Practice Playground Safety with Your Children

For children, playgrounds are fun settings that are best enjoyed on a pleasant day. From a parent’s perspective, playgrounds are like complex mazes that are filled with an array of potential hazards. Therefore, it is important for adults to supervise young children who get carefree while playing outside.

Some playgrounds have moving parts that pose serious dangers for people of all ages. For example, swings have moving chains that can potentially snap off and launch a child as a trajectory. There is also the possibility of a swing hitting children who stand too close. Kids should be advised to keep a safe distance from the swing, usually much longer than the radius that forms during the swinging motion.

Seesaws could also injure children who fail to follow the proper safety rules. Only one child should occupy each seat on this classic playground installation. No one should stand near the fulcrum, which can suddenly crush limbs.

Kids should be taught how to properly get off playground equipment that moves. For example, it is never safe to jump off a swing that still has plenty of momentum. A child should gradually slow down the swinging motion and wait for the seat to reach the lowest point to get off. Other children should not be encouraged to grab the chains of the swing in order to stop it abruptly.

If improperly used, spring riders could also lead to accidental falls. Children should use both hands to grab onto any handlebars on such toys that oscillate back and forth or up and down. It is important to wait for the vibration to dampen out slowly before trying to get off the seats of tall spring riders that are shaped like animals. For example, a giraffe or elephant rider piece may have seats that are mounted several feet above the ground.

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