How To Keep Your Kids Safe On The Campus Playground

By Author: Laura Dudley
Total Articles: 21
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The most crucial thing about any playground is that it is safe for children at all hours of the day. This is why an elementary school yard needs close looking after. Anything can happen, and a child can be injured quite easily. You won’t necessarily be able to avoid an accident. Kids need guidelines and rules, as well as teacher supervision to stay safe. Students will be able to enjoy themselves with few to no worries.

Playground accidents are very common and often result in minor injuries. 10 percent of playground injuries, though, need emergency services and care. It is critical that your teachers are proactive so that serious injuries do not occur. It’s important that kids understand the rules, and that you have supervisors who will enforce them. You can bench and punish any child who is not following these rules. It is completely acceptable to be overly cautious so that your students can have fun while being safe.

Your staff should be trained in safety for playgrounds. Most staff training courses will provide a handbook that ...
... includes information, policies, and rules. Your playground sets supervisors need to learn how to stay aware, calm, and consistent in their reprimanding. This will help them spot inappropriate games and behavior around dangerous school equipment. Your yard needs to have an adequate number of supervisors based on space. Consider closing off sections of playground that cannot be watched by a supervisor. This is one of the greatest ways to keep your injury numbers down.

You want to prevent lawsuits. Normally, lawsuits arise from after-school programs or recess times that do not have good supervision. Schools receive lawsuits typically after a severe injury has occurred. This is normally the only reason any student’s parents will sue. The lawsuit will normally try to prove that there was little or no supervision. Being proactive is one of the best ways to ensure safety and stop lawsuits from happening.

Every child deserves to have fun on a safe playground. They need to get out, have fun, and get some exercise. Children can’t always be relied on to follow the rules. This is why adults are critical. Your role is to keep them safe. If you do not have a playground training program, find out how your school can make one. Supervisors must provide the highest care possible so that kids can be saved from injury.