Elementary School Play Equipment Ages 5 to 12

Older kids have different play needs—that’s why we offer school-age playgrounds specifically designed to entertain, challenge, burn calories, boost brain power, and build relationships. Explore our play equipment for children ages 5-12 to create a brand new structure or enhance your existing playground for kids of all abilities. When you choose school-age playground equipment from Playworld, we work with you to create the ideal combination for your play space. We know how important it is to encourage healthy, lifelong habits in children. As kids grow, you can count on our play equipment to be a constant source of fun.

The Benefits of Play

Children begin playing at a young age, and it becomes an essential part of their social life, development and health. Playing teaches children how to interact, problem-solve and overcome adversity. The benefits of play for school-age children include: 

  • Physical: Climbing, jumping, stretching and running help children build and develop their muscles and stay active during the day. They can also get better sleep and regulate their bodies while having fun!
  • Social: Children interact freely on the playground. They often learn to play together, talk with each other and plan games and activities. 
  • Cognitive: Free play allows children to problem-solve, as they invent stories and scenarios while playing that they have to resolve. 

As children grow up, they can use equipment in different ways. Providing a space for them to excel outside of their home and school can help them fully express themselves. 

Our School-Age Products

We offer a range of school-age playground equipment products for kids ages 5 to 12. For example, our upper-body activities get children started on building their strength and challenging themselves. The Straight Horizontal Loop Ladder challenges younger children to push themselves. As they grow, they can use their arms to try and go faster and do laps on the bars. You can add other activities such as the Twist 'N Twirl™ to your existing playground or as a stand-alone feature. 

Our Challengers® series playgrounds are also perfect for school-age children because of their versatility. Our different models have climbing areas for older kids and slides and steps for younger ones, creating a hub for interactions between children. 

The Motion Play options are great for practicing balance and grip strength. Children can spin and climb on the Cone Spinner or Cone Spinner Diamond and test their endurance. Motion play increases their balance in a fun, exciting way. 

Whether you choose a full playground or separate stand-alone items, our selections are personalized to each age group to meet their specific needs. We keep kids' growth in mind for our school-age products and create tools to help them play and change over time. Learn more about how our playground equipment can benefit school-age children. 

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Playgrounds

Our preconfigured playgrounds challenge kids’ bodies, minds, and imaginations, encouraging inclusive play and promoting child development.

COMPONENTS

Pick and choose the perfect components to create an engaging and challenging school-age playground that meets your budget, space or curriculum.

Freestanding

Enhance your existing or new playground immeasurably and cost-effectively with a variety of freestanding spinners, swings, climbers and more.

Finding the Right School-Age Playground Equipment

Your needs might be complex, but choosing a playground doesn’t have to be. Our product filter lets you choose products based on budget, play space size or activity. Additionally, our line of PlaySimple® products can provide you with durable products at your price point.

Rep Finder

Explore our diverse equipment choices. Contact your local rep for a consultation and let us help you create a playground environment you will be proud of.

Inclusive School Design

The school-age playground should be a space for all children to play together. Learn how you can make your space entertaining for kids of all abilities.

Looking for Inspiration?

Browse pictures from real playgrounds across the globe and hear how Playworld has helped transform neighborhoods with the power of play.

Quality Kids Playground Equipment

Children’s playgrounds should be a safe place to foster fun, creativity and learning, so the quality of your school-age playground equipment is important. Details like shatterproof plastics and strong steel platforms make a huge impact. We focus on those little details so you can focus on the magic of play.

Designing School-Age Playground Equipment 

Designing a playground is a big undertaking, but one that can help you build a safe play area designed to encourage development and fun. A little thinking about your site, budget and playground use ahead of time can reap big rewards.

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School Playground Design Considerations

Before you start actively buying school-age playground equipment, you need to consider a few things ahead of time:

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Age-Appropriate Equipment & Activities

Playgrounds for schools need to have equipment and activities designed for school-aged children, and if you have children from kindergarten through teenage years, you may need separate play areas for each to ensure safety and adequate challenges. Activities and school play equipment that is safe and fun for older kids may not be appropriate for younger children.

Surfacing and Shade

Consider pour-in-place, loose-fill, and other surfacing options. All have their advantages when it comes to safety and budget, and all can prevent injuries caused by impact and falls from playground equipment.

Another consideration is shade. Shade can protect children from burns and can also keep your school-age playground equipment from getting too hot, which can help protect your investment.

Safety

Safety is a top consideration for school-age playgrounds, so you will want to make sure the equipment you buy meets or exceeds standards established by organizations that set standards and create regulations for commercial playground equipment. These organizations may include the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM), and many others.

Supervision

Even the safest school playgrounds need careful supervision to ensure safety. You can help by considering playground design elements to make caregivers’ jobs easier. Make sure each piece of playground equipment can be clearly seen and is visible to someone standing outside the playground. Also, provide site furnishings such as benches so teachers and other adults can supervise children comfortably.

Inclusiveness

An inclusive playground is one that is accessible to children of all mobility levels and engaging for children with varying abilities. Building inclusiveness into your playground means creating enough space around playground equipment so caregivers can help children who need it. It can also mean creating quiet and cozy spaces for children who may need quiet time to decompress. When considering design, you will want to ensure children of different abilities can use the equipment.

Resources for School Playground Design

Building school-age playgrounds is a big task, which is why Playworld has created different resources to help you further. Our Inclusive Design Guide was developed by childhood development and playground experts and takes you in-depth into practical ways you can engage the senses, creativity and intellect of children of all abilities on your school-age playground. Our Playground 101 Guide breaks down the complexities of creating a playground into 10 comprehensive steps, giving you a clear roadmap to follow. Of course, if at any point you have questions, you can also contact Playworld for assistance or design help.

Inclusive Guide

A step-by-step guide how to incorporate inclusive play principles into an existing or new playground including design tips.

Playground 101 Guide

Create a poster or attach to email to help boost support for your new playground project in just 10 steps.

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If at any point you have questions, contact our playground experts for assistance or design help.

How to Fund New School Playground Equipment 

Buying playground equipment for schools is an important investment, but many schools and school boards are concerned about cost. Luckily, Playworld has a number of resources to help you pay for your playground without cutting corners.

Fundraising is one of the time-tested ways to raise money for outdoor playground equipment for schools. Fundraising means you don’t have to pay loans back and gets the whole community involved in your project. Beyond ideas such as bake sales, you can sell advertising space or host talent shows and fairs to raise money. Playworld has a whole guide full of fundraising ideas to get you inspired and get everyone involved.

Financing is another option for building your play area, and Playworld has a phasing program as well as leasing options. The leasing program lets you build the playground you want now and pay for it over time. The phasing program lets you build your play area in stages, paying for each stage as you go.

To find out more about how Playworld can help you, contact us to get a quote today!

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