In recent years children have been increasingly addicted to electronics, spending most of their time indoors. Thus, causing severe consequences for their health and development, making America a country with the highest rate of child obesity. On the contrary, outdoor play offers multiple benefits, not the least of which are:

• It helps children develop a problem-solving attitude while learning valuable life lessons, such as teamwork, effective communication, and so forth.

• It improves fitness and physical stamina, builds immunity and strengthens muscles.

• The natural surroundings help to enhance creativity and imagination.

• It helps to channel internal energy in a positive way.

• It enables children to develop social skills through their playground interactions.

Children in the 2 to 5 age group are in the process of developing fine motor skills. So, the playground needs to challenge them but not too aggressively. Hence, types of equipment like tunnels, slides, ramps, jungle gyms are great. In fact, themed, motor-based activity panels can help enhance such skills. All equipment should also be easily accessible and at a height that will not cause serious injury if there are accidents. Also, the play area should be visible from all directions for proper adult supervision.

One prevalent modern playground equipment is the painted panel that enables children to show their creative and artistic abilities while being outdoors.

Fitness is a growing trend among playground equipment, leading to rising demand for structures that help kids stay fit while having fun. This also promotes an active and healthy lifestyle in their day to day life and the future.

Other types of equipment that are instant favorites include swing sets, merry go rounds, jungle gyms, monkey bars, animal springers, tetherball, and giant strides.

Children of all ages (and some adults) simply love swings. The sense of weightlessness gives them a feeling of flight, and this is what makes swing sets an essential part of every playground. While selecting a swing set, keep certain things in mind, such as:

• Swing variety: There are full bucket swing seats that can be used by children below 4 years of age, half bucket swings for older toddlers, belt sets for children who can swing without assistance and flat swing sets for older children.

• Inclusive swings: If your target audience includes differently-abled children, there are also some specially designed swing sets made of copolymers and durable fabrics on metal frames.