Visual: Element that engages/enhances visual skills
Sensory
Auditory: Element that engages/enhances auditory skills
Proprioception:
Elememt that engages or enhances muscle skills, further defined by the motor skill category
Tactile: Element that engages touch
Vestibular: Element that engages body movement
Vestibular+: Element that engages body movement in unexpected ways
Fine Motor: Element that engages the hands and fingers
Agility: Element design challenges the user to change body position in space to succeed
Balance: elemet challenges the user to stay upright and/or keep from falling off of equipment to succeed
Coordination: Element challenges the user to use a comboniation of muscles to succeed
Cardiovascular: Element causes an obvioud increase of heart rate during play
Eye-hand coordination: element specifically encourages the user to look at hand placement to succeed
Motor Skill
Motor PLanning: Element challenges the user to move through a series of motor skills to succeed
Endurance: Element involces ditance and/or long duration of muscle work for a longer than typical time period to succeed
All kids benefit from exploring the four defined areas of developmental skills when at play. Multisensory experiences can be good because using more than one sense at a time helps to build the brain more quickly.
However, kids with disabilities may need to break that information into smaller parts. Some may require additional sensory input, others do better with less. Some may prefer to experience this input more frequently, others less frequently.
That's why it is so important for playgrounds—especially inclusive playgrounds—to provide a variety of developmental options for kids to choose from.
There are four defined areas of developmental skills: Sensory, Motor, Cognitive, Social/Emotional.
Swings + Disc Swing
Vestibular: Swings engage body movement
Sensory, Motor, Social Skill Stimulation
Coordination: Swings challenges the user to use a combination of muscles to succeed
Balance: Swings challenge the user to stay upright and/or keep from falling off equipment to succeed
Cooperation: Element encourages users to work together to succeed in a play activity
Core Body Strength: Element challenges the user to increase trunk muscle abilities while playing
Vestibular: Element that engages body movement
Coordination: Swings challenges the user to use a combination of muscles to succeed
Balance: Element challenges the user to stay upright and/or keep from falling off equipment to succeed
Sensory, Motor, Social Skill Stimulation
Boogie Board
Coordination: Element challenges the user to use a combination of muscles to succeed
Social Skill Development: Element encourages users to use verbal and non-verbal methods of sharing thoughts and ideas during play
Motor Planning: Element challenges the user to move through a series of motor skills to succeed,
Auditory: A quiet space to retreat for over stumulated students
Sensory, Motor, Social Skill Stimulation
Cozy Dome
Imaginative Play: Element encourages users to invent scenarios from their imagination that enable them to build life skills
Cooperation: Element encourages users to work together to succeed in a play activity
Vestibular+: Element that includes additional movement in unexpected ways
Vestibular: Element that engages body movement
Sensory, Motor, Social Skill Stimulation
Omni-Spinner
Motor Planning: Element challenges the user to move through a series of motor skills to succeed
Tactile: Element that engages touch
Eye-hand coordination: Element specifically encourages the user to look at hand placement to succeed
Auditory: Element that engages/enhances auditory skills
Pagoda Bells + Merry
Musical Elements
Bishop Elementary School Playground