For parents who are worried about their children’s mental state in staying mostly at home over the past months, these concerns are justified. A change of scenery such as a visit to the park and playgrounds will uplift their spirit and help them cope with the constant fluctuation rate of these pandemic times.
As a word of caution, planning your playground tips under the new normal requires risk management and only do so under these conditions:
- Very low infection rate at the community
- Non-crowded open spaces
- Local government and health offices says its safe to play outdoors
In planning your playground trip, consider the following quick tips for a healthy and safe play experience outdoors.
- Check the restrictions and requirements in your local government or community on “safe to play notices” and be sure to encourage your child on mask wearing, how far you can travel, and the number of people permitted in a space before heading to a playground.
- Don’t go to the playground if you or a family member or your child is sick or has any COVID-19 symptoms such as: fever, cough, sniffles, upset tummy).
- Keep your distance (at least 1.5 metres) from anyone not in your household. While it’s tempting to socialise with other people, avoid congregating closely with others. Children must also be taught to maintain distance and encourage distance playing.
- Take disinfecting wipes or wet wipes with you and wipe down areas little hands frequently touch (such as swing chains) before your kids use the play equipment, particularly if they’re too young to understand instructions. But you must also teach them why you are wiping the surfaces.
- Take hand sanitiser with you at all times (minimum 60% alcohol). Ensure your children sanitise their hands before getting on the equipment, after playing and before leaving the playground. Supervise young children when they use alcohol-based hand sanitiser. Parents should regularly sanitise too.
- Avoid using shared taps or water fountains; instead, bring bottled drinks. Frequently touched surfaces such as taps are more likely to be contaminated. As much as possible, avoid eating outdoors for now.
- Remind children to avoid touching their face while using the play equipment or lower their face masks.
- Avoid physical contact between your kids and other kids in the area by encouraging physical distancing.
- Avoid sharing toys with other children. If you bring toys, make sure they’re washable.
- Use the playground outside of peak hour periods to reduce the amount of contact with others. Preferably, a non-crowded playground are the ones you must seek.
If you’re a commercial space owner, a business owner or a community manager who are looking to establish a playground, iREC, a playground manufacturer can assist and deliver an detailed playground plan. Contact iREC today: Call us at +63 047 250 2779 / +63 047 251 3139 or email sales@irec.ph to get in touch with our sales team.