Play for All
HAGS creates meeting places for participation, accessibility and joy.
Our goal is to inspire play for everyone. We aim to make playgrounds a source of joy for as many people as possible, encouraging children of all ages and abilities to interact with each other. Play and joy free the body and soul, providing motor training in coordination, balance, and strength – qualities that benefit us throughout our lives. Play is also crucial for children's social interaction.
Through practicing interaction, social skills are developed: communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution. When children dare to try new things, they develop courage and self-esteem, which is especially important for children with disabilities.
Play value describes how the environment, product, or play position gives a child the experience of play. High play value indicates that the child can engage in various ways and explore their own ideas and games. We categorize play value into three areas: physical, sensory, and social.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child became law on January 1, 2020. It states that all children have the right to play in a stimulating, safe and accessible environment.
Guide to designing inclusive playgrounds
Play activities such as spinning, sliding, rocking, swinging and climbing are all physical experiences.
Children with different abilities need sensory play experiences. Feeling, hearing, sight, interaction with nature and cozy places are all sensory experiences.
A playground should give children the opportunity to participate in social play and interact with other children.
On an accessible playground, everyone must have the opportunity to play and socialize together. You must be able to move freely around the entire area with or without aids.
It is important to make thoughtful choices when deciding what type of equipment and play equipment should be present and placed on the available playground. This describes the choice of play equipment to make the play area as accessible as possible.
How do we make existing playgrounds accessible? Resources can be limited and then it is good to see how to make playgrounds better with simple means. Every change makes a difference.
