The number of adventure playgrounds is growing, but you don't have to venture far to reap the benefits of this type of unstructured, imaginative play. There are plenty of ways to bring the adventure playground ideology into your home.
Rolph is a big fan of teaching kids how to use tools (we promise it isn't as scary as it sounds). "Bringing elements of an adventure playground to your own home or backyard can be as simple as teaching your kids to use tools. Hammering, for example, is satisfying, it's a multisensory experience, and it's a great combination of fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and perseverance."
While tools seem dangerous, "teaching children to use them from a very young age starts to instill good safety habits, gives them more years of practice, and supports their innate desire to build with their hands," she added. When introducing tools, always teach safety first. This includes wearing safety glasses/goggles, checking the area around you, checking your tools and the fit in your hands, and transporting tools properly.
Dr. Lapointe recommended that parents start by "prioritizing exploration over entertainment." This could be something as simple as letting them loose with a big pile of rocks and sticks or, for cold or rainy days, providing them with sheets, pillows, and blankets to build a massive fort. If you are ready to take on a bigger project, you could add a play area in your backyard that utilizes tires, wood blocks or logs, rock piles, and other elements that allow children to build (and destroy!), transform, and manipulate the world around them/
Dr. Hadani likes to "let a child's interests (in rocks, bugs, paint, etc.) guide their play. See what they gravitate toward and support those interests from the earliest ages." She also advised parents to encourage physical play both indoors and outdoors. Whether that be climbing, jumping, or running, kids need opportunities to test their boundaries while simultaneously building self-esteem and self-confidence.
If you're interested in learning more, the experts I spoke with suggested following the work of Dr. Mariana Brussoni and Teacher Tom for a deep dive into the adventure-playground philosophy.
