Every year more than 200,000 kids go to hospital emergency rooms with playground-related injuries, according to the National Program for Playground Safety (NPPS). Of those, 67 percent involved falls or equipment failure.
And as playgrounds are a vital aspect of any children’s ministry, churches need to be especially vigilant about maintaining safety on its playgrounds because it affects not only the physical health of a child, but also their spiritual health.
Chris Giles, youth minister for First Baptist Church, Leroy, said the Washington Baptist Association church encourages its adult supervisors to not just sit back and watch the children play but to play with the children.
Open doors
“We do encourage our leaders to do that, but it has grown to something that people just naturally do. … You definitely see that bond between the kids and adults that they gained from actually getting involved.”
Forming those intentional relationships opens the door to sharing spiritual truths with and setting godly examples for the children, Giles said.
Leasha Megehee agreed, adding that providing a safe playground environment also can open the door to reaching young families for Christ.
“It’s very important to provide a safe environment whether on a playground or in a classroom because that’s what’s going to make families come back,” said Megehee, children’s minister for First Baptist Church, Scottsboro, in Tennessee River Baptist Association. “[Parents] need to know that their kids are going to be safe and they need to know that they’ll be taken care of.”
Both churches follow the two-person rule: always have at least two adult supervisors when children are playing. More than 40 percent of playground injuries at schools are related to inadequate supervision, according Church Mutual Insurance Company.
Megehee also advises new children’s ministers and volunteers to talk to someone who has served or is currently serving in children’s ministry to learn what procedures or practices work best for them.
“Just talk to someone who’s been there,” she said. “Learning from someone who has that experience is important.”
Simple steps that every church should take, according to NPPS, include:
Having separate areas for ages 2–5 and 5–12.
- Regularly checking playground equipment for stability, protruding nails or bolts and missing parts.
- Having 12 inches of loose fill material such as sand, pea gravel or shredded tires under and around playground equipment.
- Removing tripping hazards such as stumps or roots.
- Fencing in the playground.
NPPS also recommends capping the height of playground equipment at 6 feet for pre-school-age children and 8 feet for school-age children. Playground design should always be age-appropriate in terms of sizing and proportions to reduce the risk of accident or injury, according to kidshealth.org.
And when accidents do happen? Learn from the scrapes and boo-boos, Megehee encouraged. “The small accidents help remind us to stay watchful and aware.”
For additional safety information, visit NPPS at www.uni.edu/playground or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at www.cpsc.gov.
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