Evaluating a play area involves understanding the concept of "play value", which is the importance that a piece of playground equipment adds to a child's playtime.
High play value means the equipment provides a variety of interaction opportunities, allowing children to expand or refine their own ideas and actions. Play value is generally divided into three categories:
**Physical Play**: This includes activities like spinning, sliding, rocking, swinging, and climbing that can aid a child's development while also providing enjoyment.
**Sensory Play**: This type of play stimulates the child's senses with various equipment offering different sensory experiences.
**Social Play**: This promotes interaction among children. Equipment designed for multiple children to play at once can encourage social play. Inclusive playgrounds aim to provide a broad spectrum of physical, sensory, and social experiences.
The quantity, quality, diversity, and interconnections of play equipment and features enhance these play values and inclusive experiences.
In essence, play value measures the level of enjoyment and engagement a child can gain from a piece of play equipment.
We recommend conducting a play area evaluation every three years to assess the suitability of the original design, demographic changes, and wear & tear.
This provides data for a play area & equipment renewal strategy and funding bodies. During inspections, we consider the following: -
Play Value Possible activities -
Number of items of equipment -
Age range of children catered for -
Age of the play equipment, based on installation date -
Condition, attractiveness of equipment and any fencing -
Suitability of surfaces under the play equipment -
Location assessment - taking into account outlook and immediate surroundings -
Inclusion of disabled children and parents/carers -
Problems or issues to be noted We also check site features and ancillary items, including: -
Presence and readability of signs -
Condition of road barriers -
Security of fences -
Condition and functionality of gates -
Condition of pathways and absence of obstructions -
Presence of litter or any hazardous objects -
Security and condition of seats -
Security, condition, and emptiness of litter bins -
Condition of the planting -
Presence of any inappropriate graffiti-
All inspections should include these checks.
All identified faults should be documented, and the report should be dated and signed for validation.
Upon completion of the inspection, each element is scored using a scoring matrix, and these scores are cumulatively calculated to produce a final score.
This final score forms the basis of the recommendation for the play area, and a comprehensive report is generated.
The report serves as a guide for necessary improvements and adjustments to enhance the safety and functionality of the play area for all users.