17 Popular Diy Playground Design Ideas To Make Your Kids Happy

To begin with, there are 2 main issues to be dealt with when building a playground: preparing a safe playground flooring and gathering necessary equipment. The first issue is much too often overlooked, despite the fact that it is the flooring which plays a deciding role when a child is falling down. Falls are the main cause of accidents on a playground! Grass or natural soil are usually not sufficient to cushion the impact of a child’s fall.

The equipment is another factor and here the money should not be spared. Obviously, the existing playing equipment can be used if it is in a good condition and regularly maintained. When buying new equipment, one should choose a reliable manufacturer whose equipment complies with international safety standards. The manufacturer should inform you which equipment can be installed in a DIY manner, and what needs to be carried out by a professional company.

Let’s start with designating a safe playground area, which should be large enough not only to fit all the equipment, but also to comprise the impact area, which is where a child can fall. Remember that the impact area is to be free of obstacles. In order to be able to calculate this area, we need to know the critical fall height of the equipment. For example, if the maximum height from which a child can fall is 2 m, the ground has to be covered with protective playground flooring certified to attenuate the impact from 2 metres. Moreover, the flooring should reach 1.8 m behind the edge of the equipment in question. The formula to calculate the impact area is: 2/3*critical fall height + 50cm.

Another important safety requirement is that the maximum fall height is 3 metres. So, make sure none of the equipment where a child can stand or climb is higher than 3 m. Finally, let’s not forget about common sense which should guide you in the first place when building a private playground.