Play_Park_Strategy_2021-2030

Manages the balance between the need to offer risk and the need to keep children safe from harm; Maximise the range of play opportunities; Foster independence and self-esteem; Foster children’s respect for others and offer opportunities for social interaction; and Foster the child’s well-being, healthy growth and development, knowledge and understanding, creativity and capacity to learn. Developmental benefits in social, intellectual, physical and emotional skills; Motor sensory stimulation, which enhances the natural learning process; Enhanced creative abilities and imagination; and Development of skills required for future growth and learning. Children learn through play – learn about themselves, other people, roles, society and their environment. There are numerous benefits that a child gains through play including: Although children have been playing for as long as there have been children, the concept of a designated “Play Park” is a relatively new idea. Children’s play in the early 1900s was not generally a designated event as it is today. Few formal play parks existed when the majority of the world’s population lived in rural areas. A child’s experimental learning and skill development was achieved through daily contact with family, work and nature. Climbing trees, playing in puddles and running through fields, coupled with strong inter-generation relationships, challenged children to reach their potential and to determine their place among others. During the second half of the century there was a major shift in the world’s population from rural communities to urban centres. 36 The seven play objectives Extend the choice and control that children have over their play, the freedom they enjoy and the satisfaction they gain from it; Recognise the child’s need to test boundaries and respond positively to that need; Play Park evolution Play parks have evolved as part of the parks landscape in the years since the Second World War. The demand for leisure facilities that accompanied the post war economic revival saw an increase in the provision of parks and park facilities.