Development Skills for Product Elements
Exploring is Key for Development
Playgrounds play an important role in the development of kids of all abilities. They provide multisensory experiences that help to build the brain more quickly. See the specific definitions of each developmental skills area below.
Sensory
Visual: Element that engages/enhances visual skills
Auditory: Element that engages/enhances auditory skills
Proprioception: Element that engages/enhances muscle skills--this is further defined by the motor skill category
Tactile: Element that engages touch
Vestibular: Element that engages body movement
Vestibular+: Element that includes additional movement in unexpected ways
Motor Skill
Fine Motor: Element that engages the hands and fingers
Agility: Element design challenges the user to change body position in space to succeed
Balance: Element challenges the user to stay upright and/or keep from falling off equipment to succeed
Cardiovascular: Element causes an obvious increase of heart rate during play
Coordination: Element challenges the user to use a combination of muscles to succeed
Eye-hand coordination: Element specifically encourages the user to look at hand placement to succeed
Endurance: Element involves distance and/or long duration of muscle work for a longer than typical time period to succeed
Motor Planning: Element challenges the user to move through a series of motor skills to succeed
Strength
Upper Body Strength: Element challenges the user to increase arm and shoulder muscle abilities while playing
Lower Body Strength: Element challenges the user to increase leg and hip muscle abilities while playing
Core Body Strength: Element challenges the user to increase trunk muscle abilities while playing
Cognitive Skill
Language and Literacy: Element encourages early childhood language and brain development
Problem Solving: Element encourages user to find solutions to successfully engage in play
Strategic Planning: Element encourages users to develop plans to successfully engage in play
Social/Emotional Skills
Social Skill Development: Element encourages users to use verbal and non-verbal methods of sharing thoughts and ideas during play
Imaginative Play: Element encourages users to invent scenarios from their imagination that enable them to build life skills
Cooperation: Element encourages users to work together to succeed in a play activity