Playgrounds Are Not What They Used to Be, and That’s a Good Thing
By Mike Sutton
Source: NRPA Parks & Recreation
Like many people who grew up decades ago, my earliest memories of playgrounds involve steel, height and a fair amount of risk. In the town where I grew up, the playground featured a tall steel slide that was as exciting as it was unforgiving. I climbed to the top one day, lost my balance and fell. I was not the only child to have a similar experience, and over time that equipment became a safety concern for the community.
Years later, I returned to that same town as a park and recreation professional and helped remove that slide. Watching it come out of the ground reinforced a lesson that has guided my career: playgrounds reflect what we understand about children, safety and play at a given moment, and they evolve as that understanding changes.
Safety That Supports Growth
One of the most visible changes throughout the decades has been the evolution of playground safety. Early playgrounds involved real hazards. Modern safety standards reflect a more informed approach, one that reduces serious injury while still allowing children to challenge themselves.
Good playground safety is not about eliminating risk — it is about managing it thoughtfully. Fall heights, protective surfacing, clear-use zones and age-appropriate design work together to support healthy risk-taking. For park and recreation professionals, safety also includes long-term maintenance and adherence to established standards. A well-designed playground must remain safe throughout its life cycle.
Working with manufacturers that meet International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association certification standards provides added confidence that equipment has been independently evaluated for compliance with ASTM safety standards. Certification helps ensure safety is built into design and manufacturing, not addressed after installation, and supports consistency across projects.
The Enduring Importance of Motion
Despite changes in materials and layouts, one element of play has remained consistently popular: motion. Swings have long been a favorite, and the reason is simple. Movement is engaging, exciting and deeply connected to physical development.
Anything that spins, rolls, glides or swings tends to draw children in. Motion-based play supports balance, coordination and strength, and it invites repeated use. Research reinforces what practitioners observe. The CDC has found that playgrounds with higher playability, meaning features that support movement and active play, are associated with greater levels of physical activity among users.
Motion also plays an important role for children with sensory sensitivities or developmental differences. For some, rhythmic movement can be calming and regulating. Providing a range of motion experiences allows children to choose how they engage and at what intensity, supporting self-directed play.
Belonging as a Design Standard
Another major shift in playground design has been the move toward adaptive play for all children. In the past, many playgrounds unintentionally left out children with disabilities due to inaccessible layouts or limited play opportunities.
Adaptive playgrounds today are designed to stimulate multiple developmental domains. The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability emphasizes that welcoming play environments support motor, cognitive, social and emotional development for children of all abilities. When children play together in shared spaces, social obstacles are reduced and empathy grows.
True access goes beyond minimum accessibility requirements. It considers how children move through a space, how caregivers assist and interact, and how welcoming the environment feels. Adaptive design must be intentional from the earliest planning stages.
Designing for How Children Play
Modern playgrounds are also moving away from prescriptive play toward open-ended experiences. Traditional playgrounds often dictated how children should use equipment. Innovative designs invite imagination, exploration and self-directed play.
Observational research from the National Study of Playgrounds found that playgrounds with varied surfaces, natural elements and open-ended play areas attracted more users and generated nearly three times as much moderate-to-vigorous physical activity compared to traditional playgrounds. These findings highlight the value of designing environments that respond to how children naturally play rather than how adults expect them to.
Guidance for Today’s Decision-Makers
For park and recreation leaders, planning or upgrading a playground is a long-term investment. Touring existing playgrounds, speaking with neighboring communities and understanding maintenance needs are essential steps. Working with certified manufacturers and experienced partners helps ensure safety, durability and long-term value.
As playground design continues to evolve, technology, customization and new materials will shape future spaces. Yet, the purpose of playgrounds remains unchanged. They are places where children move, imagine, connect and grow, and where communities come together.
Mike Sutton served as Vice President of Global Sales for Miracle Recreation for more than 24 years and is President of the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association.