Playground Safety: How Can Teachers Ensure Children's Safety While Encouraging Free Play?

Ahhh, the playground. The place where slides burned you alive, tunnels delivered electric shocks, and swinging really high on the swings earned you the medal of honor when the poles lifted up off the ground. Studies show that these rights of passage carry some major weight in early learning!

The benefits of nature based learning and outdoor play are clear. However each year, more than 200,000 kids are treated in hospital emergency rooms for playground-related injuries. Playground safety is critical in early childhood education (ECE), especially since the majority of playground-related injuries occur on equipment located at schools and childcare centers.  

Table of contents

• What is preschool safety?
• How to teach kids about playground safety at your school or center
• How to teach parents about playground safety
• Playground safety tips for preschool teachers
• How to avoid micromanaging play at your center

Need to check in with parents on playground safety? Get our free Guide to Parent Feedback including 25 sample survey questions to help childcare centers boost engagement and revenue!

What is preschool safety? And why is free play so important

Does anyone else still get excited when they find a cool rock on the playground? Just us? 🤷

Unfortunately, early childhood education professionals are seeing a huge decrease in outdoor play right now, with parents reporting that their young children just aren’t playing outside like they used to.

This decreased activity is due to many different reasons. And sure, electronics play a role. However, increased safety concerns are also a major factor. 

Fortunately, playing on the playground at school can help increase the total amount of time kids spend playing, helping to bridge any learning gap that may result from less time spent outdoors, especially for children in low income areas. 

Definition of playground safety

Playground safety is your preschool or childcare center’s plan for inspecting a playground or play area to ensure that young children are able to play safely. Playground safety includes checks and policies to help reduce the risk of injury and ensure the adequate condition of a playground.

The crucial developmental impact of safe outdoor play

Studies show that playing can be linked to improved behavior, better attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) management, as well as increased cognitive, social, and creative development. And it makes sense.

When you put kids on the playground, they’re forced to communicate and problem solve with each other. They make games with their own sets of rules, and hold each other accountable for following them. 

Here are just some of the developmental impacts a safe playground can have on kids:

• Encourages the development of important coping skills
• Provides an opportunity to engage with nature 
• Allows children to recognize a larger number of shapes and objects

The health benefits of outdoor play

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been major declines in children’s health. Rates of children’s physical activity are lower and we’re seeing reports of increased behavioral issues, as well as more children being diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

Parents are under pressure. Trying to balance job transitions, financial instability, and keeping kids on track developmentally is a lot for anyone to handle.

The good news is, playing outside on the playground is a great way to balance out some of these negative health habits and replace them with better ones.

Here’s a quick recap on just some of the many health benefits of outdoor play:

• Playgrounds increase physical activity
• Daily exercise on a playground lowers child obesity rates
• Outdoor play minimizes the risk of Covid transmission
• Playing provides kids with a sense of normalcy, which is great for their mental health

The academic benefits of safe preschool playgrounds

Ever wanted to bottle up a preschooler’s energy and throw it in your espresso? 

All that energy can make it difficult for children to pay attention. Fortunately, playgrounds can help children release their energy prior to entering the classroom and can lead to more engaged students, and fewer disruptions during classroom activities.

• Outdoor learning promotes development in creativity
• Children who play outdoors do better in the classroom  
• Curriculum can be structured to take place on the playground to increase play based learning

How to teach kids about playground safety at your school or center

While we want kids to be able to go out and get the full benefits of playing on the playground, we also need to remember the liabilities and risks associated with doing so. 

Balancing safety on the playground while continuing to protect play can be difficult. So, how do we ensure children are having fun while staying safe?

Safety lessons should begin before kids hit the playground

To ensure safety, children need to be emotionally and socially mature enough to follow instructions and make good choices when using the equipment. 

Teaching children behaviors like good communication skills can help them make better decisions during play, and may help playground supervisors take more of a back seat.

When off the playground, try to teach and encourage behaviors such as:

• Good communication, with an emphasis on inclusivity
• Verbal conflict resolution, and how to handle bullying
• Sharing, and how to take turns
• Personal space, and how to ask for it
• Collaborative play and problem solving

Teaching children playground safety rules

The playground may be one of the few places preschoolers can confidently take the lead on activities.

This is huge developmentally, but also makes it exceedingly important to teach responsibility when it comes to safety and following directions. 

Every preschool playground should have its own set of rules, but here are a few basic recommendations to get you started.

• Respect others’ bodies (no pushing or roughhousing)
• How to use equipment such as slides (no climbing)
• Use your eyes (looking for other children before jumping)
• How to land when jumping off equipment (such as swings)
• Helmets are great for bikes, but not safe on the playground
• How to spot and avoid unsafe environments, such as wet equipment
• Always wear sunscreen
• Never speak to adults we don’t know while on the playground 

How to teach parents about playground safety

When it comes to preschool education, communication and consistent reinforcement between parents and teachers is everything.

