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Movement and Development in the Yard and on Playgrounds

Sharon Dar, Physical Therapist, Director of health Promotion, Health Bureau Tel-Aviv
4 June 2025

Playing in the playground contributes to the development of children of any age. In addition to having fun, children are in the fresh air, develop creativity, social skills and independence.
Swings: develop balance and coordination. The swing strengthens core muscles, legs and hands. Slow swinging is relaxing while fast swinging increases attention.
Slide and ladder: Climbing strengthens the muscles of the legs, hands and shoulders. Sliding develops balance and provides sensory stimuli. Waiting on line teaches patience.
Monkey bars: The hand-to-hand movement strengthens the back stabilizers and upper body, while improving coordination and flexibility. The difficulty and challenge in the monkey bars develop determination and capability.
Carousel: The rotation stimulates the balance system, and the spinning is carried out with others.
Activity walls: combines climbing, fine motor skills and problem solving. Suitable for individual or group play.

The next time your child asks for another turn on the slide, or your toddler insists swinging non-stop - it's worth remembering that spending time on playground equipment is not only fun but also contributes to the development of children of all ages.
Playing on the playground and in the back yard has many benefits for the physical and mental health of children. When playing outside, you breathe in clean air, develop your imagination, creativity, and social skills, strengthen your independence and self-confidence, refine your cognitive skills, expend energy, and even relax. The World Health Organization also recommends that children sit as little as possible - and play as much as possible.

Playing on playgrounds is important

Active and moving: for the most part, active play on a playground or backyard includes physical movement. Whether it's running, jumping, climbing, swinging, crawling, gliding, spinning or rolling - children learn how to move their bodies in space, use their senses as well as the large and small muscles of the body, strengthening and stretching them. While performing the activity, children also develop gross and fine motor skills while practicing stability and balance.
Brain development: The new sights, smells, sounds, and textures that children are exposed to in the backyard and playgrounds create stimulation and neural connections in the brain. These stimuli result in brain development and improved learning capabilities.
Communication and independence: This play is also important for the children’s interaction with their playmates on the same device. They learn to wait for their turn, practice ‘teamwork’, share, forgive and look out for those younger than them. Young children develop language and learn the rules of the game by imitating the older children. For the most part, backyard and playground play are performed freely, without adult guidance. Children enjoy independence and daring. It is, of course, always important that an adult be in the environment supervising children’s safety. When discussing toddlers who require close supervision, playing on the playground provides quality time with parents.
For more information about playground safety

Development in every equipment

Playgrounds have various activity equipment - swings, slides, monkey bars, climbing walls, activity walls, etc. Every piece of equipment plays a key role in child development. What skills can be developed when using each equipment and how does each equipment contribute to development?

What is developed? Strengthening muscles, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, coordination, balance, spacial orientation, social skills, sensory stimulation, independence and competence.
Why is this important? Swings are suitable for children and toddlers, beginning from an age where they can stably sit up and control neck muscles. Around the age of five, they learn to swing alone. In addition to the pleasure and sense of calm, the swing facilitates independent learning and coordinated movement. Because it is difficult to teach how to swing - children learn to swing on their own, after many attempts at moving the core muscles (chest, abdomen and back) back and forth with a combination of movement of the legs and arms. Swinging strengthens the leg muscles, the back stabilizers, as well as the hand and finger muscles, due to the grip on ropes or chains.
The swing is also important for developing balance (so as not to fall off it) and spatial orientation - the body learns where it is in space ("who is up, who is down"). Older children learn to time jumping off the swing while in motion. They also learn to swing and time their rhythm according to the pace of swinging of the child on the adjacent swing. The rapid rise and fall of the swing and the breeze on the face provide the child with strong sensory stimulation. Note that slow, rhythmic rocking is relaxing, while fast rocking increases alertness and concentration.

