Urbanization and the Growth of Cultural Tourism Market: The Rise of Outdoor Unpowered Amusement Parks and the Diversification of Children's Play Needs
As urbanization levels in our country rise and the cultural tourism market experiences sustained rapid growth, the demand for exclusive entertainment spaces tailored for children escalates, propelling the children's amusement park industry into the spotlight.
In the evolution of these amusement parks, there's been a notable shift. While they continue to incorporate cutting-edge, high-tech mechanical equipment, there's a renewed focus on reconnecting with nature. This shift underscores the importance of fostering children's physical fitness and counteracting the diminished sensory development—tactile, auditory, visual, and olfactory—that can result from excessive exposure to electronic devices.
An outdoor unpowered playground is a prime example of this new direction.
Unlike the typical "amusement park," an outdoor unpowered playground refers to a space that integrates products and services with independent commercial significance. It primarily features non-powered play equipment, targets consumers consisting of children aged 3-14 and their parents, operates in a closed manner with the ultimate goal of profitability, and is characterized by organized and directed play activities.
Climbing, crawling, drilling, running, and jumping—all of which train coordination and strength—are packaged within thematic play elements, enhancing the play experience for children and their families. This has made outdoor unpowered playgrounds increasingly popular among parent-child families and more welcomed by the market.
The key to running a successful children's playground lies in understanding children's behavioral characteristics and psychological needs, and considering age-appropriate play products for different developmental stages of children.
Children aged 1-3 usually play alone and engage in recognition through touch, sight, and sound. This stage is suitable for playing with sand, clay, water, swings, and slides.
Children aged 3-6 begin to develop social awareness and play in groups, enjoying symbolic play and abstract toys, as well as chairs, tables, slides, and mobile facilities.
Children aged 6-8 enjoy testing their flexibility on complex structures like climbing nets that evoke different motor responses.
Children aged 8-10 prefer to demonstrate their balance and coordination on more complex climbing facilities.
Eyes are the windows through which children recognize the world, and color is an essential element of the world. Traditional playgrounds that fail to effectively trigger children's interest can be enhanced by the combination of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, which are more likely to capture a child's attention. Therefore, when designing outdoor unpowered playgrounds, it is important to fully consider the use of color to create a safe and attractive play environment.
