to do what they do best – be kids! That’s why our environments allow children to run, jump, climb, crawl and play through their world whilst offering physical challenges to develop coordination and balance skills with interactive social play.
An exciting adventure always awaits with our Falcon Island Challenge, fully equipped with platform heights, ropes, and nettings to promote physical and motor skill development, thus enabling children to become budding young athletes.
Arts
Promoting a love for the arts should not only begin and end in the classroom or at home. Drawing, exploring, and making music help children learn how to creatively express themselves, whilst providing an alternative sensory playground environment to the more physical playground equipment. This is because we understand that every child is unique and different, therefore their interests are as well. Kids of every age and ability can enjoy arts equipment, which stimulates their understanding of self-expression, and promotes a variety of skills related to communication, creativity, and critical thinking.
At Red Monkey Play we specialise in crafting unique and engaging sensory playground equipment and environments for children, which are vital in developing crucial skills, encouraging learning, and reaching goals. With imagination at the heart of everything, we’ve been capturing the imagination and attention of school children for over 20 years, whilst always maintaining the use of safe and environmentally friendly playground equipment.
We work closely with schools and nurseries across the UK to create stunning bespoke playgrounds, and we’d love to work with you too! If you want to discover and explore our wide range of sensory playground equipment, contact us today to find out how we can restore the fun into your playground, so your children will love every school day more than the previous one! In the meantime, check out our articles packed with valuable information such as our School Guide: What Is Sensory Play? and A Buyer’s Guide To Sensory Play Equipment.
