When it’s about children’s play, allowing them to play outdoors is a great option because that gives them open air rich of oxygen, ample sunshine and freedom for a lot of movements which brings about healthy physical and mental growth. And in this regard, outdoor playsets provide a great opportunity because children can have fun on them with other children, thereby developing their social skills too.
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Outdoor playsets come in a great variety. Here are a few useful tips for you to find what your options are and to decide which one is just the right for you.
What are Outdoor Playsets?
If you are confused about what an outdoor playset is, just understand that it’s a construction created with a multitude of playing options. It consists of climbers, slides, swings and other playthings, that kids can use for climbing up and down, sliding, swinging, hiding, jumping and many such activities.
There are various options in kids outdoor playsets. For example, some playsets may contain a single swing while some others may be complex and contain multiple swings, slides, climbing walls and several other features.
Here are various features of these playsets.
Climbing Frame
When it comes to climbing frame, sky is the limit for possibilities and you can perhaps get the largest selection. They are available in probably all sizes and shapes.
The most basic example is a simple tower. These typically consist of a single unit which may have many levels with ladders to access. Towers usually are the base of any climbing frame. There is an endless list of features that can be added to it, e.g. various types of slides, swings, various types of ladders, like rope ladders, monkey bars, climbing poles and walls, and so on.
Climbing frames are really very versatile and you can choose among them as per your child’s liking and your budget and space available.
Playhouse
As it’s clear from the name, playhouses typically are miniature houses that can accommodate at least one child. Their sizes may vary a lot from a single small room with only one door and window to large multi-room structures where you can even live in.
When you consider outdoor playsets, generally a simple playhouse is the best choice from the point of view of safety. Just like the case of climbing frames, playhouses too are available in a range of options.
You can also add other features like various types of ladders, climbing walls, slides and swings to playhouses too. Playhouses can be set elevated from the ground with an accessing ladder, just like a climbing frame tower.
Sometimes while researching, it may become difficult to distinguish between a climbing frame tower and a playhouse. Here the main thing to remember is that if the structure is fully enclosed with roof, windows and door, it’s called a playhouse. If it doesn’t have these characteristics, it’s a climbing frame tower.
Simple Swing
When only ‘swings’ are mentioned while talking about outdoor playsets, usually they mean stand-alone structures. If the set has only swings and no other features, it’s usually called a ‘swing set’.
Swing sets too come in a large variety. These days swings are not just a simple seat. They can be rigid or a ‘sling’ type, or may come in various shapes, like a tyre or a ball. If your kid is more adventurous type, you can prefer a trapeze-style swing seat and spinning wheels for him, whereas if he is more sociable, prefer a two-person seat, like glider.
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Slide
Kids love slides a lot. However, while outdoor playsets with slides are extremely popular, stand-alone slides are not as popular as stand-alone swings. Stand-alone slides are usually made from metal or plastic.
Slides too come in various styles. Mainly they fall into two groups – open and tube. Open slides are the traditional slides. Tube slides are essentially cylindrical, closed slides and tend to suit more to older children, as youngsters may find them a bit frightening.
Slides vary in shapes too from simple straight ones to ones with a lot of curves to add to the excitement. For your kid’s outdoor playsets, you can choose from this variety, just as you can choose durable ride on toys for kids from Tiny Tiny Shop Shop, for example.
Consider all these options to gift your kid an amazing outdoor playset.
