Often, I wonder if my little 2-year-old Shaisha would be happier if given an opportunity to play with other toddlers, if she’ll learn things faster, maybe learn a trick or two from her playdates. I would love to have my daughter run around a park with other children while I can have one free moment just by myself. Then, it strikes me that isn’t this a very basic requirement for a child to play in the open space, and yet I am sitting here looking at it as a distant dream. Now, it’s your chance to wonder ‘why’? Well, there are NO PARKS in our neighbourhood.

Last Sunday, looking at my bored Shaisha, I decided to take her to a park in adjoining neighbourhood. She instantly hopped on with me on my scooter, with her tiny bag full of snacks and a beaming smile decorating her innocent face. After a long tiresome journey through narrow polluted lanes, we finally managed to reach a park – that ideally should have been 5 minutes walking distance from our house in the first place.

My happiness dropped the moment I saw the tiny park overloaded with uncountable number of children and their caregivers, from several nearby neighbourhoods. Encouraged by my daughter’s enthusiasm, I still decided to enter the battle field. She rushed straight towards the play area, and left me worrying to keep a constant eye on her. I struggled to follow her trace on the stairs which were too high for her to walk up comfortably. I spotted her squeezing and fighting her way to the swings piercing through the layers of guardians waiting with their kids. Too many children, too less swings!

I was happy to see her immediately bond with other kids her age and running in circles around the play area. After a long wait, her chance came to take the swings. I was constantly worried about her safety, noticing lack of consideration for young children while designing the space. There were limited number of play equipment in the area; most of them were disproportionate and uncomfortable for any young child. The landings for swings were directly opening to the hard floor which increases the chances of severe injury.

Using a safe playground surface such as solid rubber mat multiplies the safety factor of any play area significantly. A tot-lot could be appropriately planned to accommodate cognitive learning disguised as play. How interesting would it be for a toddler to simply play with water fountain, start friendships, or simply exploring new surface materials. Something as basic as a sand pit will encourage children to come up with their own innovative methods of playing. It would be fun, safe to jump and will engage children in observational learning. Spaces itself can be play activity if children are presented with an opportunity to explore it on their own. A changing topography with mounds, cavities and caves helps expand children’s spatial perception and stimulate their imagination. All of this supports child in their learning process; they learn compassion, observation and develop understanding of different senses. Every skill that a child is learning can create play opportunities. Skills such as crawling, standing and walking learned in the first three years can inspire designs for playgrounds for young children. I keep trying to adopt this strategy at home but children will always learn better in company of other children.

There were collisions between children from different ages and caregivers hovering over their kids. This might have been much simpler had there been a designated space for caregivers in immediate surrounding. This would serve dual purpose of keeping an eye on their young children and simultaneously engage in conversation with fellow caregivers. Ever since I had my daughter, it has been a difficult task to take out any time for myself or attend any social gatherings other than her play dates. A separate space zoning for caregivers holds potential for them to utilise their time in an efficient manner; such as open gym equipment, designed seating to initiate conversations or simply a shaded bench to enjoy their short-term freedom.

We had to rush back home when my little daughter needed to use toilet facilities and there were no provisions in the park. It was a visit we both enjoyed, I just wish there was more thought involved in addressing latent needs of toddlers and young children in the park.

References

Superpool. (2019, June 28). Playground Ideas for 0-3 Years. Retrieved from www.superpool.org: https://www.superpool.org/books/playground-ideas-for-0-3-years

About the Author

Sonali Mahamna is an Architect & Urban planner, with an expertise in Urban governance, Inclusive & sustainable development, and community engagement. She is currently working as a Research Associate with ITCN Capacity Building Programme at National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi.