Playground Safety Search

Whether going to a new playground or to your regular neighborhood playground, make it a rule to go on a Playground Safety Search.

What you need:

• Playground Safety Checklist (HTML | PDF)
• Ruler or meter stick

At the playground, you will:

Use the Playground Safety Checklist and the ruler or meter stick as you work with your child to check the equipment and playground surface.

Set up rules:

• Based on conditions at the playground, set rules for your child’s safety.
  For example:
  • If there is no guardrail around the slide platform, make the slide “off limits.”
  • If tree roots and rocks are exposed, then walk off “out of bounds” lines with your child to keep him/her away from tripping hazards.
• Give children the chance to act responsibly. If you have more than one child in your care, set up a buddy system. Each child looks out for another and comes to let you know if there is a problem.

Play Tip: Read "Play Day in the Park (PDF)," a Building Blocks Easy Reader, starring all the Friends. As you read the book with your child, talk about ways the Friends have fun and play safely.

Please note—to view documents in PDF format, you must have Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader software. If you do not already have this software installed on your computer, please download it from Adobe's Web site.