Wooden playground toys help kids connect with nature

So, how does using wooden playground equipment at your school help with this? When natural play area designs utilise natural woodland structures, they provide children with a connection to nature.

This is because children can interact with a natural structure, and they are exposed to materials that they may not usually play on with their friends, keeping children in touch with the great outdoors.

Developing a sense of exploration and creativity is vital for children and their development. Having an area which encourages unstructured play, like a wooden playground area, will give them the perfect platform to develop this. Skills they can develop include:

• Promoting creativity and imagination, problem-solving and higher IQ scores, and emotional and social development.
• Engendering a sense of self and a sense of place, allowing children to recognise both their independence and interdependence.
• Fostering cognitive, emotional, and moral development, especially in outdoor settings.
• Improving such motor skills as balance, coordination, and agility, critical for growing bodies.
• Helping children to develop gross motor skills and sociability skills, playgrounds aim to get the most out of young children when they are learning – promoting cooperation and problem-solving.

With a wooden playground design, children can experience sensory development. By interacting with natural shapes and materials means they can learn about their own natural environments while they are having fun.

Incorporating all the natural elements of play, wooden playgrounds can include sandy areas, water channels or a rocky area.