Play is vital to children's development. It stimulates their minds and exercises their bodies, which is essential in aiding healthy growth. Through play, children can become more creative, resourceful, imaginative, flexible, and well-built.

Parks and playgrounds have become children's sanctuaries when they want to play and have fun with other kids. This has become very beneficial since playgrounds promote developmental skills like sensory, motor, and cognitive skills. More importantly, it increases their social skills as they practice collaborative and interactive play with other kids.

In the past, playground equipment was basic but still does the job of entertaining kids and providing hours of fun and exciting activities. Sadly, the past two decades saw a drastic change in children's behavior and preferences because of too much access to technology.

Children spend more time indoors now, glued to their video games or streaming videos, which has caused many of them to become listless. Paying attention and staying focused has become increasingly tricky now.

Encouraging kids to participate in outdoor games has become challenging. Today, the average attention span of children is 12 to 18 minutes, and that would still depend on other factors, like distractions, surrounding them.

That is why many playgrounds have come up with ways to get kids excited about playing outside. Sure, the traditional see-saw, monkey bars, and slides are still fun. But, modifying playground equipment to make it interactive is now deemed crucial for children's developmental growth.

Here are ways playground equipment and games have become interactive:

1.       Built-In Music

Playground equipment with built-in music attracts many young kids to play, especially if the music installed is their favorite upbeat nursery song. Music plays a vital role in shaping a child's brain, especially in speech and language acquisition.

Furthermore, dancing and moving to music helps children develop their motor skills and stamina while also allowing them to express themselves.  

2.      Add Soft Bouncy Balls

A soft play area with bouncy balls where kids could land is an excellent interactive play concept. Aside from that, their safety will be guaranteed since hard surfaces are covered with rubber mats for children's protection.

Children aged 2 to 10 can enjoy tossing and throwing soft rubber balls with their playmates without the risk of hurting each other. Hours of safe and fun play will be assured while parents can have a little time for themselves to drink coffee or read a magazine.

3.       Add An Element Of Discovery

The entire playground can be transformed into a virtual treasure island where kids can hunt for treasures you've hidden in corners and concealed spaces. Create a mission and add a few exciting obstructions to encourage kids to be competitive and improve their problem-solving skills.

When playing with teams, this type of play can enhance teamwork and promote a sense of leadership and camaraderie among kids. This interactive play is also an excellent way for kids to forge new friendships while honing their communication skills as they create strategies and plan with their teammates to achieve their goals.

4.       Install Moving Lights

Dancing lights are a big attraction for kids. Many pieces of playground equipment now have pre-installed lights that turn on when pressed or touched. Slides with lights that also play music are a big hit with kids.

Lights make things look more attractive to smaller kids, who quickly get fascinated with them.  Lights attract attention, more so if patterns are changing or spinning.

5.      Add An Element Of Surprise

Adding an element of surprise excites everyone, especially kids. Games that incorporate a reveal when smacked or hit are a novel way of getting kids to practice their mental ability, since pop-ups work like a matching game. Aside from that, it also improves their upper body strength.

6.      Incorporate Water For More Fun

Kids love to play in the water. And playground equipment with water elements will surely not bore them. A water path where boats can race will surely increase a child's strategic thinking and improvisation skills.

7.      Make It Science-Themed

Choosing a science-themed playground concept will make kids curious and encourage them to learn more. Maybe make it dinosaur-inspired or laboratory-inspired and add a few touches of trivia here and there. Some playground equipment has a built-in video wall where kids can watch a short video about the themed playground set up.

Say, a short video about the Mesozoic era or a short video of a science experiment. This way, kids will be engaged in a fun and educational way. Incorporating science into play increases a child's imagination and stimulates their appetite for learning new things.

Conclusion

Experts highly encourage interactive play since kids can achieve developmental milestones more quickly. This is vital since early childhood development has a powerful long-term impact on a child’s success as an adult.