Who Invented children's playgrounds?

To modern people, it’s obvious that kids need spaces where they can exercise their bodies and their imaginations. Playgrounds provide just that, and it’s hard to imagine childhood without them. Playgrounds provide developmental enrichment on a number of levels, from physical and social to cognitive and more.

The idea for supervised playgrounds originated in Germany as a way to keep children from playing in the streets. These playgrounds were piles of sand, and police supervised the children. Dr. Marie E. Zakrzewska, a German woman, brought the idea to Boston in 1885. The Boston Sand Gardens became the first supervised playground in the U.S. A few years later, the Charlesbank Outdoor Gymnasium opened in Boston. This large play area included a running track, rowing activities on the Charles River, and playground equipment such as swings, seesaws, and ladders. The playground idea spread to New York City, which established sand gardens near settlement houses. Later, schools created playgrounds for students. In 1906, the Playground Association of America was organized with the support of President Theodore Roosevelt to help further the development of playgrounds in communities.

Thanks to more than a century of research and development, playground equipment is safer, more inclusive and more engaging than ever before. Today, children can slide, swing, run, spin, and jump on a wide variety of creative structures. Schools, parks, and even shopping centers have playgrounds.

Manufacturers are required to meet safety regulations, and consumers can buy children's playgrounds online. If you’d like to know more about a particular product or want to take the next steps toward building an exciting place to play, you can request a custom quote through us.