Benefits of Adding a Playground to Your Church
A playground offers so much more than just fun play equipment. Kids learn about themselves and the world around them while playing on a playground. Friendships form, memories are made and life lessons are learned, all while kids have fun.
Kids aren’t the only ones to benefit from a playground — there are a variety of benefits for churches or places of worship, too. By adding a playground to the property, churches and religious centers can show the community they encourage young children and families to attend. Kids may also feel more connected to a church that offers them play spaces.
Use our list below to discover more ways churches can benefit from a playground and how you can design your own unique playground today.
Read the full article or jump to a specific section:
- 1. Make Church More Inviting
- 2. Bring in Younger Members
- 3. Encourage Healthy Lifestyles
- 4. Establish a Family-Friendly Gathering Place
- 5. Bring Church Lessons to Life
- 6. Grow the Church’s Youth Program
- Develop a Meaningful Church Playground With Miracle®
1. Make Church More Inviting
When local community members pass by your church or place of worship and notice a playground, they can sense a strong faith-based community. With a playground in place, it shows your church has an inclusive community with members of all ages and is welcoming of families.
A family-friendly church can help bring in new members — especially those with young children. Families new to the area or families looking for a new place of worship will likely feel more comfortable joining a church that encourages and supports members with kids. A playground also signals that your church likely has a youth program and other offerings dedicated to children.
2. Bring in Younger Members
A playground can help bring in new families by appealing to parents, but the playground can also get kids excited to go to church. As kids get to spend time on the playground before or after church, they learn that church can be a fun and welcoming place. Additionally, playgrounds allow kids to burn off some energy, which can help them behave better during the service.
Whether kids burn off energy before the service or the playground is a reward for good behavior during the service, a playground can make kids eager to go to church.
3. Encourage Healthy Lifestyles
By including an outdoor playground, faith centers can encourage healthy lifestyles among kids. Outdoor physical activity can lead to healthy bodies and minds through social, cognitive and physical development.
As a result, kids can benefit in the church as well as in school and in their personal lives. Some of the benefits kids experience from playing on a playground include:
- Improved self-esteem and self-confidence.
- Stronger muscles and bones.
- Improved endurance.
- Greater socialization and communication skills.
- Enhanced critical thinking skills.
- Stronger sense of community.
- Increased creativity and imagination.
- Better attention spans.
4. Establish a Family-Friendly Gathering Place
A playground makes the perfect gathering place for church members with kids. Parents can connect and make new friendships while kids interact and play with one another. Both parents and kids can foster connections and friendships with other people who share the same values. The playground will naturally bring kids and parents together and create a convenient gathering place.
Through playground meet-ups, parents can create a community where they can lean on one another for support. Connecting before or after the church service at the playground can also strengthen the church community as a whole. Members will feel more bonded and comfortable with each other, which can lead to them becoming more involved in the church. New-found friends can join committees and volunteer groups together, creating a connected congregation.
5. Bring Church Lessons to Life
Long church sessions can be difficult for kids to sit through. They may become restless or uninterested if they’re not continuously stimulated. A church or worship center with a playground can help kids engage with the institution’s teachings in a more meaningful way. While outside on the playground, kids can act out religious stories and engage in group activities.
Through play, kids can meaningfully engage with teachings, make friends in their church community and learn that church can be a fun and exciting part of their day. Additionally, not all kids learn the same, so outdoor play or activities can help kids who learn best by physically doing things.
For example, religious leaders and teachers can use playground climbers in a lesson to represent challenges their faith can help them overcome. As they climb and conquer these playground climbers, kids can see how their faith can guide and support them. Other playground elements like slides and swings can represent different elements of a specific religious story.
6. Grow the Church’s Youth Program
Create a thriving youth program by hosting events and activities at the church’s or place of worship’s playground. From picnics to field games, a playground area can be the perfect gathering point. When other kids in the church community see the fun activities and lessons the youth program offers, they’re more likely to get involved themselves.
Additionally, kids in the youth program will develop a variety of life skills to help them better their church and their overall community. Through play, kids can learn teamwork, communication skills, leadership skills and more. As kids develop through the youth program, they can become more involved in the church and apply these life skills by volunteering or helping the church in other ways.
Develop a Meaningful Church Playground With Miracle®
The kids in your church or religious center community deserve a high-quality playground where they can connect, learn and grow. At Miracle, we’ve always put children’s needs and interests first. We’ve developed fun playground equipment that encourages self-discovery, challenges kids to try new things and is inclusive for all kids. By investing in the development of children today, you’re helping to shape the leaders of tomorrow.
Use any of our high-quality playground structures and equipment to create the perfect play space for the kids in your church community. With playground solutions available for kids of all ages and abilities, you can customize your playground to best suit the kids in your community.
Our expert team will help you every step of the way so you can enjoy a hassle-free experience. We can provide recommendations based on your land size, budget and the age range you’re looking to design for. Our representatives are eager to help, so get started with designing your ideal church playground by contacting our team today.
