Children have the most amazing imaginations, in fact they can pretty much play with anything. They have that magical ability to take something as simple as a cardboard box and turn it into something else, like a hotel or a dungeon or a giant chocolate cake! While they are quite capable of keeping themselves entertained with their own games and make-believe worlds, these immersive school playground ideas can make their make beleive world real for them.
Designed and made by our expert creators, our playgrounds make an eye-catching feature in the grounds. They are low maintenance but fun in every way, and the features encourage learning and confidence building too.
With all school playgrounds, we must consider the fact that teachers need full visibility of the children while they play, and to keep hidden spaces to a minimum. Supervising adults should be able to intervene no matter where a child is, so any tunnels or entrance ways needs to be big enough for a grown up. Most importantly, the playgrounds need to include differences in heights, moving parts and imaginative details.
Get ready to race!
Pupils can ride around the track on their trikes, with a pretend petrol pump on one side where they can fill up before heading round the track again.
Children can climb up onto the grass hill, or they can play in the tunnels underneath. The entrances to the tunnels are deliberately wide, making it easy for teachers to see inside and go in themselves if required.
Hunting for buried treasure
This little shipwrecked boat adds another element of imaginative play. Children can pretend they have just landed on a treasure island! We included a flat, smooth wheel at the helm of the boat instead of protruding buttons and levers so that the boat complied with play safety regulations.
Cooking up a storm in the kitchen
This fantastic mud kitchen has a long production line with different buckets for sensory play. Lots of storage helps to keep the area tidy. There is a toy oven at the end, ensuring a regular supply of freshly baked mud pies! Yum!
Dinner is served at Tom’s Italian
As we were working in quite a compact space, we needed to make sure we were maximising on space with all our designs. This playhouse can either be a restaurant with a menu and serving hatch, or a shop with play money and a till. These details help children to feel completely absorbed in their imaginary worlds, which in turn encourages self-led learning with maths and literacy.
Get stuck in with a sand pit
Every child loves a sandpit, but they can prove to be a little messy. We included a waterproof cover to keep foxes and cats out, and make sure it is usable all year round.
Rubber building blocks
This section of the playground turned out to be super popular with the children! Complete with rubber bricks and rocks, a conveyor belt and revolving crane with a lifting bucket.
Coat hooks with hard hats and high vis are on standby for the ultimate immersive play experience.
A fairy tale treehouse
We included a ground-based treehouse that would comply with the height restrictions the school had to adhere to. Pretty turrets, roof shingles and ball finials still make the treehouse feel extra special.
Inspired by Middle Earth
These school playground ideas were inspired by the magical world in The Hobbit books, complete with wooden carved signposts to help encourage literacy with the older children. Who knows, they might just be inclined to pick up a copy of The Hobbit for themselves to see what a Shelob is!
Breach the castle!
Everything in this playground has a fairy tale feel and everything has been tied in with the epic and well-loved adventures of Bilbo. The playground features lots of static elements which encourage climbing and playing, like the epic Helms Deep castle complete with its own drawbridge.
Don’t tickle the dragon!
This beautifully carved dragon is so realistic it could have flown straight out of Middle Earth! The sculpture adds to the theme of the playground and the children adore climbing over him as they make their way round the playground. He’s a favourite with pupils and grownups alike and helps the children to see what a brilliant and sustainable material wood can be!
Constructed completely from wood, our outdoor play areas are hand-built to our unique custom designs. Crammed full of play value, they will keep kids (and adults!) occupied, entertained and active for hours! If you have a particular project in mind and would like to discuss your ideas with us in more detail then please feel free to get in touch!
