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