Outdoor Play Panels
Schools and nurseries playgrounds will often have outdoor play panels installed to walls or as part of a larger piece of equipment.
These come in a range of colours and sizes with different features including educational activities, sports and traditional games.
Due to the wide variety of specifications and options, you can choose a set of game boards which suit your pupils from Early Years Foundation Stage up to primary and secondary school.
The activity boards allow kids to be creative, use their imaginations, learn new skills and be physically active all while having fun.
Please speak to our team about the various products we have available if you’d like some more information about the panels and designs we offer.
It is common for these items to be used as part of EYFS imaginative play as well as a range of role play activities for primary age children.
Teachers are often looking to improve communication and relationships on the playground, and these products offer the chance to do this.
Types of Outdoor Play Panels
Outdoor play panels come in various designs and themes, catering to different age groups and developmental needs of children.
These panels are typically installed in playgrounds, parks, schools, and childcare centers to provide interactive and engaging activities for kids. Here are some common types of outdoor play panels:
Educational Panels
- Alphabet and Number Panels: Featuring letters and numbers, these panels help children learn the basics of language and mathematics through interactive games and puzzles.
- Language Panels: Focused on vocabulary building and language development, these panels often include word games, synonyms, and antonyms.
Sensory Panels
- Texture Panels: Featuring different textures like rough, smooth, bumpy, and soft, these panels stimulate the sense of touch.
- Sound Panels: Including instruments or objects that produce sound when touched, allowing children to explore auditory sensations. A popular sound panel is a rain play panel, where children can listen to the sound of rainfall.
- Visual Panels: Incorporating colourful patterns, mazes, and optical illusions to engage children visually.
Creative Panels
- Chalkboard Panels: Installed with chalkboard surfaces, allowing kids to draw, write, and express their creativity.
- Magnetic Panels: Equipped with magnets, encourage children to arrange and play with magnetic shapes, letters, and numbers.
Physical Activity Panels
- Maze Panels: Featuring mazes of varying complexity, encouraging problem-solving and fine motor skills development.
- Balancing Panels: Incorporating beams or surfaces that challenge children's balance and coordination skills.
- Puzzle Panels: Interactive puzzles that require assembly, promoting cognitive development and spatial reasoning.
Nature-themed Panels
- Animal Panels: Featuring illustrations or sculptures of animals, educating children about different species and their characteristics.
- Plant Panels: Displaying various plants and flowers, teaching kids about nature and horticulture.
Role-Playing Panels
- Shop and Kitchen Panels: Miniature shops or kitchens with interactive elements like rotating gears, encouraging imaginative play.
- Occupation Panels: Featuring panels representing different professions, allowing children to role-play and learn about various careers.
Social Interaction Panels
- Multiplayer Games: Panels designed for multiple players, encouraging social interaction and cooperation among children.
- Communication Panels: Including features like telephones or speaking tubes, promoting communication and teamwork.
Customised Panels
- Themed Panels: Custom panels based on specific themes, such as underwater world, space exploration, or historical landmarks, tailored to the interests of the children or the surrounding environment.
- Braille Panels: Panels with Braille inscriptions or tactile elements to cater to children with visual impairments, promoting inclusivity.
When choosing outdoor play panels, it's important to consider the age group of the children who will be using them, as well as the specific educational and developmental goals you want to achieve.
What are the Costs of Interactive Activity Panels?
The average cost of interactive activity panels for schools is between £200 - £500.
The cost of outdoor play panels can vary widely based on several factors, including the type of panel, materials used, size, complexity and customisation.
Benefits of Playground Activity Panels
Playground activity panels offer a range of benefits for children's development and overall well-being. Here are some key advantages of incorporating activity panels into playgrounds:
Educational Benefits
- Cognitive Development: Activity panels can include puzzles, mazes, and educational games that challenge children's problem-solving skills and enhance their cognitive abilities.
- Language Skills: Panels with letters, numbers, and words can help improve vocabulary, spelling, and numeracy skills through interactive learning.
- Creativity: Creative panels, such as chalkboards or art panels, encourage artistic expression, allowing children to explore their creativity and imagination.
Physical Development
- Fine Motor Skills: Many panels require precise movements, which help in developing fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Balance and Coordination: Panels that involve balancing or moving parts can enhance children's balance and coordination as they engage with different activities.
Sensory Stimulation
- Tactile Stimulation: Panels with varied textures provide tactile stimulation, promoting sensory exploration and awareness.
- Auditory Stimulation: Panels with musical elements or sound-producing features engage auditory senses, enhancing sensory experiences.
Social Enhancement and Emotional Development
- Social Interaction: Multiplayer panels encourage cooperation, collaboration, and social interaction among children, fostering teamwork and friendship.
- Emotional Expression: Role-playing panels allow children to express themselves through imaginative play, helping them understand and manage emotions.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
- Inclusivity: Customised panels can be designed to cater to children with different abilities, ensuring that playgrounds are inclusive and accessible to all.
- Educational Support: Panels can be designed to support specific educational needs, such as panels with Braille inscriptions for visually impaired children.
Safety and Supervision
- Safe Play: Activity panels, when designed and installed properly, provide safe play options, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries.
