Play is an essential part of a child’s growth. It helps them develop different aspects of their lives—mainly social, physical, mental, and psychological health. In other words, it helps them become who they are as a person. However, with the growing rise of buildings, parks have been lesser in number. Residential complexes have become a growing trend since these buildings can house thousands of residents. And a lot of kids are being deprived of the playtime they deserve.
Take the story of Jared Menkes, a married father with twin five-month-old daughters who lives in a condominium. In an interview with the National Post, he shared a little story about his neighbor when he was still single. Menkes said his neighbor had a baby who played even in the hallway to have that extra space to have fun. Unfortunately, the small space has taken a toll on their growing child and eventually moved out.
“As he got older, the parents felt they had to move out because there was nowhere to take him to walk around or to throw his toys on the walls and floors,” he recalled.
A lot of buildings in the Philippines are actually turning into residential areas, housing to a thousand citizens per building. Each unit may have an average of 18 square meters for a studio unit, while 32 square meters for a two bedroom one. This goes to show that the condo life is not perfect for everyone. Imagine a family of five living in a studio unit, cringe-worthy, right? Meanwhile, there are three-bedroom condo units, but not everyone can afford such luxury. Luckily, developers are now catering to the problem. They are now slowly adding indoor playgrounds into the picture.
“Why make people have to drive to a playground or to a Chuck E. Cheese or to a friend’s or relative’s house with a large basement when you can provide this in the building?” Hessam Ghadaki, a spokesman for Times Group Corporation in Canada, asked via National Post. “It’s just a logical flow. If there are children in the building then this belongs in the building. The children are also residents in the building so we should provide amenities for them, too.”
Regarding rooms, Mr. Menkes explained that kids are looking at other rooms and slowly dominating it, saying he “started seeing kids’ groups taking over party rooms or yoga rooms and taking adult-designed space.”
“So we said, ‘Let’s create a proper room that’s kid-friendly [so] people don’t feel weird booking [adult] space and having a kids’ singalong class or whatever it may be.’ They can book the kids’ room and do what they want,” he said.
As for parents having trouble in providing the necessary play for their little angels, Mr. Ghadaki explained the rooms available in today’s condominiums.
“When it comes to making condos workable for families, the party room, the pool room and the children’s play area gives you three indoor play spaces for ages two to six,” Mr. Ghadaki says. “Other areas can be used by kids, but the children’s play area is taking it to the next level.”
As children grow up, they also develop different aspects of their overall health. And it’s the responsibility of parents to foster and push these developments while they learn new things. For parents living in residential complexes, play activities can be hard to find due to restricted space. Indoor playgrounds are the answer to this since these play pens are incorporated in establishments, most likely in apartments and condominiums. Real estate corporations who want to provide the next level of recreational spaces for families and their kids needs to install one in their residential areas, and iREC has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing and installing safe and high-quality indoor playgrounds. Interested businesses can call +63 47 250 2779 or email sales@irec.ph.