"Play is not just about having fun but about taking risks, experimenting, and testing boundaries." -American Academy of Pediatrics

In 2020, LASN interviewed Tom Norquist, Past-President, International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA) and Senior Vice President and Certified Master Trainer at PlayCore. Norquist explained how play not only aids in improved physical fitness, it also has shown to improve mood, attention spans, classroom participation, and overall academic performance, while reducing behavior issues. Norquist, who brings over three decades of experience in play research, referenced various studies that show free play improves neurological development and synaptic connections. In the October 2020 interview, Norquist1 said that "extensive research has shown swings, rocking toys and spinning devices stimulate the inner ear, namely vestibular stimulation, that is directly a source of improved concentration and a better sense of balance."

While Norquist's information from the 2020 interview is still relevant today, the interview took place during Covid, a time of uncertainty for outdoor activities, therefore LASN has gathered new research and studies that have expanded upon Norquist's finds in post-pandemic educational environments.

Longer Playtime Leads to Greater Academic Success
In 2014, four elementary schools in Fort Worth, Texas, tested the neurological impact and classroom performance of expanded playtimes2. They found that increasing outdoor play sessions to four times a day led to more focused, independent students. These schools now provide their students with two 15-minute breaks in the morning and two in the afternoon (three more breaks than before), totaling an hour of playtime over the course of the school-day, making their recesses nearly more than double, from a 2018 IPEMA survey in which 93 percent of teachers reported their school offers recess for an average of 25 minutes per day3.

Additionally, the Health Sciences department at Texas Christian University established the Let's Inspire Innovation 'N Kids (LiiNK) program which studied Finland's education system and later started a three-year pilot in Fort Worth elementary school districts where the LiiNK team provided a semester of training and planning guidance to the pilot schools. They observed students several times a month to collect data on academic performance and attention when exposed to various playtime durations. They found that an uptick in playtime, which was inspired by Finland's education system4, was seen to "boost language development and improve academic skills and classroom behaviors."

 

Public Playgrounds vs. School Playgrounds is Every Play the Same?
Researchers with the University of Cincinnati, recently conducted a survey in which six children were observed during five 30-minute playtimes on a school playground and then on a community playground6. The survey found that the participants demonstrated higher levels of associative and cooperative play on the school playground while the community playground led to more solitary and parallel play. Their findings show that play styles are correlated directly with the location of play and that children would rather interact with other children they know than ones they aren't familiar with.

What can landscape architects do to facilitate the success that researchers have found?
The consistency of this research suggests that elementary school playgrounds should incorporate explorative play as opposed to learning play.

The National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS) explains7 that "developmentally appropriate play areas for school-age children could include: rope or chain climbers on angles; climbing pieces; horizontal bars; cooperative pieces such as tire swings, slides and sliding poles; and open spaces to run and play ball."

Norquist's interview mentioned that "when kids are playing, they are learning reflexes and movement control, developing fine and gross motor skills and increasing flexibility and balancing skills." This stands just as true today in playground development.

For example, elementary schools would benefit from collaborative activities like swings and spinners that help kids learn about playing with others; slides have been shown to create opportunities to assist children in overcoming their fear of falling as they can safely interact with heights in a controlled environment; and traditional belt swings help facilitate social play that teaches conflict resolution and taking turns8.

FOOTNOTES:
1 Tom Norquist interview in the October issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News
2 "Want kids to listen more, fidget less? Try more recess... this school did" Today
3 "New Survey from IPEMA and the Voice of Play Finds U.S. Teachers Place High Value on Recess" Voice of Play
4 "Texas schools test brain benefits of recess" District Administration
5 "Play On! Youth Physical Activity" GameTime
6 "How Do the Children Play? The Influence of Playground Type on Children's Play Styles" PubMed Central
7 "Selecting Age-Appropriate Equipment" National Program for Playground Safety and the University of Northern Iowa
8 "Guide to Choosing Playground Equipment for Ages 5-12" Miracle