Playgrounds come in all shapes and sizes, and do a good job of getting kids moving. Adding features like climbing boulders, obstacle courses, and even exercise equipment nearby can help ensure everyone has a chance to stretch their physical limits.
Viewing playgrounds as fitness centers, and how playground equipment and design encourage physical activity for kids are increasingly considerations of playgrounds today and in the future. Kent Callison, marketing chief for a playground equipment company, said children and adults are facing a health crisis, and that inactive and sedentary lifestyles are at a record high.
Callison cited a study that showed that adults have literally forgotten how to play, and that children spend more time looking at a screen than ever. “I’d say the need for fitness-focused play spaces has reached an all-time high,” Callison said. “But, the future for this design approach lies with intergenerational play and recreation. The big idea, the next step is to make sure children and adults have places where they can be active and have fun together.”
Innovative equipment for use by multiple age groups, positioning of outdoor fitness equipment adjacent to playgrounds, and obstacle course setups are ways to prioritize the fitness aspect of play, said Callison.
“When you combine standards-based design with best-practice research, you can create a place where children can have fun, be more active, and establish healthy habits that last a lifetime,” he said.
One executive with a playground supplier and designer said partnerships can help clients maximize the exercise value of play areas. One of his company’s playground manufacturers created the Play On! National Demonstration designation for designing equipment and areas, and it tries to follow that when possible.
From the Play On! page: “Play On! helps organizations design outdoor play environments that align with the national standards for youth physical activity—while being packed with fun! The Play On! guidebook and curriculum includes 125 standards-based playground activities for children in pre-K through fifth grade. Combined with playgrounds aligned to six key elements of play, these standards promote overall fitness and are highly effective tools for maximizing one of your community’s greatest assets—playgrounds!”
The six elements of play include: spinning, sliding, swinging, climbing, brachiating (think monkey bar movements), and balancing.
“These design criteria are a way to check the boxes on offering a full-body workout as users play on the equipment,” said Patrick Pierce, project channel sales manager for the supplier and design firm. “Focusing on fitness for users has become more prominent in the playground industry as there are many designs being utilized in the industry that do not take into account all six aspects of play. Following the NDS Play On! design criteria has helped our designs focus on this.”
Pierce said the fitness aspect of playground design and equipment is a recent trend that will continue to grow in the industry as part of a push by all playground equipment manufacturers to promote healthier communities and offer more to their residents to help achieve this.
Retrofitting to add more exercise doesn’t have to be expensive, said Pierce; a spinning element that helps with core muscles can be as little as $3,000. Callison said on a typical playground, there isn’t much difference in cost when it comes to making a space more congruent with physical activity.
“It’s just a matter of selecting the right products for the design,” he said. “Outdoor fitness spaces for teens and adults are often less expensive than a large playground, but like playgrounds, the price increases with the amount of fitness stations and the size of the area.
“Challenge courses represent a larger investment than a small playground, but they attract more people and encourage socialization and intergenerational play. The bottom line is this: Any investment you make in promoting physical activity is going to help the community, both at once and in the long term. It’s one of the soundest investments you can make for community health.”
Callison’s company partnered with Shape America (Society of Health and Physical Educators) about a decade ago to create Play On!, the guidelines mentioned by Pierce, for schools and other recreation organizations to use as a guide to getting the most fitness into their playground as possible.
According to the Play On! executive summary, using a research grant contributed by SHAPE America, Yuanlong Liu, Ph.D., and Suzan F. Ayers, Ph.D., of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation at Western Michigan University, developed and implemented an objective analysis of the Play On! program.
They studied 14 schools and 6,000 children in five states from February to May 2009. The study included a series of pre- and post-intervention surveys completed by the teacher, children, and parents, as well as two focus groups at one of the schools to qualitatively measure physical activity and skill development.
The results?
- 91% of teachers reported that playground use increased.
- 90% of teachers plan to use the program in the future.
- 100% rated the program 4 to 5 on a 5 point scale.
- 25% of parents participated in more family activity after the Play On! program was initiated.
- 100% of students reported having fun engaging in the activities.
- 90% to 100% of teachers reported that Play On! motivated students to participate in regular, enjoyable, physical activity in a safe and supervised environment
The research helped flesh out design elements and philosophies for play spaces that maximize exercise, according to the Play On! executive summary.
The following design considerations are evidence-based strategies for promoting fitness and physical activity on the playground:
- Variety: Offer various elements of play such as brachiating/upper body bilateral coordination (alternating arm swinging, hanging, and crawling), climbing, swinging, sliding, spinning, and balancing.
- Continuum of Skills: Provide a developmental progression of skills by selecting equipment for beginning, intermediate, and advanced users that will promote healthy risk-taking.
- Naturalization: Naturalized playgrounds that combine manufactured equipment with the living landscape provide more opportunities for increased physical activity. Utilize child-friendly plant materials, pathways, and existing topography to encourage movement and increase play value.
- Loose Parts: Providing additional loose parts encourages children to move and cooperate together as they manipulate their environment.
- Active Play: Disperse equipment and consider pathway layouts for configurations that will encourage movement through running, chasing, exploring, and active play.
Organizations can find the Play On! program online to learn more, including how to become a National Demonstration Site. “The information gathered from these NDS sites helps communities learn how the playgrounds are being used and the positive impact they make in the lives of children and families throughout the community,” Callison said.
Innovation has responded to communities asking for creative ways to make traditional playgrounds more amenable to exercise. One manufacturer has designed obstacle courses as well as towers ranging from one story to three that encourage climbing skills as well as activities along the path upward.
