Age-appropriate play equipment, solid safety surface and adequate supervision allow school age children to grow up safely and securely.
Download 5-12_Equipment Supervision is the most important component of playground equipment for school age children. As they gain strength and balance, they’ll test themselves in ways you never planned…on top of the slide and on top of the swing!
Sure, your equipment has to be solidly built – it will get more abuse than any other type of equipment – but safety has to be inherently built into every piece of equipment, every nut and every bolt. Particular attention should be paid to potential head and neck entrapments and entanglement and protrusion hazards in playground connectors, configuration and components.
Surfacing should be selected to eliminate tripping hazards, dangerous bacteria, foreign material and high maintenance costs. DuroMat Extended Life® safety surfacing actually makes supervision easier because there are no dirty, muddy surfaces for parents and caregivers to navigate while keeping an eye on children.
Age-appropriate equipment for school age children,ages 5 to 12*
- arch climbers
- chain or cable walks
- freestanding climbing events with flexible parts
- fulcrum seesaws
- horizontal, rung and step ladders
- overhead rings
- merry-go-rounds
- ramps
- ring treks
- slides
- spiral slides more than one 360-degree turn
- stairways
- belt and rotating tire swings
- track rides
- vertical sliding poles
* Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission "Playground Safety Handbook" April 2008
