Playgrounds don’t have to be for children only. Adults benefit from spaces to play, too.

Pierce’s Park in Baltimore by Austin Kirk licensed under Creative Commons.

While the majority of playgrounds are designed and intended for children’s use, the benefits of play extend beyond childhood. Adults need spaces to play, too. However, most playgrounds don’t cater to people of all ages.

Play for adults can reduce stress and increase well-being. It offers a “sense of engagement and pleasure, takes the player out of a sense of time and place, and the experience of doing it is more important than the outcome,” according to psychiatrist Stuart Brown as quoted in a 2017 Washington Post article.

To reap the benefits of play, adults could incorporate it into our everyday lives, rather than seeing it as something to do occasionally.

While we do have a few options for adult play, they have limitations. Public playgrounds, however, are usually more accessible, free, and open to the public. So if more playgrounds were intentionally designed for all ages, we would expand who can benefit from them while providing new opportunities for how we design and use public space.

Most options for adult play are scarce and limiting

Fitness-oriented “playgrounds” for adults basically function as sets of outdoor gym equipment. While this does have some value, it’s not primarily focused on facilitating fun and play. Swinging on a swing feels different and more playful than using exercise equipment, even though they both involve physical exertion.

One of the closest equivalents to playgrounds that’s socially acceptable for adults is rock climbing gyms. However, they involve paying for a membership and their locations may be somewhat limited.

Some examples of spaces in DC that have enticed play for adults include the National Building Museum’s installation “The Beach” and the swings at the Wharf. While these are good starts on this concept, these types of places aren’t generally that prevalent.

And in the case of “The Beach,” people were only able to access it during the summer months as it was a temporary installation. Additionally, it cost money for admission; the ideal all-ages play space does not charge admission and is available year-round.

The Beach exhibit at the National Building Museum in 2015 by Victoria Pickering licensed under Creative Commons.

What might a playground for all ages look like?

An all-ages playground would appeal to demographics that aren’t typically catered to by existing playgrounds: older teenagers and all ages of adults. While this doesn’t mean smaller children are inherently excluded from using these playgrounds, the focus would be on expanding the range of who can and would want to readily use the spaces.

A play structure like those you see at a stereotypical playground offers little to naturally entice someone who’s not a young child. The overall scale of these structures is too small and the features generally aren’t all that stimulating or interesting to older people.

The ideal playground for all ages would consist of suitable equipment for adult-sized people and be designed with an appearance that’s inviting to all.

Suitable equipment types could include an ample amount of swings, one of the most universally appealing options. Seesaws (both seated and standing) and merry-go-rounds also can be used by adults. Larger climbing structures of some sort such as climbing walls to traverse or large playground boulders to climb are also ideal possibilities. Spinning equipment, such as the element included on this structure, can also be fun for all ages.

Space-permitting and depending on the specific site it is located, the all-ages play space could also include an open grassy area that allows for more freeform use. This would provide space for activities that can be appealing to everyone such as having a picnic, throwing a Frisbee, kicking a soccer ball, passing a football back and forth, and so on. Additionally, the play space should include benches for people to sit and linger if they aren’t using the play equipment.

Image by Matt’ Johnson licensed under Creative Commons.

One of the barriers to adults using playgrounds (aside from whether the equipment is suitable) is public perception. Because adults typically don’t use playgrounds in American culture, they may be worried about how others will perceive them if they use playgrounds, particularly if they aren’t accompanying any children. Part of this can be mitigated with design.

Aesthetically, the playground should look inviting and fun, though not overly childish. This could mean equipment that has a sleeker, more minimalist look compared to typical playground equipment. If we create a play space that looks appealing and inviting to people of all ages, a wider range of people will be more likely to use it

When it comes to ideal locations for an all-ages playground, generally speaking, the site should have ample pedestrian traffic and be convenient to get to, ideally without having to drive.

As they are intended to cater to everyone, they should be located in places where people of a wide range of ages will pass by — this means not on the grounds of an elementary school, where conventional playgrounds are frequently found, for example. They should be a more prominent feature of public space and they should feel integrated into their surroundings, not relegated off to the side somewhere as a space only for children.

Pierce’s Park in Baltimore by Inhabitat licensed under Creative Commons.

Pierce’s Park in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor happens to be appealing to a wider range of ages. The park’s structures are an example of a somewhat less childish design aesthetic for play equipment — the colors and forms don’t look excessively juvenile.

This playground is also located where people can stumble across it as they are walking around the area. I came across and used this playground while on a day trip to Baltimore once with a friend (we are both adults). In particular, the merry-go-round and sonic elements were my favorite parts. The playground has large pipes that function as xylophones with small mallets on tethers that people can use to make music.

The space was fun for both of us even though we’re not children. It was a satisfying experience to use this playground, an experience that should be more widely available to people of all ages.