Create Multiple Indoor Playgrounds In Your Space

By Author: Bill Dunbar
Total Articles: 4762
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Entrepreneurs who are contemplating opening an indoor playground, or even injecting new life into an existing establishment that cater to children 12 years of age and under, should be beware of the one size fits all mentality in your overall design scheme and activities. There are a range of playground types and designs that are geared to specific age groups. Your final design has to encompass the needs of all groups and contain it within their special space. The layout of the environment, the equipment and the activities must be stimulating, entertaining and flexible. It must also be comfortable, safe and, most of all, FUN!

According to the Consumer Product Safety Council Commission (CPSC), there are basically three age categories for playgrounds: toddler, which is less than age two; preschool children between the ages of 2 to 5 and grade school children who are 5 to 12 years old. So, if the audience for your playground is children of all ages, the design of the playground should clearly define the different areas by age groups. That means setting up buffer zone throughout the establishment. This separates the space ...
... and keeps older and more active children from darting through the zones, which are created specifically for the younger clients.

For example, you may have 15,000 square feet of floor space that caters to children 12. If you set up your business in accordance with the CPSC age guidelines for children's playgrounds, you can segment the space into three play areas. You may decide to allocate 3,500 square feet to toddlers. The makeup of the toddlers environment should be conducive to them growing, learning or exploring. Because they will be crawling, the motor-play area will need to emphasize super-soft play forms. Confined within this space may also be age-specific toys, interactive skills games, souvenirs and an area for parents to comfortably watch their children.

The remaining space will be divided between the other two groups. Again, the idea is for each age group to have its own contained playground space and activities. The area should be designed and equipped in a manner that is compatible with their intellect, activity and skill level. Even within age groups, there should be a balance of passive and gentle entertainment versus active and noisy activities. All the spaces can have the soft contained indoor playground equipment with the requisite padding that is expected by most guests.

Whether your playground caters to one group, or you have a combination of playgrounds for all ages, the death knell of any business is for the products and services to become predictable and stale over time. Regardless of the age range of the market you are catering to, your playground should be organic and able to grow along with your vision for your venture. Do not be short-sighted regarding this aspect of your indoor playground business.

You'll need to consider principles of children interaction, design safety and the entertainment and "wow" factor. Traffic patterns and flow through of the different play structures must also be considered. The right design, layout and proper blend of activities will facilitate the movement of children, of different age ranges, from one interesting activity to another within their contained playground.

It's important to incorporate the vision and objectives of your business in your design set-up. When you speak with your industry consultant, be sure he or she takes into account the long-term goals for your business. You don't want to incur huge cost and downtime because your design has to go through a significant make-over. Your initial plan and design should take these things into consideration. The right design does not occur by chance, once you determined who your market audience is, you'll need to educate yourself on the available options.

The better you understand parties, group gatherings, social activities and design concepts, and how design concepts and "play-a-bility" interact, the more successful you will be in creating a comfortable safe and enjoyable experience for your clients. If you are successful, your customers will eagerly looking forward to their next experience and you will have a profitable enterprise.
About Author:
Orca Coast Playgrounds builds the best soft-playgrounds available. Safety, quality, durability, creativity, value; all key components that make Orca Coast a trusted name in indoor playground manufacturing and installation around the world.