“When it comes to getting kids to move more than traditional playgrounds, clients are increasingly asking for dynamic, adventurous play structures that encourage physical activity, engagement, and creativity,” said Katie Swanson, communications manager for the manufacturer. “Larger, more complex playground structures, like towers, are particularly popular because they combine the thrill of exploration with physical challenge and developmental benefits. These structures invite kids to climb higher, navigate new routes and interact with peers, creating a play experience that is as active as it is rewarding.”
Also more and more prominent on today’s playgrounds are rope features. One leading provider of these products and designs said whether it’s children testing their balance, engaging their core muscles, or climbing on a rope-based structure, each piece is intentionally designed to encourage active movement. Rope play can create an environment that encourages constant motion, helping improve physical fitness.
Similar skills are involved with climbing wall features, said Kevin Volz, CEO of a climbing wall manufacturer. The use of walls and boulders as an addition to playground equipment has grown in conjunction with the materials needed to thrive outside of indoor climbing gyms, said Volz.
“The challenge of providing climbing structures for outdoor playgrounds has been materials-based,” Volz said. “The structures need to withstand any weather conditions and last for decades so concrete has been the default material. Recently some composite materials that are relatively affordable have offered the opportunity to provide structures that are geometric and planar with the look of modern climbing walls one would find in an indoor commercial climbing gym. These ‘panelized’ products offer a very different aesthetic than concrete sculpted and painted to look like real rock.”
As it relates to playgrounds, Volz said the last decade has seen a proliferation of dedicated climbing structures made with materials that can withstand outdoor weather conditions and are typically 10 feet or so tall. These structures are made with either sculpted concrete, molded glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC), or highly weather-resistant engineered woods or composites.
“Climbing on these structures is done without ropes and is called ‘bouldering,’” said Volz. “Fall attenuation is typically accomplished with pea gravel or mulch. Well-designed ‘boulders’ will have climbing pathways, or ‘routes’ that range from easy to difficult and will always have an easy way to climb down so participants don’t have to jump off the top.”
Volz said when his company designs climbing walls, it works with clients to identify their user bases, which generally influences the steepness of the walls. For kids and participants who don’t climb that often, walls that are less than vertical, called “slabs,” are more appropriate, and for experienced climbers or for those looking to increase their strength, there are designs for steeper, overhanging walls. The size, shape, and placement of handholds on the climbing walls also greatly influence the degree of difficulty.
“Because our company only provides climbing structures, our clients are aware of and looking to provide unique ways to engage kids,” Volz said. “As a playground activity, climbing is quite non-traditional, but kids are naturally drawn to the act of climbing and figuring out ways to get to the highest point, whether it be a tree, monkey bars, or a climbing boulder.”
As kids outgrow the playground equipment, they can still maintain activity levels with obstacle/challenge/ninja courses or outdoor fitness units. These have the added benefit of giving parents and grandparents a way to maintain fitness while keeping an eye on their children, as well as exercising alongside and with them.
“Over the years, we’ve seen a growing desire for outdoor spaces that not only cater to children but also provide adults with opportunities to engage in physical activity,” said Swanson. “Recognizing this shift, our team set out to expand traditional fitness offerings by designing innovative, engaging, and inclusive outdoor fitness solutions.
“Playground fitness equipment is becoming an integral part of designs for kids, blending seamlessly with traditional play structures to create well-rounded, engaging spaces. It’s now common to see fitness stations integrated alongside slides, swings, and climbing structures.”
Incorporating these fitness-forward concepts and structures requires planning and design of the area. Callison’s company has a unique approach to this. “We think about these spaces using the ‘room concept,’ dividing an outdoor space into distinct ‘rooms’ with specific functions,” he said.
“Let’s say the core room is a playground for children ages 5 to 12. Next, we can add an outdoor fitness area for adults outside of the main play area in a different ‘room,’ but close enough for children and parents to see one another.
“Then we look at the other rooms that can be added, like spaces for (obstacle courses), seating areas, sports fields, sport courts. The important thing is to identify the primary goal of the space based on the needs of the community, then plan the space accordingly.”
Pierce said it’s important to understand your site and how it will flow for both pedestrian traffic as well as keeping areas accessible to all ages and abilities. If you have an area for ages 2 to 5, you may want a rest area adjacent with seating and shade. “This allows parents to sit nearby and also stay cool on warmer days,” said Pierce. “It also allows the users to take a break and get out of the sun when needed. Allowing for areas of both rest and free play is a big part of designing playgrounds and should be considered to allow for different types of activities on site.”
Swanson said the design of the area surrounding a playground plays a crucial role in creating an engaging, multigenerational space that fosters both activity and connection. Parks have always been central to communities, she said, serving as places where people of all ages can come together.
Incorporating fitness stations alongside traditional playground equipment allows parks to cater to both children and adults. Parents and caregivers can stay active while their kids play, and older adults can participate in light exercises, creating an environment that promotes physical health across generations.
“By positioning these fitness elements thoughtfully—along paths, near picnic areas, or adjacent to playgrounds—they become convenient and accessible for all users,” said Swanson. “Additionally, features like shaded seating areas, walking paths, and open green spaces complement the active play zones by offering places to rest, socialize, or engage in more relaxed activities like yoga or meditation.
“For example, strategically placed benches allow caregivers to supervise children while enjoying a moment of rest, while paved walking loops encourage light exercise for those who prefer less intensive activities.” RM