This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All opinions expressed in my post are my own.
Entertaining kids is easier than it looks. You can even find plenty of ways to entertain kids for free, especially at a playground! These are my favorite tips for enjoying the playground, as well as reasons why I love taking my kids to the playground. With two young kids at home I’ve been to my fair share of playgrounds and have a few tips that can make it pretty easy for you to entertain your kids too.
I know it’s tempting to have your kids try out all the sports and dabble in many different activities, but all of these activities add up fast. I have a strict rule that my kids can do one activity at a time. If we are doing soccer, we won’t do music class or keep our children’s museum membership. I do this for financial reasons, but I also do it so my kids will know how to entertain themselves and take chances. There is no better way to teach kids how to do all of this than through the power of play at a playground. Best of all, kids are learning all sorts of skills like bravery and teamwork for free!
Did you know that some parks are more educational and engaging than others? Landscape Structures builds those kinds of parks. They even partner with University of Minnesota’s Institute of Child Development to to research how play helps develop the whole child by creating leaders, encouraging collaboration, and teaching about the values of persistence and problem solving We have a park made with Landscape Structures near us at Lakes Park in Fort Myers. Even though we have playgrounds closer to us, we still make time to visit Lakes Park just because of the engaging playground.
It’s important to me to get my kids out to the playground because play is important for the development of children’s cognitive, social, and emotional skills. Playground skills are legit! My kids learn so much not only from playing on the various structures, but from making new friends and engaging with others. It’s amazing how kids can imagine a new world in the playground and bring it to life with a new set of friends each time.
Now that I’ve checked out lots of parks and playgrounds in our area with two small children, I have some tips to share with you that can help you make the most of playground play.
Tips for enjoying the playground
- All parks are not created equal. Find one that is engaging and allows your child to problem solve while playing.
- Find the best parks for certain times of day. For instance, the shade may be perfect at one park for morning play, and better at another for afternoon play.
- Bring a towel. This is great for wiping off morning dew from structures as well as keeping kids cool when they slide down too hot slides in the afternoon.
- Identify the bathroom early. Little kids don’t give much warning!
- Bring water and snacks in case you stay longer than expected.
- Bring a bathing suit and a change of clothes because many parks have water features these days.
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Want to learn more about the power of play? Check out this video:
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