Playgrounds are a territory where children develop various skills that they do not learn elsewhere. Relating with their peers and learning to negotiate are tools fundamental for developing the game and understanding. The creation of worlds and activities makes creativity unleash to a fun and the formation of future people’s identities.
The playground
The playground is the only place that has been created exclusively for children’s play and recreation; it is an educational space within the communities and a meeting place par excellence. The diversity of uses makes it a fun area and a place for teaching and experiences.
Playgrounds offer children the possibility of the temporal, physical, and symbolic space necessary for the game’s development. Providing a space for children to express themselves is an invaluable resource that fosters children’s development and becomes an essential ally for families.
Benefits of playgrounds
Among the factors that we see benefit children, we find self-esteem, emotional management, self-knowledge, decision-making, and motivation for the relationship. It also favors coexistence with their peers, respecting the rules, resolving conflicts through dialogue, and assuming obligations and responsibilities.
Communities and schools
Having a playground is essential for communities and schools because it complements learning to train society. In many cases, functionality is dismissed, but various studies and reality show how important they are in children’s socialization.
In many cases, playgrounds are not intended as pedagogical resources in study centers and are rarely seen as educational spaces. For this reason, there are playgrounds in schools or communities that do not meet specific quality parameters, are not in good condition, or are neglected, which can generate certain dangers for children in addition to or be unattractive for them.
For many children, playground time is the most intense playtime to interact with other children of different ages and interests. Different interests often constitute misunderstandings and conflicts, but, as mentioned above, these are reasonable times for them to develop their negotiation skills and understanding within the playground world, which will later affect character development.
Transformation of the playgrounds
The morphological transformation of the playgrounds is necessary and fundamental to adapt to children’s needs and be part of teachings that become pillars of an adult over time. You have to think differently from the communities and the schools to exploit the potential that resides in the playgrounds as a space for play and learning.
In short, a positive and stimulating look at the playgrounds is necessary. Think of a new way to develop them and bring the pedagogical to that space that is not fully exploited in the educational challenges and opportunities it offers. Put the game at the center as the engine of learning.
And what do you think about the playgrounds? Do you feel that they are necessary for education, that they are well used, or can they improve the community or teaching? Leave us your comment or write to our email commenting on your point of view.
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Imagen for Westplay.