Students that are frequently engaging in unsafe playground activities, either due to lack of education or supervision, may have a harder time following the rules at school.

Here are some things to communicate to parents around playground safety:

• Send a full list of your playground rules and expectations home with students and encourage parents to reinforce them when children are not at school.
• Send home a note on home playground safety vs. school playground safety, so parents can remain vigilant if they have their own playset.
• Be sure to inform parents on the benefits of researching the date their local playgrounds were built. 

Keep in mind, playground-related injuries may increase in older parks due to outdated and hazardous equipment. This is especially true in lower income areas, where equipment is generally not maintained as well. Some parents may not be aware of the risks.

Create your own playground safety checklist (3 templates to get you started)

Another great way to keep parents in the loop is to design a playground safety checklist tailored to your school and equipment.

Here are some of our favorite playground safety checklists to get you started:

1. US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Playground Safety Checklist
2. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (NHHS)’s Playground Safety Checklist
3. The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA)’s Playground Safety Checklist

Playground safety tips for preschool teachers

No matter how experienced your teachers and staff are, it’s important to know the statistics around playground safety to help keep educators and supervisors aware of what to look out for. 

The CDC released a playground safety report with some interesting information around the how’s and why’s of playground injuries.

• Most playground-related injuries occur at schools and childcare centers
• Contrary to popular belief, girls sustain injuries (55%) slightly more often than boys (45%) 
• More injuries occur on climbers than on any other equipment
• Children ages 5 to 9 have higher rates of emergency department visits for playground injuries

Consider the type of playground you have at your center

There’s currently a trend in early education where we’re seeing some schools electing to use nature playgrounds vs. manufactured ones. 

As part of an ongoing movement towards nature-based learning, nature playgrounds replace slides with leaf piles, climbing areas with stone walls, and more. 

So, should you make the switch?

If you’re considering making the leap to a nature playground, check with your insurance provider, as well as any relevant licensing laws. There are no design standards to follow with nature playgrounds, so they often present an increased liability, making them harder to insure and legally regulate.

Also, keep in mind that both manufactured playgrounds and nature playgrounds have their own set of safety risks. Here are a few examples of the common injuries in each.

Common injuries in manufactured playgrounds:

• Falls are the leading cause of injury
• Equipment needs to be monitored for overheating, causing burns
• Boredom can lead to misuse of equipment, increasing the risk of injury

Common injuries in nature playgrounds:

• Cuts or scrapes from objects such as glass or trash in leaf piles
• Insect bites, such as ticks 
• Environmental toxins, such as unknown pesticides, plants, etc.

Basic injury first aid for teachers and playground supervisors

In addition to preventing injuries, it is also important to inform staff on general playground first aid so that they are prepared on how to handle situations, should an injury occur. 

Note that it may be a good idea to contact your local health department to ensure your first aid practices are up to date.

Here are some of the basic first aid tips to stay on top of:

• Always be sure to keep a first aid kit on hand and available.
• Come up with a plan for managing cuts and scrapes. Do kids go to the nurse, or can teachers help while keeping things sanitary?
• Never move an unconscious child, unless they are vomiting or having a seizure. In which case, roll them onto their side gently until help arrives.
• Ensure children stop further activity when showing signs of pain.
• If a child is injured, hold off on providing food, drink or medication until they see their doctor.
• Keep all CPR certifications up to date, and consider placing a reminder flier on the playground.
• Keep in mind not all food allergies become severe immediately after eating.

If recess happens after lunch, take time to ensure all teachers have access to a child’s medical devices and medications such as epi pens, as well as relevant health records so they know how to administer medication.

Keep in mind, environmental allergies should also be documented and considered during outdoor play time.‍

How to avoid micromanaging play at your center

As ECE professionals, we always want to focus on playground safety. But it’s important not to micromanage play, as this can negate the positive effects of outdoor free play.

Here are some tips on finding a balance:

• Keep rules and corrections consistent across all supervisors on the playground.
• Practice redirection in a way that inspires children, rather than corrects them.
• Help children find their way out of problems. For example, if a child climbed too high, have a teacher instruct them on how to get down, and assist rather than just removing them from the situation.
• Encourage safe play by setting up new opportunities for exploration each time you’re on the playground. This minimizes boredom and keeps their attention where you want it.
• Keep your playground safe and clean, but provide opportunities for children to experience limited risks. (Sometimes scraped knees mean fun was had. 😉)
• Keep playground supervisors trained on first aid and risk factors so they feel more confident and are less likely to micromanage play.

When it comes to playground safety, communication is key. 

But keeping the lines of communication open between staff, parents, and children can be difficult. The right childcare management software can help bridge the gap, empowering teachers and staff to easily keep track of important information like allergies and communicate faster with parents and families.

Schedule a demo with us today to see how the right system can make managing playground safety easier, while freeing up more time for quality interactions with the young kids in your care.