Anytime that children are playing outside is a chance that they may get hurt. You can help prevent the most common playground injuries by teaching your child some basic rules and providing attentive adult supervision to all outdoor activities, including playing on a playground.
Children should know that they should never push while on playground equipment. Rough play while on slides, swings and other equipment can result in injury, especially if the other child is in movement. Additionally, all equipment should be used as it was designed. That means no climbing equipment that isn’t specifically designed for climbing (like swingsets, for instance). Slides should be used feet first and with one child going down at a time.
As a parent, some of the responsibility for making sure that your child is safe on playground equipment does fall to you. Make sure that the equipment is appropriate for the age of your child. Many playground equipment manufacturers create equipment with three distinct age categories in mind and a playground may be created with just one age group in mind or with a mix of equipment. If you have any reservations about a piece of equipment, don’t allow your child to use it.
Using sunscreen on your child’s face is important if they’re playing on playground equipment. Even if the playground is relatively shaded, many materials that are used underneath playgrounds can reflect the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Playground equipment should only be used in appropriate weather. Rain or other moisture can make equipment dangerous because child can slip on puddles. On warm days, metal equipment can get very hot, so make sure that any metal pieces are not too hot to touch before you let your children play on them.