Playgrounds should Have
Overhead equipment like monkey bars and zip rails should be within easy reach for the target age group from a platform at either end. They should not typically be within reach from the ground or by jumping. If a kid can reach the bars from the ground, the equipment is too low to use.
Grabbing the first rung of bars and coming off the platform should allow some forward momentum to the next bar. On zip rails, the platform or ladder can be used to push off from.
Structures should have bridges, passes, and tubes that are wide enough to allow kids to run past each other or stand two abreast. Taking turns just to move about a structure, particularly if there is no alternative route, needlessly hampers play. And, it can feel tight, especially when parents/caretakers climb aboard as well.
On the ground, equipment designed with handicaps in mind such as chair swings should actually be reachable and mountable by those that need it. Chair swings in the middle of a mulched or sand play area are discouraging. Transfer platforms without Poured-in-place (PIP) rubber paths to reach them are ineffective. PIP paths that stop at the edge of the play area without any further solid surface are ineffective.
Openings or portals to equipment like slides and the tops of ladders and climbers should actually be wide enough for adults to squeeze through. If at the top of climber there is a post bisecting the portal before reaching the platform, it becomes an obstacle to both kid and parent.
The best playgrounds have a cohesive flow. Some effectively create a linear one-way path like a race course, but the best have a circular flow that enables games like “The Ground is Lava” and “Sandman”. The circular route gives kids infinite runway to move about in two directions, chase each other without becoming trapped at one end, and time their circuits.
Hand and foot holds should actually allow for some grip for any size hand. Pieces either too small or so rounded that feet slip off of them are commonly ineffective or can lead to frustration. If it gets worse with rain or dew, it’s probably just always bad.
As much as possible, keep the equipment facing a central focal point. Absent other considerations, swings should face the play structure. Kids and parents want to be able to watch the action on the playground and get the attention of peers. Benches should face the playground.
Playground design doesn’t stop at the curb. At a minimum, the immediate landscape should offer places to sit, places to eat, and shade from real trees. Extra elements like tree timbers, large rocks, and sandpits can provide challenges and quiter space for kids to play outside the traditional playground.