Play
Play it your way
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Playgrounds the fun factor that promotes
health, learning and social inclusion
At KOMPAN, we know that a playground is always more
than just a playground. When designed to really promote
child development, playgrounds can signicantly improve
childrens health, learning and social interaction. We use
all our research and knowledge from the KOMPAN Play
Institute to design playgrounds where every single detail of
each product has a purpose toward achieving this goal.
More play, healthier children
100% of parents agree that outdoor play promotes good
health. And children are more likely to spend play time
outdoors if they have access to good playgrounds. The
physical health benets of play have been substantially
researched and documented, from children to teenag-
ers particularly girls and even to adults and senior
citizens. At KOMPAN, we design with health and tness
in mind, and our innovative designs encourage and
motivate kids to explore their world through play. Its not
only benecial to kids, but to friends, families and the
community.
More play, more efcient learning
Play teaches life skills social, emotional, physical,
sensory and creative that are essential to a childs
development, alongside cognitive and intellectual skills.
Research shows that balancing a childs academic
activity with outdoor activity and play produces better
behaviour and academic results. It has also been estab-
lished that physical activity helps children concentrate
better during class. At KOMPAN, we design products
to promote education through play and a fun learning
environment.
More play, more social inclusion
Many communities build playgrounds to successfully
encourage a unique, playful framework for social inclusion
and interaction, in addition to deterring crime and vandal-
ism. Universal design and inclusive play are cornerstones
of KOMPANs philosophy and play design. Most of our
playground equipment offers play activity for all people,
through clear design, a range of activities, and multifunc-
tional play. In KOMPANs experience, designing for all
abilities means more people can experience the benets of
our playgrounds.
Playground activity
helps children
concentrate better
Playground activity
improves childrens
academic skills
Playgrounds boost
health in a fun way
Playground activity
combats weight
problems and
obesity
Playgrounds include all
abilities and ages
Playgrounds help
bridge generation
and culture gaps
Playgrounds help
combat vandalism
and crime
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An environment that gives
children a better future
We create a better future for children
For KOMPAN, great product
design also means sustainable design
and our products incorporate recycled
materials wherever possible.
Our production processes are also
designed to minimise environmental
impact, and we require our suppliers to
comply with these same high standards.
At the end of their lifecycle, KOMPAN
products are easy to separate into their
different materials and recycle or dispose
of responsibly.
More than just for fun
Our unique playground equipment has been
enriching childrens play for more than 40
years. Why? Because at KOMPAN, we know
that a playground is always more than just
a playground. When designed to really
promote child development, playgrounds
can signicantly improve childrens health,
learning and social interaction.
In fact, we see play as nothing short of
fundamental to a better life. We believe
that every childs future depends on early
experiences that help them to grow and
develop safely, and that challenge them
to explore through the world of play.
PAN WAY
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40 years of changing the world
of childrens play
40 years ago, a young artist named Tom
Lindhardt Wills witnessed an event that
changed the world of childrens play. One of
his bright, large sculptures had been placed
in a new housing estate to add colour to the
otherwise drab surroundings. Realising that
children were more interested in playing on it
than admiring it, he established a dedicated,
childfocused play equipment company
KOMPAN.
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OWN SALES ORGANISATION
DISTRIBUTORS / AGENTS
SALES OFFICES
When you purchase one of our play solutions, you invest in more than
just a playground. You invest in unique, innovative play experiences, in
superior-quality products and in a second-to-none service team that is
always ready and willing to assist.
UNITED BY PLAY
KOMPAN WORLDWIDE
Youll nd KOMPAN
wherever you need us
Where there are children, there is always a passion for
play. And where there are opportunities for play, count
on KOMPAN to be close at hand and ready to assist.
Play is a global activity, and as the worlds No. 1 play-
ground supplier, KOMPAN maintains a strong global
presence, ready to support you every step of the way.
When you partner with KOMPAN, you can rest assured
that we speak your language, live in your time zone and
can provide service quickly, no matter where you are
located.
Built to last
Playgrounds are not timeless structures, and we know
that any playground can be a challenge to maintain.
Weather wears them down. Some people even try to
tear them down.
Although tough, these challenges can be overcome,
if playgrounds are built using the right materials and
methods meaning higher quality and durability and
a lower total cost of ownership for you.
A reliable partner
As magical as playgrounds can seem to be, they dont
appear magically. Setting up a playground can be a
complex process that sometimes calls for support along
the way.
We understand the processes of planning, designing,
approving, installing and eventually maintaining your
playground. With us as your preferred partner, you can
count on getting the advice and assistance you need
every step of the way.
The markets biggest range
How do you build the largest range of playground
solutions on the market today? You keep moving forward
through continuous innovation.
