Design intentional play environments to support the physical development of all ages and abilities

To ensure all our custom playground projects provide their communities with the most developmental features their play space can accommodate, we measure each project against our own 6×6 Play Matrix formula. The formula allows us to combine as many aspects of the 6 Elements of Active Play and 6 Elements of Enriching Play, as safely as possible, into each playground design.

Read on to learn how our 6×6 Play Matrix formula supports the physical development of all ages and abilities.

6 Elements of Active Play

1. CLIMBING

Helps to develop spatial awareness, motor skills, and memory.

2. SWINGING

Develops grips, strength, motor skills, balance, and finger coordination, as well as children’s core muscles and balance.

3. BRACHIATING

Brachiating strengthens the upper body, develops grip strength, while also increasing endurance, flexibility, and eye-hand coordination; all helping to develop kinesthetic awareness, which allows a child to better connect with their surrounding space.

4. BALANCING

Allows children to focus on more controlled movements to develop confidence for managing their bodies.

5. SLIDING

Develops the vestibular and proprioceptive systems to support strong tendons, joints, and muscles, as well as balance and sense of touch.

6. SPINNING

Helps children become more confident in their footing and also improves concentration.

6 Elements of Enriching Play

1. ACTIVE

Active Play is critical to a child’s physical development, supporting their coordination, balance, gross and fine motor skills.

2. SOCIAL

Helps children to hone their social cues, listening skills, and ability to see another’s perspective, which is important for developing empathy.

3. SENSORY

Encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem-solving, and creativity; it helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills.

4. CONSTRUCTIVE

Allows children to experiment with objects to discover combinations that work and don’t work while learning basic knowledge about stacking, building, drawing, making music, and constructing. Constructive Play empowers children to find ways to reenact a story or organize play.

5. ATTUNEMENT

Through mirroring behaviors, children can better identify and communicate how they feel, increasing their sense of safety and connection to caregivers.

6. PRETEND

Helps children understand the power of language. Pretending with others teaches kids that words give them the means to reenact a story or organize play.

To learn more about how you can incorporate the benefits of InspiredPlay’s 6×6 Play Value Matrix, book a call with one of our experts today.