Inclusive Playgrounds and Activity Areas

Play and physical activity are important for health, development, confidence, and social participation. Yet many children and young people find that playgrounds and activity areas do not give them meaningful opportunities to take part in play. Universal design is an important foundation for creating inclusive playgrounds and activity areas.

In this article, we focus particularly on play and activity itself – and how we can create meaningful opportunities for children and young people with different abilities to participate.

In our experience, this does not have to involve complicated or costly solutions. Often, simple and thoughtful choices can make a significant difference.

Inclusive play is about participation

Children and young people have different abilities, interests, and ways of moving. Some run, jump, and climb. Others use a wheelchair or need support to take part in activities. Some seek speed and excitement, while others prefer calmer challenges closer to the ground.

The goal of an inclusive playground is not for everyone to do the same thing, but to create different ways to participate based on individual abilities.

At Rampline, we therefore develop activity equipment with different ways to engage and different levels of challenge. Easy access and open-ended designs allow many of our products to be used standing or sitting, with support from a companion, or as part of social play. This gives more people opportunities for activity, exploration, and a sense of achievement.

When Children with Different Abilities Play Together

When children with different abilities and ways of moving play together, they gain valuable experiences.

They learn to cooperate, solve problems together and discover creative ways to play. They also learn that people have different strengths, different challenges and different ways of moving.

The most important thing is not that everyone can jump equally high or run equally fast. The most important thing is that everyone has the opportunity to experience the same joy of play and physical activity.

Rampline’s Five Simple Principles for More Inclusive Playgrounds

Easy Access

Activity equipment with easy access makes it possible for more people to take part. It also makes it easier for a companion to join the activity.

Excitement and a sense of achievement do not depend on height. What matters is that the equipment offers different challenges and multiple ways to use it. That is why we focus on easy access combined with high play value and open-ended use.

Rampball® is one example of Rampline’s approach to Universal Design. Its low profile and easy access make it inviting for a wide range of users, while still challenging balance, coordination and movement. As soon as it is used, it tilts and rotates in response to the user’s movements. The level of challenge depends largely on how the user chooses to interact with it.

Wheelchair-Friendly Safety Surfacing

The surfacing is one of the most important factors in making a playground accessible.

Firm, wheelchair-friendly surfaces make it possible for children who use wheelchairs to take part in play and activities.

ShockDeck™ is Rampline’s solution for wheelchair-friendly, universally designed safety surfacing. It combines accessibility, impact protection and environmental responsibility in one integrated solution.

One Solution – Many Possibilities

Children are drawn to different kinds of challenges and play in different ways.

When play and activity equipment offers multiple ways to participate, it creates opportunities for creativity, variety, progression, a sense of achievement and the joy of movement for a wide range of users.

This is a fundamental principle behind Rampline’s Motor Skills Parks and activity equipment, where the same piece of equipment can be used in different ways and provide meaningful challenges at different levels.

Trampolines for Different Abilities

Whether it’s small bounces, big jumps or spectacular somersaults, trampoline play is an activity that children of all ages love.

When trampolines are designed with the right size, high quality and easy access, they can also become an attractive activity for children who use wheelchairs. At the same time, trampoline play naturally creates opportunities for children to help one another, cooperate and share experiences across different abilities.

Learn more in our article What Makes a Great Trampoline?

Space Matters

A wheelchair needs more space than two feet.

For children who use wheelchairs, generous space around play equipment and along pathways is essential for both safety and play. When it is easy to manoeuvre, turn and choose a direction, children are free to explore, take part in activities and move naturally alongside others.

Rampline’s Philosophy

For us, Universal Design is about creating playgrounds and activity areas where more people can be active together.

We develop solutions that encourage exploration, movement and a sense of achievement, while being suitable for people with different abilities. An activity does not have to be performed in the same way by everyone to be meaningful. For example, a slackline can be used for walking, sitting, balancing with support or exploring movement together with a companion.

The goal is not for everyone to do the same thing. The goal is for more people to be able to participate in their own way.

What Do We Mean by Universal Design?

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) defines Universal Design as:

“The design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design.”

Universal Design is an important approach to creating more inclusive communities and equal opportunities for participation.

How Does Inclusive Design Work in Practice?

Meet Ella, Magnus and Martine. Each visits a different Motor Skills Park, showing how small design choices can make a big difference for children with different abilities.
(available in Norwegian)

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