Children also have so much to gain from using outdoor gyms...
9th March 2018
Outdoor gym equipment provides a fantastic outlet for energetic children, meaning that when the time comes for them to be back in class after break time, they’ll be less restless during lessons and more willing to listen to their teachers and classmates. Children also have better attention spans and memory after short bursts of exercise, so they’ll always be ready to learn after using their playground’s outdoor gym equipment. Similarly, there is research to suggest that a combination of fresh air and physical activity is particularly beneficial to mental performance.
Our outdoor equipment can be used for play or physical education (PE), and can even be incorporated into other lesson plans in order to help improve social relations and mental agility. A big plus is that children don’t even need to get changed into their PE kit to use the equipment (which can be a source of stress and discomfort around PE for some students) and to benefit from it.
Outdoor gym equipment can aid children’s development in a multitude of ways, including enhancing their physical literacy, agility, and coordination, as well as promoting musculoskeletal and cardiovascular development.
The equipment also allows for friendly social interaction between pupils and confidence building, whilst avoiding the stress of competitive sports, with which more anxious children may struggle. In turn, this allows the association of fitness with fun, thus encouraging good lifestyle habits among children, which are then much more likely to be carried through to adulthood.
Amidst modern-day obesity problems and increasingly screen-oriented lifestyles, it’s more important than ever to promote health and fitness through exercise. Outdoor gym equipment encourages heart health through cardio workouts, and reminds children just how good it feels to get moving and be outside, increasing the chances of them doing it again in their free time.
