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The best playgrounds (according to science) - Video học tiếng Anh
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The best playgrounds (according to science)
The best playgrounds (according to science)
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Sous-titres (83)
0:06
In the 1930s, Danish landscape architect Carl Theodor Sørensen
0:12
noticed that his neighborhood’s children loved playing in old building sites.
0:17
Watching kids swing from exposed beams,
0:19
scavenge for scrap materials, and hammer together bridges
0:23
inspired him to transform an abandoned housing estate
0:27
into a dedicated junk playground.
0:30
Sørensen’s site became a huge success,
0:33
and soon countries throughout Europe
0:35
were making playgrounds out of derelict building yards
0:38
and even former World War I bomb sites.
0:41
These environments might look dangerous,
0:44
especially to 21st century parents
0:46
who tend to be far more anxious about their childrens’ safety
0:48
than previous generations.
0:50
But research has found these seemingly scary setups
0:54
teach kids important lessons that standard playgrounds don’t.
0:59
Play is profoundly important for childhood development.
1:03
Creating games and following rules helps teach problem solving.
1:07
Moving our bodies through varied terrain helps hone our motor control.
1:11
And playing with others lets us practice language and refine our social skills.
1:17
Since play comes naturally to all of us,
1:19
children are likely to develop these skills in most environments.
1:23
But researchers have identified a few factors that can maximize these benefits.
1:29
Chief among them is freedom.
1:31
Play is all about experimentation,
1:34
and kids need the agency to explore and shape their surroundings
1:38
without adults getting in the way.
1:41
The next factor is novelty—
1:44
kids are always hungry for new and unpredictable play elements.
1:49
Finally, they need time to see their plans through.
1:54
While we could all use more time to play,
1:57
the best play environments offer freedom and novelty
2:00
that kids can explore as much or as little as they like.
2:04
But traditional playgrounds don’t offer much flexibility here.
2:08
Swings, slides, and climbing frames are hardly novel structures.
2:13
They also have relatively low affordance—
2:16
a term used by play researchers
2:18
to indicate how open-ended an object’s design is.
2:22
Items with high affordance, like a sandbox,
2:25
can be interacted with in many ways.
2:27
Meanwhile, objects with low affordance, like a slide,
2:31
were designed with a single use in mind.
2:34
Even when kids are creative enough to find new uses for low affordance objects,
2:40
they're still more limited playthings.
2:43
To address these problems,
2:44
some designers are looking back at Europe's junk playgrounds
2:48
to create modern adventure playgrounds—
2:50
big, open spaces full of high affordance structures
2:54
and free play possibilities.
2:56
Berlin’s Kolle 37 features scrap and building tools for kids to manipulate.
3:02
In Tokyo’s muddy Harapa Park,
3:05
children shape water slides, sink holes, and splash pools
3:09
out of the natural landscape.
3:12
And in London’s Glamis Adventure Playground
3:14
kids burn things in fire pits, with the help of play worker employees.
3:20
While some parents worry these unpredictable spaces are too dangerous,
3:24
play researchers like Ellen Sandseter
3:26
would say this so-called risky play is essential.
3:30
Giving kids the space to experiment with fast speeds, high heights and getting lost
3:36
helps them develop better judgment and confidence.
3:39
In fact, risky play is how kids learn to manage risk and keep themselves safe.
3:45
One study even found that kids were more likely to get seriously injured
3:49
in traditional playgrounds—
3:51
perhaps because adventure playgrounds encourage them to be more aware
3:54
of their surroundings.
3:56
Risky play also helps develop skills for managing mental health.
4:00
Experimenting with small doses of uncertainty
4:03
gets kids used to life being unpredictable,
4:06
helping them better manage anxiety for years to come.
4:11
Adventure playgrounds aren't the only places for risky play.
4:15
Nature playgrounds encouraging kids to explore creeks, caves, and tree climbing
4:20
combine the perks of risk-taking
4:22
with the health benefits of connecting with nature.
4:25
Meanwhile, other designers are working to bring more freedom and novelty
4:28
to traditional designs.
4:30
This Philadelphia park features a 30-person mega-swing,
4:34
and Nebraska’s Omaha Riverfront Playground
4:37
uses a ribbon of multi-layered decking as a play spine,
4:42
warping up and down to reveal secret tunnels and rope forests.
4:47
So the real key is to design a variety of playgrounds,
4:51
supporting a wide range of activities
4:53
that promote fun, agency, and a dash of uncertainty—
4:57
inviting kids to fill in the possibilities.
