The era of parks being primarily for children seems to be fading as a number of adult playgrounds have popped up across the globe.
They’re not simply appearing for no reason, though; there have been a great number of benefits discovered by their addition into communities, leading organizations to build more and more. After all, why should only children get the chance to play?
RELATED STORIES
When thinking about the park, the image that comes to mind involves children playing while the adults stay to the side and watch.
There’s a movement that’s aiming to challenge that image, and include adults in the playing aspect of parks across the world.
Called “multi-generational playgrounds,” they include features geared for adults to get them moving alongside their children and grandchildren.
First appearing in Europe, adult playgrounds have a number of benefits.
This video showcasing one such playground in Spain details the social aspect as well as the health benefits, saying it’s not only good for adults to stay moving, but for them to make connections as they do so.
America has quite a number of them too, over 50, all thanks to one partnership.
Humana, a wellness company, teamed up with KaBOOM!, a playground-building non-profit, to install these types of playgrounds across the nation.
“The multi-generational playgrounds built by Humana and KaBOOM! feature traditional kid-friendly equipment, as well as walking paths and fitness stations for adults, creating spaces for people of all ages to gather,” they described in the original press release regarding their partnership.
The adult portion of the playgrounds feature low-impact exercise stations and instruction panels.
“The equipment is meant to help them with their posture, to help them with their flexibility, to help them build strength, so there’s really a lot of good benefits for them,” said Humana representative Maria Renneke in an interview with The List. And, as a bonus, there’s no membership to pay for.
From health, to family interaction, to community enrichment, this new type of playground really raises the bar.
All we can hope for now is that they continue to become more common, so everyone has the chance to remain active while spending time with their family and, most importantly, having fun.
h/t: Makey
