Menu

Playground Safety Tips to Teach Your Kids

Playground Safety Tips To Teach Your Kids

Each year, more than 200,000 kids visit hospital emergency rooms for playground-related injuries. Learn what to look for in playground design and equipment and how to teach your kids about playing safely.

Inspecting the Playground Design and Equipment

1. Select age appropriate play equipment. Because sizes and proportions differ, playground equipment should be suited to your child’s age whether they’re toddlers or school age. Designating separate areas keeps everyone safer.

2. Look for absorbent surfaces. Absorbent surfaces reduce injuries from falls. You want soft materials that will cushion an impact. Some of the best options are loosely packed wood chips, mulch, pea gravel, and sand or synthetics like rubber mats.

3. Ensure the equipment is well maintained. All equipment should be anchored into the ground firmly and nuts and bolts should be tight and covered. Beware of rusted metals, splintering wood or any jagged edges or open hooks that could catch on clothing.

4. Calculate safe spacing. Allowing for plenty of clearance will reduce accidents. See that swings are at least 2 feet apart and 6 feet away from any wall or fence. All platforms should be less than 12 feet high.

5. Take special care with moving equipment. Equipment with moving parts, like seesaws and carousels, belong in separate areas of the playground. Be vigilant around pinch points where a child’s fingers can catch.

6. Clear away debris and ropes. Get rid of broken glass, twisted metal, and any swinging ropes or leashes. Put backpacks and toys off to the side where no one will trip over them.

7. Report safety concerns to the appropriate authority. Familiarize yourself with whoever is responsible for the upkeep of the playground, whether it’s a local government, school or private organization. If you see a hazard, warn others to keep away and report the issue immediately.

Teaching Your Kids to Play Safely

1 Provide careful supervision. Most injuries can be avoided through adequate supervision. By playing with your kids, you get to spend more time together, talk about safety, and be on the spot to provide first aid if needed.

2. Require kids to use the equipment as intended. Even well designed equipment needs some cooperation from the user. Show kids how to stay inside the guardrails, use the slide feet first, and sit facing each other on seesaws. Many devices are built for one kid at a time so keep it that way.

3. Point out safety features. Help kids understand the importance of guardrails and protective barriers on elevated platforms and ramps. Discuss how the hood on a slide reminds you to sit down and plastic slides stay cooler than the metal versions.

4. Encourage caution when climbing. Falling causes almost 70% of playground injuries, so climbing merits special attention. Practice falling so your kids learn to land on both feet with their knees bent. Using both hands and keeping far behind the person in front of you are also important measures.

5. Rule out roughhousing. Use your playground outings to demonstrate the benefits of taking turns and sharing. Discourage shoving, pushing or fighting.

6. Enforce safe distances. Praise your kids for being observant of their surroundings and standing back from any equipment when it’s in use. Make it a habit to check that there are no other kids at the bottom of the slide before descending. Pick a path that creates a wide berth between you and the swing set.

Keeping your kids safe on the playground will let them enjoy the fresh air and fun with less risk of injury. Playing alongside your kids is a great way to check out their play areas, provide adequate supervision, and share the good times.

Certified NLP Coach

Program Description: The Certified NLP Coach program allows you to incorporate very powerful NLP techniques you’re your day-to-day coaching practice.

ICF Training Hours: 65

Duration: 25-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Organizational Development Coach

Program Description:

The Certified Organizational Development Coach program is an exclusive and very unique program, designed for coaches who wish to coach entire organizations with their Organizational Development and Change Management goals. This program provides you with 65 ICF training hours - more than enough for the ACC credential. Over a series of 25 weekly lectures, it prepares you to deal with volatile group dynamics across entire organizations. Topics including OD interventions, Team Engagement, Buyer Behavior of internal customers, The Tripod of Success, Ensuring Sustainability, Performance-Retention correlation, Strategies to influence behavior - and many more - are covered in detail.

Coaches are introduced to the ARCS Model, as well as to the Organizational Culture Audit Toolkit. Employee motivation, satisfaction, and productivity are discussed, as well as their impact on the performance of the organization as a whole. Students are introduced to various Change Management models including Lewin's Planned Change model, the ADKAR Change Management model, and Kotter's 8 steps of Change Management. Resistance to change and its manifestation are discussed, as is Behavior Modification.

Upon completing this program, Certified Organizational Development Coaches will have all the tools they need to affect positive transformation within organizations, and will be able to coach teams and personnel at all levels - including initiators, decision makers, influencers, and intervention implementers.

In addition to coaches who are launching their own Corporate Coaching practices, this is an essential program for HR professionals, Training and Development Professionals, Managers, and Corporate Leaders who wish to implement internal policies and OD processes to guide their companies and people through ongoing change.

ICF Training Hours: 65

Duration: 25-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Executive Coach

Program Description

The Certified Executive Coach program has been designed for coaches who wish to coach managers, executives, and corporate leaders. The goal of this program is to cultivate a deep understanding of how the executive coaching process works as well as some of the challenges that come up in executive coaching conversations.

This program has been approved by the International Coaching Federation for 32 hours, and it comprises of 12 live, instructor-led, fully interactive virtual classes offered over zoom. These classes cover various aspects of executive coaching including, but not limited to Effective Collaboration, Performance Management, Upskilling, Conflict Management, Effective Collaboration, Developing Team Members, and many more.

This program has a very unique, hands-on, experiential structure. Classes are focused on active participation by students through real life Coaching Challenges and discussions of real life executive coaching situations.

ICF Training Hours: 32

Duration: 12-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Life Coach

Program Description:

The Certified life Coach program is an essential program for anyone considering coaching as a profession. The goal of this program is to create a deep understanding of the coaching process, along with how and why it is effective in catalyzing shifts in the mindset to create positive, sustainable transformation.

The training is based on the ICF’s core coaching competencies. It focuses on skills that lead to effective coaching conversations and that are required to build a successful coaching business. It evokes awareness about how identity, thoughts, and feelings determine mindset; and why a change in Think Feel Do impacts the achievement of goals though a change in this mindset.

This program is approved by the International Coaching Federation for 95 hours and comprises 24 live, instructor led, fully interactive virtual sessions offered over Zoom. These lectures cover all aspects of coaching – topics such as Human Emotions and the Brain, Coaching through Emotional Intelligence, The Belief System, Coaching Process and Structure, Deep Listening, Setting Worthy Goals, Asking Insightful Questions, Addressing Client Resistance, Coaching Groups, The Business of Coaching, and many more. These are complemented with a library of reading and reference material, coaching challenges based on various real-life coaching situations, extensive hands-on coaching practice, and assignments designed to trigger reflection on and mastery of coaching skills.

ICF Training Hours: 95

Duration: 24-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Class Schedule
ProgramStart DateClass TimesClass Schedule
Certified Life CoachMonday, Nov 6th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 24-weeks
Certified Organizational Development CoachTuesday, Dec 12th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 25-weeks
Certified Executive CoachWednesday, Dec 13th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 12-weeks
Certified NLP CoachThursday, Dec 14th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 25-weeks
Level 1/2 - ACC/PCC
Mentoring
Friday, January 12th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 1-hour
for 6-sessions PLUS 4 one-on-
one sessions with mentor