All About Playground Safety

Keep Kids Safe on the Playground

If you’re planning to visit a play park or playground this summer, we have some tips about playground safety. Although playgrounds are an excellent setting for exercise and fun, we at Pediatric Care Centers know that more than 200,000 children are treated in the emergency room for playground-related injuries each year. Generally speaking, if your children’s playground has a safe (soft and thick) surface, with equipment in good condition and moving equipment like swings and seesaws positioned away from static equipment, the odds are better that they will have a safe, enjoyable experience!

Age-appropriate Activities

Younger children should be supervised by an adult on the playground at all times.
Ensure children only climb and play on equipment appropriate to their age. Children younger than five may not have the upper-body strength to climb equipment built for older children. Limit preschoolers to climbing up only five feet and school-age children to seven feet.

Swings and Slides

Teach children to swing sitting down, not standing and not more than one child to a swing at a time.
Supervise young children and remind all children to stay well clear of active swings.
Instruct children that going down a slide should only be done feet first, not head first.
Monitor slides so only one child is on the platform at a time and is able to clear the bottom before another child begins to slide.

Spray Parks

Read park rules to children before they enter, and help to enforce them.
Have children wear water shoes with non-skid soles to avoid slips and falls.
Remind children not to swallow or inhale water from the jets.

General Behavior

Discourage children from rough housing with or pushing other children.
Encourage children to park their bikes and backpacks away from the equipment.
Ensure children are not wearing necklaces, purses, or clothes with drawstrings or cords to prevent choking injuries.