Creating an outdoor setting

Plan Inclusive Play Areas (PiPA) assessment tool

"PiPA is a tool to help you design and assess new or existing play areas. PiPA will help you understand a wide range of disabilities without being an expert, ensuring you offer the best inclusive provision. PiPA is broken down into five key areas to help you understand what parents with disabled children have to consider before planning a trip to a play area. With this information it makes it a lot easier to design more inclusively and assess existing provision."

Natural Play Spaces Can Benefit Children’s Health, study finds

“Playgrounds that mimic the natural environment have physical and mental benefits for preschool children, according to a study … coauthored by professors at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville” (US). 9 July 2019.

Outdoor Play Equipment For Children With Sensory Processing Disorder

Starting with a definition, its effects, and how schools can help children with SPD, the benefits of the outdoors on this group is followed by a list including mud kitchens, water & sand play, and a magnifying glass. Pentagon, 26 June 2018.

London Study of Playgrounds

The Influence of Design on Play Behavior in London vs New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. A comparison of 16 playgrounds in London with US provision to understand the influences of the design of playgrounds on play behaviours and physical activity levels in children and teens. Findings address 1. Design for all ages 2. Play everywhere 3. Think outside the catalogue 4. Play grounds are for play 5. Risk is a good thing. Studio Ludo (US), December 2017.

Inclusive Play Design Guide

‘An inclusive playground accommodates everyone & challenges them at their own developmental level. This guide was developed … as an inspirational & educational resource to help create great outdoor play environments for everyone. It offers a set of strategies & solutions to the challenges that face communities in their journey to inclusive play.’ Playworld, 2015 (US), on Accessible Playground.

Interesting backyards make the best playgrounds

Blog post with ‘some ideas on how to create a backyard that is more child-friendly and conducive to creative play’. With a look at loose parts, mud, water and more. Treehugger, 11 September 2015.

Natural Learning Initiative

Free practical information downloads for outdoor settings - including: creating a wildlife garden, shade solutions, affordable settings and components, acoustic play settings, earth play settings and natural construction settings.

Nature and Young Children, by Ruth Wilson

Encouraging Creative Play and Learning in Natural Environments. ‘How to set up indoor & outdoor nature play spaces as well as encouraging environmentally responsible attitudes, values & behaviour in your early childhood setting … a wealth of ideas on how to foster creative play & learning in nature-focused environments while also promoting positive connections with nature.’ 2012.

Nature Play: Play Space Design Principles

The following principles have been developed by Nature Play SA to assist you create an environment that will help all children who use this space to enjoy freedom, fantasy, privacy and peace.

Reimagining outdoor learning spaces

Primary capital, co-design and educational transformation. ‘This handbook focuses on the use and utility of outdoor space for play and learning, and aims to support those thinking about redesigning their outdoor spaces.’ A Futurelab handbook, on NFER, January 2008.

The Good School Playground Guide

This Good School Playground Guide highlights the possibilities and priorities when designing and improving school grounds for play and learning. Whatever your budget or scale of ambition, this guide will help you develop outdoor spaces which will help make your school the best place to grow up in.

The Green Desk

‘A resource for early childhood educators, childcare providers, administrators, and professionals seeking the latest information to create high quality, healthy outdoor environments for young children.’ Natural Learning Initiative. See also NTL’s research section – ‘research of children’s outdoor environments to generate new knowledge that may support evidence-based design’, and infosheets which ‘highlight specific aspects of landscape design or design programming.’

A Guide To Inclusive Playground Design

‘Inclusive play is the creation of environments for play that serve sensory, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional needs of all children in a community, regardless of ability.’ AAA State of Play (US).

A Guide to Natural Playgrounds

How-To Accommodate Special Needs Children on the Playground

Sensory Playground Equipment

Kaboom: Build a Playground Toolkit

‘Designed to walk you through the process of how to create a community-build playspace. From fundraising to volunteer recruitment, the Toolkit can help you take your project from start to finish with over a decade’s worth of KaBOOM! knowledge, advice, and best practices in building playspaces.’

Kaboom: DIY enhancement projects

‘Step-by-step instructions to transform the area around a playspace into an inviting place for your community’ – including instructions for building stages, benches, planters, fences, picnic tables, bins, and tons more – a great resource!

Projects to Encourage Outdoor Play & Learning

Great resource! ‘Learn to create engaging outdoor learning and play environments to improve student health and reconnect children with nature.’ Includes a complete guide to Create a Nature Play Area and Outdoor Classrooms, Labs & Habitats. From Bay Backpack.