What is developed? Strengthening and stretching muscles, gross motor skills, strengthening the shoulder, fine motor skills, coordination, balance, spatial orientation, sensory stimulation, social skills, independence and competence.
Why is this important? To get onto the slide, the child has to climb the ladder. The climb itself stretches the upper body muscles and flexes the joints when holding onto the upper rungs. Climbing also strengthens the fingers, hands, and shoulders by gripping and pulling the body up against the force of gravity. At this time, the leg muscles that push the lower steps also become stronger. When climbing, the movement alternates between the right and left sides of the body, and the opposite arm and leg rise simultaneously, just like when walking and running. Children practice coordinated movement and improve the ability to alternately use both sides of the body.
Climbing a ladder is an exciting experience when you reach the top. Children learn to overcome their fear of heights and the challenge of climbing, thereby strengthening their sense of competence. The "reward" after all the hard work is to go down the slide, of course. Going down the ladder is also an equally important action. The downward movement may cause worry because the steps cannot be seen, and children need to know where it is safe to place their feet. The hands, feet, and core muscles work in combination and keep the body in control and coordination, while the leg looks for the next step to descend to.

Sliding down a slide is a fun activity that generates a feeling of excitement and a burst of energy. The gust of wind on the face, the whistling of the wind in the ears, the speed of the surf, and the sudden stop at the end of the surf – provide sensory stimulation and encourage the children to run to the ladder and climb back up. When sliding, sitting upright with straight legs strengthens the core muscles. Sliding also develops the vestibular system (balance).
Equally important, due to the demand for the slide - children gain experience in waiting patiently: waiting for their turn, climbing the ladder and waiting until the person in front of them finishes sliding.

What is developed? Strengthening and stretching muscles, gross motor skills, strengthening the shoulders, fine motor skills, coordination, flexibility, agility and capability.
Why is this important? Monkey bars are excellent for strengthening the upper body. Switching hands and bearing the body weight on one hand when moving to the next stage - activates the shoulder girdle, arm muscles and back stabilizers. This switching requires coordination. Children must tightly hold on to avoid falling. This grasp strengthens the hand and finger muscles that are key to fine motor skills. The stronger the muscles become, the faster the child will be able to quickly switch hands. The level of difficulty of this equipment requires training and determination to successfully complete all the stages and therefore has a tremendous impact on the child's sense of competence.

What is developed? Balance, muscle strengthening, gross motor skills, social skills, sensory stimulation.
Why is this important? The carousel is a based on rotation in the horizontal plane, with a mobile part and a stationary part. The stationary part is the axis fixed to the ground (the carousel's steering wheel), and the mobile part is the body that rotates around the axis. To turn the carousel, children must hold the steering wheel and apply force to move the moving part (while the steering wheel, in fact, does not move). Children need to help turn the carousel or hold onto a handrail and stabilize their bodies against the rotating carousel. While turning the wheel, the hand muscles and back stabilizers stretch. The rotation stimulates the vestibular system, which is affected by the fluids in the labyrinth of the inner ear (this is why you can sometimes feel nauseated and dizzy after spinning on the carousel). With the help of the vestibular system, the body maintains balance, orients itself in space, and coordinates movement. Older children can push the carousel from the outside, strengthening their leg muscles and improving their physical fitness. Those who ride the carousel must work together: rotate the carousel together and regulate the speed of rotation according to the participants' request.

What is developed? Strengthening the muscles of the body and hands, improving balance, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, social skills, cognitive stimulation, sensory stimulation.
Why is this important? The activity walls in playgrounds combine physical, sensory and cognitive activity and allow for individual or group play. Most activity walls also have low elements that allow play for both toddlers and children with disabilities. Some of the activity walls have a climbing wall, similar to a ladder, so that whoever climbs will strengthen the body muscles that are important for gross motor skills. Other activity walls can also contain elements to strengthen balance. The activity walls encourage children to use their fine motor skills – they will pull, rotate, and press buttons on the wall and strengthen the muscles of their fingers and hands.
Activity walls incorporate activities that require thought, planning, and problem-solving. The wall also has interactive elements that can be shared in group play. This kind of game teaches patience, waiting for your turn, and cooperation. In addition, there are elements that combine light, touch, and sound that allow for rich sensory stimulation.

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