SCHOOL ACTIVITY ENVIRONMENT
ENACT STRATEGY: Playgrounds
Provide equipment and safe playground facilities for active play
A safe and inviting playground can encourage children to get active during the school day. Play structures on which kids can climb and swing, spaces designed for specific games like basketball and four-square, and basic equipment such as balls, jump ropes, and hula hoops—together, these provide important opportunities for group and individual active play for students of all ages. Unfortunately, many schools, particularly those in low-income communities, do not have developmentally-appropriate, well-designed, safe playgrounds: this reality limits teachers’ options for incorporating active play into the educational day, and contributes to inequitable health outcomes. All children and youth should have access to a school playground where they can have fun, build social relationships, develop new physical skills, and expend excess calories
- Age-appropriate play structures, with ladder, swings, slides, etc.
- Space, markings and equipment for specific games (eg. basketball, four-square)
- Basic equipment, such as balls, jump ropes, hula hoops, etc.
- Safe surfacing, so that children do not get hurt if they fall
- Facilities promoting positive group play and social skill development
- Ongoing maintenance of all equipment and structures
- Careful and sufficient supervision while children play
Boston Schoolyard Initiative: Boston, MA
The Boston Schoolyard Initiative (BSI) is a public-private partnership working to improve schools’ outdoor spaces, including their playgrounds, gardens, nature-focused classrooms, etc. Since its founding in 1995, BSI has renovated 70 schoolyards across Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. In addition to BSI’s website, you can link to a brochure describing the history and successes of the program.
Trust for Public Land: New York City Playground Program
The Trust for Public Land’s Playground Program works to address the fact that fewer than half of New York City public schools have usable playgrounds. Click here to see examples of playgrounds that have already been successfully transformed by TPL and the city of New York.
Learning Landscape Alliance: Denver, CO
The Learning Landscape Alliance (LLA) works to strengthen Denver’s public elementary schools and their surrounding neighborhoods by designing new school playgrounds. By 2008, 40,000 students from 85 elementary schools—had benefited from LLA’s collaborative efforts.
National Program for Playground Safety
The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) was created in 1995 to help communities across the nation examine critical issues surrounding playground safety. This National Action Plan is designed to prevent many needless injuries on the nation's playgrounds. It focuses on four key areas—Supervision, Age-appropriateness, Fall Surfacing; and Equipment—and includes guidance recommendations for people working at local, state, and national levels. In addition, NPPS has produced a comprehensive guide for planning playgrounds, available here.
Peaceful Playgrounds
Peaceful Playgrounds is focused on ensuring that school and community playgrounds are designed and used in ways that promote active play and positive social interactions. Among other things, Peaceful Playgrounds’ website provides grade-level specific playground blueprints, playground stencil templates to promote games, and aligned activity guides for teachers.
Playground Equipment Policy: Toronto, Canada
This policy, recommended for adoption by the Toronto Catholic District School Board, was written to ensure fair and sufficient funding for all school playgrounds across the district.
National Program for Playground Safety
The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) was created in 1995 to help communities across the nation examine critical issues surrounding playground safety. NPPS' mission is to help the public create safe and developmentally appropriate play environments for children.
Boundless Playgrounds partners with local communities to build inclusive playgrounds where children of all abilities can learn and play together. On a Boundless playground, ALL children, playing together, gain the proven intellectual, physical, and social developmental benefits of unstructured play.
Playground Safety and Access in Boston Neighborhoods
This study found that playground safety and access to playgrounds varied by neighborhood, with low-income residents and residents of color having less access to safe playgrounds.
Cradock, A. L., Kawachi, I., Colditz, G. A., Hannon, C., Melly, S. J., Wiecha, J. L., Gortmaker, S. L. Playground safety and access in Boston neighborhoods. Am J Prev Med. 2005 May; 28(4): 357-63.
Effects of Playground Markings and Structures on Children’s Physical Activity
Fifteen schools located in low income neighborhoods in England received funding through a national Sporting Playgrounds Initiative to redesign the playground environment. Researchers found higher physical activity levels of the students during recess at these schools when compared with eleven control schools. The results suggest that investing in a playground redesign, including multicolor playground markings and physical structures, is a promising strategy for increasing children's school recess physical activity levels.
Ridgers, N., Stratton, G., Fairclough, S., Twisk, J. Long-term effects of a playground markings and physical structures on children's recess physical activity levels. ** Preventive Medicine. 2007 May; 44(5): 393-7.
The Association of School Environments with Youth Physical Activity (PDF)
This study assessed the facilities, equipment, and supervision on 24 middle school grounds, and recorded student activity before school, during lunch, and after school. Researchers found that school environments with high levels of supervision and improvements stimulated girls and boys to be more physically active.
Sallis, JF, et al. The association of school environments with youth physical activity. American Journal of Public Health. 2001 April; 91(4):618-20.
