White Paper
Play Value - The Influence of Playground Equipment
How playground equipment can influence children
Important developmental domains such as social, cognitive, and language development are not usually at the center of attention in playground research. However, research from the KOMPAN Play Institute shows that playground equipment has a positive influence on the development of preschool children.
The KOMPAN Play Institute set out to investigate to what extent play structures with a wide variety of activity panels influence these important developmental domains. Play panels provide extra play value and can be used to advance a child's social-emotional and cognitive development. Read the findings from the KOMPAN Play Institute to learn about what types of playground equipment educators and park planners should invest in for their particular user groups, and why.
Definitions of cognitive play behaviors
Functional play: Play that centers around enjoying the physical sensation that a certain activity provides, e.g. sliding
Constructive play: Manipulating objects to create something, e.g. building with blocks
Explorative play: Focused examination of an object, e.g. examining stones on the ground
Dramatic play: Symbolic, pretend play, e.g. playing doctor
Games: Paying games that have ruled, e.g. hide-and-seek
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