5 ways to use playground equipment for learning

Playgrounds provide hours of fun for pupils every week during breaks and lunchtimes. During this valuable free play time, children naturally learn new physical skills, stretch their imaginations, socialise, and work out how to solve different problems.

However, playground equipment can also be used as a valuable resource for learning during lesson time. More and more schools are encouraging students to learn outside when possible (particularly during dryer seasons) to enjoy the many physical and mental health benefits. Why not try out a few of these ideas for outdoor activities using school playground equipment?

Storytelling Chairs for Drama, Performance, and Leadership Skills

Storytelling chairs are a wonderful, diverse tool that can help to give children confidence and develop their own voice. 

During free play time, they are often used in role-play scenarios as thrones, teachers’ chairs and other positions of power. This can be transferred to lessons with great effect, with even shy children eager to try out a vocal or leadership role.

Why not try using storytelling chairs in speaking and listening activities to interview a student as a character from the class book, ask them to recount what happened in the previous lesson, or use it as a “speaking chair” children must take turns within class discussions. You could also use the chair as a visual signal of which child is taking the floor in communication games such as Simon Says, two truths and a lie, or red light green light.

For older children, the chair may also present a chance for pupils to take on a teacher or instructor role for a short space of time. Maybe they could run a short, structured class activity, do a short presentation on a special interest, or chair a group debate.

Outdoor Musical Instruments for Learning about Rhythm, Pitch, and Team Skills

Many creative playground areas or sensory gardens boast outdoor musical instruments such as chime panels, drums, or bells. If your class is lucky enough to have this at your fingertips, don’t let some brilliant opportunities for learning pass them by. The primary music curriculum requires learning about rhythm, pitch, and notation, which can all be practiced on these outdoor instruments.

Pupils can try a version of the telephone game by trying to pass the same rhythm all the way across the playground, with some children using claps, stomps, and class instruments, while others use the outdoor instruments. 

You could also ask children to devise simple pieces of music together using outdoor instruments and their new notation skills. For example, using whiteboards to compose a 30-second musical piece for two pupils on the theme of “a rainy day” on outdoor chimes and bells.

Trim trails for balance, vocab retrieval, and story creation

Trim trails are a popular piece of wooden playground equipment for encouraging physical activity and developing motor skills, problem-solving skills, and balance in children.

When it comes to how these can be used in class activities, there’s a lot to choose from! Here are just a few ideas:

• Racing to the end of the trim trail and back to retrieve vocab for their team to place correctly in a list or on a diagram
• Creating a narrative based on what they need to do during different parts of the trim trail (E.G - A quest where they must hike up a steep mountain, then hop between lily pads, then swing between trees) and coming up with vibrant descriptions based on their experiences
• Creatively coming up with a way to traverse the trim trail that’s different from how the other children in their group did it (e.g - backwards, sideways, on their tiptoes, squatting) as a PE warm-up
• Using the trim trail to separate different sides of a debate, with children physically crossing over it if they become convinced

Mud Kitchens for Maths Skills, Science, and Learning about the Natural World

It’s no secret that mud kitchens are a fantastic way for children to explore the maths concepts of volume and capacity, estimating how much different containers can hold and finding out that very differently shaped containers can have a similar capacity.

The natural settings of many mud kitchens can also encourage students to find out the properties of various natural materials - which ones float? Which soak up water? Which can be scratched or easily broken? Which can be successfully mixed together and what do they produce? As well as observing minibeasts in their natural habitat.

Playground Markings for Practical Maths and Memory Games

If your school has invested in thermoplastic markings or other playground markings, make the most of them as a source for fun and learning.

If you have educational markings including subjects such as technical vocab, maps, or shapes, why not use them to test your class's memories? Describe something using its properties and ask the children to run to the marking showing it as soon as they know what it is, ask them to add labels or features to markings using chalk, or cover different markings when their eyes are closed to test their recall.

Many playgrounds also have maths-based markings such as number lines, measurements or multiplication tables. Students love using these for more practical maths activities where they can use their whole bodies. Pupils can point, run to, or jump on markings to indicate their answers to problems, traverse hundred squares using only certain multiples, or build their own problems by circling numbers with chalk, hoops, or skipping ropes.

Could Your Playground Equipment do with a Revamp?

In need of experts in playground design to add more wow to your school’s outside area? dbdplay have helped hundreds of schools to improve their space, adding exciting equipment which supports learning goals, challenges students, and encourages them to have a whole lot of fun at playtime. 

As well as designing playgrounds and building bespoke equipment, we offer professional installations both in the school holidays and in term time. Our lovely installation team all have an enhanced DBS check and experience working around school routines to keep everything ticking along smoothly while we build your new playground.

Interested? Explore our 2023 brochure or book a preliminary chat with us.