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Innovative Products - The Key to More Play

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Families choose play destination for its unique design

Playgrounds have been identified as the place within parks where children expend the most energy. The KOMPAN Play Institute set out to examine the retention of children and their parents on a newly refurbished playground at Flag Pole Hill in Dallas, USA.

The research included interviews with 177 adults and 50 children. “The outdoor playground is great for my child’s health and important because of the ability to get outside and get fresh air!” stated a parent.

The research done by the KOMPAN Play Institute shows that 98% of parents found playgrounds to be important and the main reasons are the positive influence on their children’s health and the fresh air.

The new playground at Flag Pole Hill amazed both children and parents and increased the use of the park by 77%. Of the parents that visited, 73% stated their main reason for visiting this playground was the unique product structures.

Parents indicated that for a playground to be attractive it is important to have unique play equipment for different age groups. A wide variety of play equipment ensures that the play area is fun and attractive for all ages and abilities.

Click the link below to learn more about the research and read KOMPAN Play Institute’s five recommendations for designing attractive playgrounds that keep children playing on average for more than 60 minutes.

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Innovative products - The key to more play

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5 Recommendations

5 Recommendations for designing attractive playgrounds

When considering the process for designing an attractive playground, the KOMPAN Play Institute recommends the following based on case studies like the one completed at the Flag Pole Hill playground:

  1. Choose playground equipment with that WOW factor: Unique play equipment was the main reason for visiting the playground.

  2. Remember that playground equipment needs to be appealing to parents, too.

  3. Have transparency in design to ensure visibility and easy parental supervision.

  4. Place the play equipment for toddlers together in the center of the play area to ease parental supervision.

  5. While 61% of users were below the age of 5, it is important to include playground equipment for all ages.

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