I am 30 and I still love playgrounds...well not all of it but I love swings, long curvy slides (not the regular ones on most playgrounds) and seesaws. I am not embarrassed to use equipment when no kids is around who wants to. And honestly most kids love to see an adult playing because most won't and after getting over the first weird looks kids love to interact with me. I don't have a problem with that either as I work in childcare and just love children.

We have installed a swinging seat in our living room so we can have the tremendous benefits of swinging right there at home. So good for the vestibular system and so calming for the central nervous system. There's loads of 'excercise' to be done with a swinging seat I just regret not getting one sooner!

To answer the question: most kids stop going to the playground to just use the equipment around 10...but if they go with friends and come up with games to play that include the equipment or if the playground is interesting enough most kids enjoy it until age 12-14. There's usually a shift happening between just using the equipment and being happy to do so alone versus wanting friends there to play and invent games with.

My 14 and 17 year old like to go to playgrounds occasionally if theres bigger stuff to climb or swings. They still stop when they are out on walks or bike rides at the small playground in our neighborhood. There's a balance beam and a tree to climb and sit in.

The way they play changes. Now that they are older they play spy, tag and pretend it's a fort. We have to be careful that babies are not around to get run over. We go to bigger playgrounds for older kids.

DH and I would love to use the playground behind our house. The swings look awesome. He comments though that without a kid, he would be regarded as a pedophile.

My boys are now 4 and 6 and we don't go to playgrounds much anymore. We used to go daily. They are much more interested in who they are with vs where.

I would guess middle school, 12 or so.

Anonymous wrote:I think the problem is that the majority of the playgrounds aren't challenging enough. They are so "safetied up" that there's no creativity or fun to be had past early elementary school.

You don't get this will better, more creative playgrounds like Beauvoir. The new set up at Lafayette is pretty great too- I saw many middle schoolers playing there. As they should.

Relevant articles to this:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323622904578129063506832312

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/science/19tierney.html?_r=0

http://www.play-scapes.com/play-design/resources/playground-risk-and-kramer-vs-kramer/

I think the problem is that the majority of the playgrounds aren't challenging enough. They are so "safetied up" that there's no creativity or fun to be had past early elementary school.

You don't get this will better, more creative playgrounds like Beauvoir. The new set up at Lafayette is pretty great too- I saw many middle schoolers playing there. As they should.

There's really no answer to this. Depends on the playground and the kid. Playgrounds with novelty and/or challenge will interest kids much longer. Depends on who's there with them too.

*age

No idea. My 20 year old college junior was happy to report that she found the nearest playground to her campus that had decent swings.

I remember camping with my cousins when we were all high school ahe, and we would end up on the playground late at night once the younger kids had pretty much all gone to bed...we felt bad about "hogging" the equipment from the kids it was meant for, so we waited, but swings and a slide can be fun at any age imo.

Bonus points for a big, old-fashioned merry go round type thing, which is apparently too dangerous for playgrounds now.

Anonymous wrote:Dunno. DD is 12 and if the playground is not meant for babies she can have fun at them.

Same here! But she often remarks that she is the oldest kid there and feels a little awkward about that.

My 4 year old is now bored with playgrounds that hold no challenge (e.g. Livingston St park at Chevy Chase) and if he goes a lot, then he gets bored if he's not there with friends where they can play games.

now, a really cool park like Beauvoir-- not bored. And we did just spend 2 hours at the new Lafyette playground.

But, when he was 2-3 -- we could go to the SAME park every day for 2 hours and he wouldn't care.

Dunno. DD is 12 and if the playground is not meant for babies she can have fun at them.

Just curious