- Supervision: Panels can be strategically placed within the playground area, allowing easy supervision by parents, guardians, or educators.
Physical Activity
- Encouraging Movement: Some panels incorporate physical activities, encouraging children to move, jump, or balance, promoting physical exercise and an active lifestyle.
Environmental Interaction
- Nature Exploration: Panels with nature-themed designs, such as animals or plants, foster an appreciation for the environment and nature.
By incorporating various types of activity panels in playgrounds, children can engage in diverse learning experiences, promoting their holistic development while having fun in a safe and stimulating environment.
Educational Games
For younger children in nursery, kindergarten or EYFS groups , play panels can be designed to teach basic skills like counting and the alphabet.
This could be done through A-Z letters, abacuses and numbered animals. Other things like colourful shapes, mirrors and musical instruments may also be included for preschool facilities.
These boards could be installed onto exterior walls, or installed as part of a climbing frame or jungle gym structure.
Features like this are really beneficial for children’s early development as playing active games makes it easier to learn and take in new information.
By incorporating these into an outdoor learning space, you could improve your ratings in OFSTED inspections. They could even be linked to other features and equipment in the facility like fitness trails and floor markings to create a complete activity circuit.
If you would like to find out more about the different types of play panel available for schools, nurseries and Early Years organisations please get in touch with our experts today. We can offer you some detailed product sheets and an idea of costs for what you are looking for.
Where are Play Panels Installed?
Play panels are versatile and can be installed in a variety of locations to provide interactive and educational experiences for children. Here are common places where play panels are installed:
- Playgrounds: Play panels are often integrated into playground structures in parks, schools, early years, nurseries, daycare centres, and public play areas. They provide children with engaging activities while playing outdoors.
- Schools: Play panels are installed in school playgrounds to promote active learning and cognitive development during recess or outdoor learning sessions.
- Early Years Foundation Stage & Nurseries: A nursery playground and EYFS play area can utilise play panels to entertain and educate children in a safe and stimulating environment.
- Inclusive Playgrounds: Inclusive playgrounds, designed to accommodate children of all abilities, often incorporate play panels that are accessible to children with disabilities.
- Special Education Centers: Play panels are used in special education centres to cater to the specific learning needs of children with disabilities, providing sensory stimulation and interactive learning experiences.
- Community Parks: Public parks and recreational areas frequently feature play panels to enhance the play experience for children visiting these spaces.
- Residential Play Areas: Play panels can also be installed in residential areas, such as apartment complexes or housing communities, offering children interactive activities close to home.
- Indoor Play Centers: Indoor play centres or play zones in malls and entertainment complexes feature play panels as part of the interactive play equipment.
- Pediatric Waiting Areas: Play panels are installed in doctors' offices, hospitals, and clinics to provide entertainment and distraction for children waiting for appointments.
- Shopping Centers: Some shopping centres have designated play areas with play panels to keep children engaged while parents shop.
- Libraries: Libraries with children's sections may incorporate play panels to create an interactive and educational environment for young visitors.
- Children's Museums: Children's museums often have dedicated areas with interactive play panels that encourage learning through play.
School Playground Activity Panels
During their time at primary school, children learn a number of fundamental skills and playground activity panels can encourage this learning through exciting games.
For kids at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 level, there are plenty of design choices if you’re thinking of having outdoor game boards.
Some of the most popular specifications for outdoor play panels in schools are the role play boards which may be used as pretend shops, post offices, cars and other features.
These could be set out around the playground like a pretend town with roadway floor graphics which the children walk across to visit each panel.
Games like this are great for teaching important life skills like road safety as well as allowing the kids to be imaginative and make up their own ideas.
A playground activity panel could also be installed with different educational designs like clocks, counting boards, shapes, phonics, maps and compasses.
It is totally up to you which products you choose to have, but we’ll help you decide on a set of activity boards that would go with any existing floor markings or equipment you have. Y
ou could even install a complete outdoor area including colourful surface designs and the gaming panels as this is a service that we also offer.
Sports Facility Designs
Different sporting activities can be played using these wall mounted playground features as well. Things like throwing targets, basketball hoops, stopwatches and football goals are commonly chosen and may be used during PE lessons and break times.
These types of play panel designs could also be used by older children in secondary school Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4.
The designs we offer can vary in size and colour so that you can get the perfect play panel for your facility.
The cost for the panelling can differ due to the size and quantity of games panels that you puchase. For more information about the designs and pricing, please contact us.
Other Equipment We Offer
Contacts Us
We can offer you all the help and advice you need if you are thinking of purchasing some of these outdoor play panels for your school recreational area.
The prices will vary depending on which designs you choose, but we’ll help you pick specifications which suit your budget.
Make sure you fill in our contact form today if you’d like to speak to one of our School Playground Equipment specialists about all of the different playground equipment, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Searches Associated with Outdoor Play Panels
- Interactive Activity Panels
- Waterproof Outdoor Play Panels
- Outdoor Activity Wall Panels
- Outdoor Sensory Wall Panels
- Play Panel for Nursery Playground
- Rain Play Panel for Nursery Playground
- Nursery Playground Play Panel
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