Military Playgrounds Improve the Family Life of the Enlisted

What do you think of when you imagine a playground? Is it a school yard with children excited to have recess as they run, swing and slide? Is it a church yard filled with children in their Sunday best? A park with a jungle gym on a lazy summer afternoon? These are the common ideas that people associate with playgrounds. Very few envision them on military bases. However, many military communities create parks and recreation areas that feature community playgrounds. Military base playgrounds are a simple yet effective way to construct a family and child friendly environment. These family friendly environments may be more important to military bases than in any other community. These community sites create a setting that allows families that are often apart to reconnect and make the most of their time together.

Every community can benefit from a park and play area. These sites allow encourage children to engage in active play, improve physical abilities and motor skills, and socialize and interact with their peers. However, on military bases a community site with a commercial playground can do more than encourage physical development. These sites are often wonderful tools for younger children to reacquaint themselves with parents who are returning from long deployments. They provide a neutral setting that is filled with fun activities where the child can acclimate to the parent’s return, and even simply enjoy themselves by showing off their skills racing across obstacles and climbers, or being pushed on the swings.

Aside from the healing properties that these military community playgrounds offer, commercial playgrounds offer a wide variety of benefits associated with childhood development. A commercial playground that is specially tailored to the age group, or age groups, of the children using the system will be able to encourage and strengthen physical development. Children can stay active on swings, horizontal ladders, and climbers that benefit both large muscle development and small motor skills development. Children can also benefit from the height of the climbers and the speed of swings and slides; as they play on these parts of the system, children learn to overcome fear of height and fast speeds that will only help them later in life. And of course, as they play children learn to interact with their peers, make friends, and use their imagination to create their own games and adventures within the community setting.

A quality commercial playground can be tailored to suit any age or physical ability level, allowing communities to create the ideal play system for their young patrons. To add even more fun to military base playgrounds, site designers can add a selection of specialty play equipment, including specialty climbers and water play extensions to quality commercial play systems. These additions and add-ons only increase the fun, developmental benefits, and healing properties of the community sites.