Playground Etiquette

Article at a Glance
• Using playground equipment improperly can lead to serious injuries.
• Teaching children how to behave at the playground can help prevent injuries and teach important social skills.

While the playground is not the dinner table, teaching your children how to mind their manners at the park can help prevent injuries and teach them how to interact with others. Before your next visit to the park, here are some suggested rules to go over with your children.

1. Respect the playground area. Trash goes in the trashcan. Do not damage or deface equipment.

2. No roughhousing or throwing sand, rocks, dirt, etc.

3. Don’t climb equipment improperly.

4. Take turns and share.

5. Don’t stand on swings or jump off of swings. Be careful to stay away from moving swings. There should only be one person on a swing at a time.

6. Go down the slide feet first. Always check to make sure that there is no one at the bottom before going down a slide. Use the ladder to go back up the slide.

7. Check to make sure equipment isn’t slippery with water or hot from the sun.

8. When using a seesaw, always sit facing the other person. Hold on tightly and keep your feet out from under the seesaw. Don’t stand under a seesaw or try to climb on it while it is moving.

9. When using climbing equipment, use both hands and stay a safe distance from other climbers. Climbing equipment is one of the more dangerous pieces of equipment on a playground.

For more information:

Playground Safety (KidsHealth.org)