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A Parent’s Guide to Staying SAFER at the Playground By Guest Blogger, Molly Umansky

  • 3 days ago
  • 4 min read

Ahh at last, it’s Friday afternoon. The week has gone by in a blur of hectic school mornings, rushing to practices, and trying to keep everyone afloat. School is out and you finally settle onto a bench with your book, beside the playground, ready to exhale, while your kids explore the playground.

Before you relax, there’s something worth keeping in mind: playground safety. Playgrounds may feel like contained spaces for harmless chaos, but every year more than 200,000 children in the United States are treated in emergency departments for playground-related injuries[1]. The good news is that many of these injuries are preventable.

It has been reported that 75% of non-fatal playground injuries occur on public playgrounds[2], and falls to the surfaces below playground equipment account for nearly 70% of these injuries[3]. The specific injuries most often treated in emergency departments are fractures and contusions, which make up over half of visits.

The type of surface on the ground at playgrounds can serve as a risk mediator, with certain materials such as wood chips, rubber, or mulch helping to absorb more of the impact, compared to packed dirt or grass[4]. Researchers have found that three primary factors increase injury risk on the playground: hard surfaces, higher fall heights, and equipment without proper guardrails or handrails[5].



Risk

Playground things to look out for

Head and face injuries

(more common in children under 5)[6]

 

Young children are still developing sensorimotor skills, such as balance and coordination, which can make head and face injuries more common

Common situations:

  1. Non-age-appropriate play

  2. Using structures too tall for their age

 

Things to watch for:

  1. Monkey bars or tall climbing walls

  2. Adults holding children on their lap going down a slide

  3. Tripping or slipping hazards near equipment

Traumatic brain injuries

(more common in children ages 5–9)[7]

 

Children in this age group may be more adventurous and risk-taking, as they gain more independence in play.

Common situations:

1. Playing games on elevated equipment

2. Jumping between platforms, monkey bars, or leaping off swings

Things to watch for:

  1. Crowded climbing structures

  2. Games involving jumping or “air time”

  3. Pushing or rough-housing on equipment

Arm and hand injuries

(more common in children ages 5–14)[8]

 

These injuries can occur when children fall and instinctively try to catch themselves with their hands.

Common situations:

1. Falls from monkey bars, climbing nets, rope ladders

2. Jumping off moving swings

 

Things to watch for:

1. Games that encourage skipping rungs on the monkey bars or hanging with one hand

2. Dropping down quickly from structures

While some injuries relate to playground design and maintenance itself, another significant factor is how children use the equipment. That’s why conversations about playground safety matter just as much as safe equipment. Supervision and simple conversations with your children can drastically reduce risk.


A simple way to remember key safety steps is the SAFER method. Following the SAFER method can greatly help to reduce risk and maximize fun.

Surface check

Rubber, wood chips, or mulch absorbs impact better than concrete, packed dirt, or grass.

Before children use playground equipment on warm days, adults should check metal surfaces like slides and steps as they can become hot enough to burn skin[9].

 

Age-appropriate play & alternatives

Ensure that children are playing on age-appropriate structures. If these structures are not available, you can keep alternatives on hand, such as a soccer ball for the field.

 

Find hazards

Take a quick scan of the playground before settling in. Look for broken guard rails, sharp edges, tripping hazards, or unstable structures[10].

 

Establish rules & expectations

Set clear and simple rules for your child, such as no pushing others, no crowding ladders or slides, and always going feet-first down slides.

 

Remain close & remove personal hazards

Keep an extra eye on young children, especially when it comes to age-related risks. Although rare, most playground-related deaths are the result of strangulation[11], hence why it is important to remove bike helmets and any clothing with strings before children play.

 

Staying Present!

In addition to following the SAFER method, active supervision is one of the most important things we can do to keep kids safe on the playground. Rather than passive supervision, which can involve watching from a distance and can involve parental distractions (i.e., checking emails, taking phone calls), active supervision involves continuous monitoring of the playground. A helpful comparison for proper active surveillance is how lifeguards continuously scan the entire pool while children are swimming. This same surveillance strategy can translate into playground supervision. Active surveillance also means being comfortable stepping in when playground behaviors start to appear unsafe and redirecting children to safer options.

Playgrounds build strength and valuable social skills, and they should absolutely be part of your child’s routine! Simple safety checks and conversations can help keep harmless chaos from becoming harmful.

This blog was made by Molly Umansky, a Master of Public Health student at Northwestern University, with an interest in pediatric injury prevention and emergency medicine.


[3] Deborah Tinsworth and Joyce Mcdonald, “Special Study: Injuries and Deaths Associated with Children’s Playground Equipment,” Consumer Product Safety Commission, April 2001, https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/playgrnd.pdf

[4]  “National Program for Playground Safety | Take Action,” Uni.edu, n.d., https://playgroundsafety.uni.edu/take-action.

[5]  Sarah A. Richmond et al., “A Systematic Review of the Risk Factors and Interventions for the Prevention of Playground Injuries,” Canadian Journal of Public Health 109, no. 1 (February 2018): 134–49, https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-018-0035-8.

[6]  Kathleen A. Lillis and David M. Jaffe, “Playground Injuries in Children,” Pediatric Emergency Care 13, no. 2 (April 1997): 149–53, https://doi.org/10.1097/00006565-199704000-00016.

[7] T. A. Cheng et al., “Nonfatal Playground-Related Traumatic Brain Injuries among Children, 2001-2013,” PEDIATRICS 137, no. 6 (May 2, 2016): e20152721–21, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2721.

[8]  Sarah Rommesmo, Julie Garden-Robinson, and Thomas Barnhart, “Is Your Playground Safe for Kids? | NDSU Agriculture,” www.ndsu.edu, January 2023, https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/your-playground-safe-kids.

[11]  “National Program for Playground Safety | Take Action,” Uni.edu, n.d., https://playgroundsafety.uni.edu/take-action.

 

 

 

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