The products in our market-leading range span all ages,
cover every potential category and accommodate every
imaginable aspect of a childs physical and mental
development. We offer both timeless classics and out- of-
this-world innovation making it easy for you to choose
a unique solution that will stimulate curiosity, excitement
and child-development.
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360 DEGREES
OF EXPERT SOLUTION
In our opinion, every group of playground users is
unique. So is every potential playground site. Our
primary goal is to ensure that each playground is
tailored uniquely to the customers requirements.
Our multidisciplinary team of play consultants,
landscape designers and other experts follow a
specially developed KOMPAN planning process.
Working closely with the customer, we look at ve
different areas.
The result is a completely original, custom designed
playground solution that provides the greatest
possible value for the specic playground users,
the site and the customer.
The areas we look at are:
The children who will use lhe ployground
The ployground sile ond immediole
surroundings
The skills ond experience lhe cuslomer wonls lhe
playground to promote
How lhe ployground should be divided inlo
spaces in order to support different types of play
Whol ploy equipmenl or olher oclivilies should
be integrated in each space to stimulate the
childrens experience and competences.
Every choice is made with regard to how the site
best delivers the benets the customer wants
for the sites users.
Child/User
Space
Play types
Surroundings
Competences
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KOMPAN
Children love to play and they need to. Studies show that free,
active play keeps children healthier and helps them build critical
motor skills and establish the fundamentals of abstract thinking.
One reason why KOMPAN leads the world in play solutions, is
that all our playgrounds are consciously designed to promote the
development of health and learning among children while also
providing endless hours of excitement. And remember playtime is
also learning time.
* INSIGHT BY THE KOMPAN PLAY INSTITUTE
In fact, this playground is a unique learning environment,
where she can practice vital skills while also having fun
PLAYGROUNDS
IMPROVE MOTOR SKILLS
THROUGH ACTIVE PLAY*
WHEN EMILY PLAYS
SHE IS LEARNING TOO!
TODDLERS 1-4 YEARS OLD
7
AGE APPROPRIATE PLAY
PLAY TO LEARN
Supporling sensory molor skills
|onguoge developmenl
loy involving couse ond ellecl
MORE BODY THAN MIND
Physical exercise is essential for toddlers to develop
mental capabilities. They need to move up and down,
position themselves above and below, climb over and
under, and be seated higher and lower to build up an
understanding of spatial relations. Hand-eye coordina-
tion needs to be stimulated, supported and practiced.
KOMPAN High-quality play areas and equipment are
designed with these needs in mind.
THE RIGHT SIZED CHALLENGE
Its important to remember just how SMALL these
children are. Toddler play equipment and areas should
be designed with this in mind.
EVOLVING LANGUAGE SKILLS
A key driver of language development is adult-child
interaction. KOMPAN Playgrounds and play equipment
can support and encourage this, especially when they
resemble familiar situations and support imaginative
themes and emerging role play. Therefore elements
that can be described, reported, named or compared
also help toddlers acquire these crucial early skills.
BEGINNERS IN FRIENDSHIPS
Research shows that toddlers engage in signicant social
interaction despite their limited use of spoken language.
They make up repetition games and play them in groups,
repeating each others actions and sounds. Activities such
as springers, small seesaws or stomach swings placed in
pairs to encourage eye contact and play in groups of twos
or threes can promote this.
See pages 82 for toddler
play equipment
GROW TO UNDERSTAND
loy lhol supporls gross ond lne molor skills
Pole-ploy slorlers
Couse-ond-ellecl ploy
MORE ADVANCED PHYSICAL SKILLS
Pre-school children need gross motor and sensory
skill practice. The difculty of the physical activities they
engage in and the challenges they overcome increases
steadily. A variety of physical activities let them build up
cross-body coordination, hand-eye coordination and a
general understanding of their physical capabilities. Jum-
ping and running are also important means of building
the bone mass they will need for the rest of their lives.
IMAGINATION WITHOUT LIMITS
Pre-schoolers increasingly express themselves through
spoken language. With limited control over their world,
young children use their imagination and fantasy to
create situations they can control. They act out social
situations they dont yet fully understand, building up
explanations for the social phenomena they encounter.
Childrens role-playing is sustained by their developing
language abilities and creative powers. Play areas of-
fer easily recognizable themes can help promote this
development.
UNDERSTANDING CAUSE AND EFFECT
Pre-schoolers grow to understand the cause and effect of
phenomena in their surroundings, learning through play
and rst-hand interaction. Since children need to expe-
rience things to understand them clearly, playgrounds
should provide opportunities for cause-and-effect play
such as manipulating various items. Other elements
such as owers growing in pots can also help support
childrens growing understanding. With a KOMPAN solu-
tion, you can be sure that this is built in!
TODDLERS
1-4 YEARS OLD
PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN
2-6 YEARS OLD