Top Five Playground Industry Trends for 2021
Fort Payne, Ala.—GameTime, a PlayCore company, announces five notable trends in the playground industry for the year 2021. These trends indicate the direction the industry is moving in the upcoming year while simultaneously calling attention to innovations from 2020.
“As an industry leader in innovation and improvement, GameTime hopes to shed some light on park & playground trends for 2021,” said Fred Wiechmann, GameTime Vice President of Marketing and Product Development. “By keeping our finger on the pulse of the industry, parks and recreation professionals, landscape architects, school administrators, and other playground professionals can provide the communities they serve with updated, accurate information on the state of play.”
1. Inclusive Playgrounds
The first major trend for 2021 is the growth and improvement of inclusive playgrounds. Although accessible, universally-designed playgrounds have been increasing in popularity over the past few years, the year 2021 will take these playgrounds to another level.
In 2020, GameTime saw architects and designers expand on the concept of inclusive design to move beyond the basics of meeting ADA standards. Using research and design best practices, like the information found in Me2: 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design®, playground designers consider the role of accessible playground equipment and multi-generational play in the pursuit of social equity.
As we near our second century of playground design, GameTime will continue to leverage inclusive play to bring people together and overcome societal barriers. In the coming year, and beyond, comprehensive inclusive play will play an integral role in the industry’s approach to playground design.
2. Rope-Based Playgrounds
Working around the natural environment of a play space is often an obstacle for playground designers. Many planners and landscape architects overcome this situation with rope-based play and nets. Playground nets like GameTime’s VistaRope product line give designers flexibility in their designs.
With the help of GameTime’s Landmark Design Group, communities can embrace unusual topography. Instead of working around the challenge of the landscape, communities will connect the natural environment with the play environment through the use of custom-design rope courses and net climbers.
3. Outdoor Fitness
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S., many gyms and fitness centers have closed their doors. These closures forced people to find alternative ways to exercise and promote fitness.
Communities throughout the country realized the importance of providing outdoor fitness areas. Whether it’s by installing a traditional outdoor fitness area or an obstacle course, communities will begin to encourage health and physical fitness to people of all ages with outdoor fitness spaces in 2021.
4. Outdoor Learning
Also occasioned by the pandemic, outdoor classrooms, and learning areas now replace or supplement indoor learning. All data indicates this trend will continue through 2021 as more schools shift classes to an outdoor setting.
Outdoor classrooms encourage play and activity in children, and they counteract the reduction in recess time due to remote learning and hybrid class schedules. GameTime, along with other companies will accommodate these needs with seating, tables, shelters, hand sanitizer stations, and other outdoor products to help schools move classes outdoors.
5. Human-Powered Play
There is a growing interest in providing electronic, interactive play without the need for replaceable batteries. More than 15-billion expired batteries end up in landfills around the world each year. The answer to this environmental issue is human-powered electronics.
With human-powered electronic play, users engage in physical activity of some sort to “power-up” the activity. This may include turning a handle, repeatedly pressing a foot pedal, or rotating a wheel. These innovative products feature sensory-rich experiences like lights and music, story-telling, or social games.
Because of their environmentally-sustainable nature, lower maintenance costs, and fun, engaging activities, human-powered play products will power the imaginations of children throughout 2021.
Although 2020 has been a tumultuous year, to say the least, these five trends point to one positive prospect for 2021: more human-to-human interactions. Perhaps now more than ever,
people are realizing the value of social connections, even in a physically distanced environment. These trends will be instrumental in cultivating these connections in the coming years.
To learn more, and to discover how you can incorporate these trends in your park or playground, contact the GameTime play expert in your neighborhood at gametime.com.