Like I pointed out in my last post about modern playground swing sets, the equipment itself is often safe enough. But it is of course still important to to adhere to certain safety principles.

However, many parent get this wrong and end up scaring their kids instead of encouraging them to explore their physical abilities. How this might play out is illustrated in the below video:

“Mom, Mom, Mom! Can I climb on the outside of the slide?” Sandy Blackard, Founder of Language of Listening, illustrates how to SAY WHAT YOU SEE to set limits without limiting your child.  Compare “No, you might get hurt,” with saying what you see and naming strengths.

I think her example could perhaps have been a bit easier to follow, but otherwise I think Sandy is onto something important – and that is to teach your kids to make good judgments themselves, as to what is safe or not.

With that in mind here are some additional good pointers to remember about playground safety:

Building a Better Playground: Safety, Surfacing, Accessibility and …

The playground industry has changed a lot in a generation. New safety and accessibility guildelines have revolutionized playground design.

PLoS Medicine: School Playground Surfacing and Arm Fractures in …

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission also has information on playground safety, including resources designed for children such as The Further Adventures of Kidd Safety and Little Big Kids, a booklet on play safety written by …

Backyard Playground Safety – Part 1: Preparing For and …

Enjoying life to the fullest is a child’s only concern when it comes to home playground equipment. With proper planning and implementation of the playground safety recommendations presented in this article and in the series of articles …