Top 3 Rules Of The Playground That You Should Teach Your Kids

Did you know that every single year in the US, somewhere around 200,000 kids are brought to the emergency room because of a playground-related injury? Pretty scary right? And what’s worse is that many of these injuries are preventable. Because if the kids had only known about the basic rules of the playground and had proper supervision, all of it could’ve been avoided.

So, with warm weather approaching, I thought it was important to revisit these playground rules. To keep them fresh in parents’ heads, and share some tips for teaching them to your kids as well!

1. Dress For The Occasion

Certain clothing can actually cause accidents at the playground. So it’s important to make sure that your little one always wears a park-friendly outfit to go play. And furthermore, you should do your best to explain to them why they should avoid certain clothing. That way, they’ll know how to keep themselves safe in the future.

For instance…

Jewelry like necklaces, earrings, or even bracelets could easily get caught on playground equipment. So it’s best to take these things off before playing.

Shoes like flip-flops could also lead to injury. Both through snagging, and potentially causing your child to trip while they run around and play!

And finally… any article of clothing with drawstrings, loose strings, hoods, or straps could also get caught on equipment and lead to an accident!

So instead of these things, opt for clothes like the following…

No jewelry or accessories

Sneakers (laceless or tied up securely), with socks.

And long pants/shirts without straps, drawstrings, etc. Many parents opt for tank tops and shorts, but this could lead to sunburns and more scrapes while playing. So longer options are better, as long as they aren’t too tight or too baggy. Think sweatpants and lightweight shirts to keep your child cool AND safe.

2. Use The Equipment As Intended

Kids are notoriously creative with their playtime, which is usually a good thing. But when it comes to playground equipment, it’s vital that they know the proper way to use it and don’t make up their own “rules”.

Here are a few examples of equipment rules that your child should know…

Swings are for sitting, not kneeling or standing.

Seesaws shouldn’t be ridden backwards, you need to face the right way.

You should never hang upside down on the monkey bars.

And you should never go down a slide on your stomach.

Now, to drive points like these home… I recommend that you start by showing your child the proper way to use each piece of equipment. (If they’ve never used it before.) And then, quickly reprimand them if you notice that they’re breaking the rules and failing to use the equipment as intended.

Most of the time, kids will pick up on the right and wrong way to use the playground equipment after a while. And until then, your supervision and interventions should be enough to keep them playing safely. But if they keep breaking the rules, even after you’ve reprimanded them, then it might be time to head home to show them you mean business.

3. Always Pay Attention To The Surroundings

Aside from improper use of the equipment and wearing non-park-friendly clothes, another (all too common) reason for injuries at the playground is having an accident with another child! Usually this is caused by a kiddo not paying enough attention, and having some sort of collision with another little one.

So it’s important to teach your kids to be aware of their surroundings at all times, even if they’re having fun. For example, you should teach them to…

Not walk too close to swings, especially if they’re in use.
Not stand at the base of a slide, take a slide right after another kid, or climb up on the platform while a child is already up there.
And not walk into the middle of a game of ball or tag, etc.

Additionally, you can help everyone else in the playground out (as well as keep your children safe) by reminding your kiddos to play non-equipment related games far away from the aforementioned equipment! This will give everyone the space they need to enjoy the day.

Bonus Playground Tips For Parents

Teaching your kids the rules of the playground will definitely help keep them safe at the park, but there are a few extra things you can do as a parent to ensure the experience is even safer!

#1 – Firstly, always make sure to check the temperature of the equipment before you let your children play! Because even if it doesn’t seem like a hot day, the sun can still heat up the playground quite a bit. Specifically if the swings, slides, etc are made of metal. And in fact, burns from sitting on hot equipment are quite common!

To test the temperature, simply hold your hand on the equipment for about five to ten seconds. If you can keep your hand on it comfortably then it’s probably ok for your kids, but if not… you might want to skip that piece of equipment and move to one with more shade, or place a beach towel over it.

#2 – Secondly, if it rained recently, then you should check to be sure the equipment isn’t too slippery. And if it is, you should promptly dry it off with a towel before you let your children play. Because otherwise they could trip, fall, or lose their grip on the equipment!

Final Thoughts

The playground can be lots of fun for kids, and can provide a great outlet for them to get their energy out on a warm day! But to keep the experience fun and safe, it’s important that you teach your kids the rules of the playground and do your part to supervise!

If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about parenting, then I encourage you to read more of my articles. Such as this one on family hobbies to try out with your kids. Thanks for reading!

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