The Benefits of Indoor Playgrounds
Every day, groups of children are battling aliens, fending off pirates and searching for treasures – all from the safety of an indoor playground. Not only do these cool venues provide hours of fun and some respite for parents, but they provide excellent benefits for their development. What are the benefits of children using indoor playgrounds? You’re about to find out!
Indoor Playgrounds Explained
An indoor playground is an indoor commercial venue packed with play equipment, usually over multiple levels. The idea of an indoor play venue was born in the 1980s and remains extremely popular in the UK today. Most indoor playgrounds are used by children to climb, run, crawl through obstacles and have fun with other kids. There are many hidden benefits when children use an indoor playground, which we will come back to later. Most indoor playgrounds include cafes and can be a great place for parents to meet up while the little ones play. The best indoor playgrounds in the UK will include a soft play zone within the indoor playground. This softer space is used by early years children – and to keep the whole family entertained. You can now find indoor playgrounds for older children and adults too, such as trampoline parks and Parkour venues.
The Design of Indoor Play Structures
Indoor playgrounds are made up of larger structures, sometimes three or four stories high. These big structures must fit the specifications of the venue they intent o be used in, and as a result, bespoke designs are required. The structure will include different elements that challenge children in various ways. They may include climbing, crawling, balancing, twisting and problem-solving tasks. And modern designs now include interactive features as well!The structure is made safe using soft padding in key places and mitigating risks by setting challenges at the right difficulty level for target users. It is common for an indoor playground to create an overall theme, which transpires in the play structure’s design. For example, at House of Play, we have created bespoke designs that look like castles, ships, treehouses, tanks and much more. The biggest indoor playground venues will use lots of different themes. We have even made a humongous London city design before. You can see some of our work on this page!
What Are the Benefits of Indoor Playgrounds?
1：Indoor playgrounds encourage children to be physically active in lots of ways. For children to move throughout an indoor play structure and overcome various challenges, they must execute different compound movements. Their cardiovascular endurance improves, and they develop new moto skills requiring muscular strength. The child’s overall health and wellbeing are improved through frequent use of indoor playgrounds, and it can go some way to tackling childhood obesity and encouraging healthier lifestyles.
2：Indoor play structures demand children to be physically active to overcome obstacles and challenges, but they simultaneously demand that children come up with the best ways to overcome obstacles. This is even more true of indoor playgrounds that include interactive games dotted around the structure. Thus, indoor playgrounds are excellent to develop problem-solving skills, critical thinking and even creativity. And when they succeed, it builds confidence!
3：An indoor play venue is a fantastic place for children to make new friends. Don’t be surprised to see a child enter a ball pool and rise to the surface with a couple of new friends – and then go off to explore the rest of the playground together，Not only will these experiences develop emotional intelligence and social interactions, but they could be one of the earliest experiences of teamwork as they overcome tasks together.
