Time goes by so fast and before you know it, we are already halfway through the year. As the pandemic still lingers on – more than what we expected, we’re seeing encouraging signs that we as a society, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic, are moving forward with a plan for a better future in terms of health.

Playground operators have also been mostly sidelined by the pandemic as last year, they were closed due to either restrictions and localized lockdowns. And when the playgrounds were allowed to mostly open – albeit with restrictions, the market has changed as consumer behaviour, particularly that of parents, are wary of social contact and their health concerns are more than justified when it comes to the safety and health of their children. This year, expect changes and more changes in the commercial and entertainment playground businesses with these factors.

Vaccination

More and more people are getting vaccinated and maybe in the near future, children too, will be fully vaccinated – when these COVID-19 jabs are proven to be safe and compatible with children. With vaccinated adults, they are allowed to go into public gatherings and spectacles like sporting venues to see live games. In this case, when the population’s children are given vaccination, they can start enjoying outdoor play and commercial playgrounds once more.

Resources via healthline

• Experts expect that a COVID-19 vaccination for children under 12 could be available by September or October.
• Clinical trials are underway to test the vaccines in younger children.
• Experts say it’s important to vaccinate children of all ages to achieve herd immunity in the United States.

When the population is vaccinated, society can achieve herd immunity and it will help make COVID-19 be contained.

Playgrounds Will Be Open Again

During the long months where children are confined at home, technology was the platform that allowed them to go to their classes via distance education and technology was often the platform for entertainment such as videogames, movies and surfing the internet. But, all that sitting down with technology will have a different trajectory to children’s holistic growth – whether physical, emotional, psychological and social. In the near future, when herd immunity is achieved, children must be allowed or encouraged to socialize with other children in areas such as community playgrounds and commercial playgrounds. Physical activities such as running, climbing, sprinting and other feats of physical play will help strengthen their developing physique.

Innovation and Technology

With technology, playgrounds are also starting to come up with new ways to entertain and raise the level of engagement through audio, visual and mechanized mode of play. These are:

• Virtual Reality playground stations
• Sensor powered playgrounds that record time, interaction and combined with gamification
• More challenging ways of play through electronics
• Creating more mechanized structural playgrounds such as rides and other entertainment

Look for playgrounds such as commercial playgrounds to reinvent and introduce new playgrounds outfitted with technology in order to revitalize their business by offering something new to make kids interested in play again.

If you’re a commercial and entertainment space that is looking to install a state of the art VR Playground experience, contact IREC, the trusted commercial playground and fitness manufacturer  that can supply your project requirements when it comes to playground projects. Contact us 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.