Child's Play

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Some children will also want to
hold onto the sides of the slide to slow
themselves. Depending on the compo-
sition of the slide, this may cause fric-
tion burns. Tell your child not to hold
the sides of the slide if this is the case.
Tell your child that if he slides head
first, he will bump his head and not
his feet. Bumping is like jumping .. .
and feet were made for jumping!
Recite with your child, "I can sit and
slide and land on my feet."
Slides for preschoolers are avail-
able in two basic designs. Both begin
from an entrance height of four feet
or less above the ground and are less
than eight feet in overall length. One
design is straight and doesn't offer an
engineered speed reduction area at
the end of the slide. Children's feet
and legs act as shock absorbers at
the point of ground contact. Propo-
nents of this design suggest fewer
tailbone injuries occur than when a
slide has a minimal speed reduction
area of six inches or less.
The other design commonly found
in park-length slides features a speed
reduction area sufficient to actually
help a child reduce his exit speed.
Either design has been accepted as
safe by the Consumer Product Safety
Commission. Parents must choose
which design offers the most safety
for their family.

Play Platforms

Most play platforms are accessed
by ladders or by steps, and most offer
a slide or other climbing apparatus
as egress. But when some young
children explore new spaces, they
often try to return the same way they
came. Tell your child he must crawl
down a ladder backwards. Many chil-
dren attempt their first return trip
down a ladder nose first. They often
perceive the ladder as stairs. Tell
them "slow" is better than "fast" on
ladders.
Show them how to coordinate this
rather complicated procedure by
standing behind them. First, grasp
your child's ankle and place his foot
on the top rung. Expect his judge-
ment of where the rung is to be
significantly above its actual location.
It may take some reassurance for him

to reach for the rung. Remember, he
can't really see what he is trying to
reach. Generally, a child's visual con-
centration is straight ahead, and he
is relying on your direction and his
sense of feel. Don't be surprised if
your child shies away from this acti-
vity. Tell your child BACKWARDS is
the only way to go down a ladder. Tell
him feet and hands must take turns.

Preschoolers often
perceive the ladder as
stairs, and many
attempt to return down
a ladder nose first.

Play platforms for preschoolers
should be less than four feet above
the ground. Although you will un-
doubtedly strongly discourage your
child from jumping from the play plat-
form, he may jump some day, pro-
bably when you're not looking! At this
height, with the play structure in-
stalled over a resilient surface like six
to eight inches of loose-fill mulch,
serious injuries are uncommon. Play
platforms for preschoolers should be
large enough to accommodate a
couple of youngsters.

Recommendations

Proper play attire is also an impor-
tant factor for safe outdoor play. Chil-
dren should always wear rubber-soled
shoes when climbing, to minimize the
risk of slipping. Avoid loose-fitting
garments like ponchos or scarfs.
Remove hoods from coats when not
needed. These items can become
entangled in play apparatus, causing
young children distress.
Children master so many new acti-
vities in such a short amount of time.
Making sure their methods are the
safest requires moderate parental
instruction. Even when you have
carefully instructed your children,
their judgement is still developing.
Judgement is most often gained by
experience. . .expect it.

Jean Schappet serves on the Standards
Development Committee for Home Play-
ground Equipment, American Society of
Testing and Materials. She is designer of
Woodset play structures, in Waldorf, Md.

