Playground glossary

40 playground terms defined — from ATP and Erne to skinny singles and the soft game. The vocabulary you need to understand open play, watch tournaments, and not get lost on a 4.0 court.

A B C E F G I L N P R S T U W

A

AAC board: An AAC board is a communication panel with pictures, symbols, or words that helps non-speaking or minimally speaking children participate and express needs at the playground.
Accessible route: An accessible route is the stable, usable path from parking or sidewalks into the play area and to key amenities such as seating, restrooms, and play features.
Age zoning: Age zoning is the practice of separating play areas by developmental stage, usually with dedicated toddler and school-age zones.
ASTM F1487: ASTM F1487 is the primary U.S. safety standard for public playground equipment design, performance, and installation.

B

Belt swing: A belt swing is the classic flexible swing seat typically intended for children with enough trunk control to sit independently.
Bonded rubber: Bonded rubber is a unitary surface made from rubber particles glued together to create a softer, more stable play base than loose fill.
Bouldering wall: A bouldering wall is a low climbing wall designed for horizontal or short-height climbing without ropes, often built for ages 5 to 12.
Bucket swing: A bucket swing is a toddler swing with a high back and leg openings that provides more support than a standard belt swing.

C

Companion swing: A companion swing is a supportive swing configuration that allows a child who needs assistance to swing with help from a caregiver or partner seat arrangement.
CPSI: CPSI stands for Certified Playground Safety Inspector, a credential used by professionals who inspect playground conditions and compliance.

E

Embankment slide: An embankment slide is a slide built into a slope or hill so children approach from grade rather than climbing a tower first.
Engineered wood fiber: Engineered wood fiber is processed wood surfacing designed to cushion falls while draining better and staying more uniform than raw mulch.

F

Fall height: Fall height is the highest designated play point from which a child is expected to stand or play before a fall to the surface below.
Fall zone: A fall zone is the clear, impact-absorbing area around playground equipment where a child might land during normal use or a fall.
Fenced playground: A fenced playground uses perimeter barriers and gates to slow wandering and reduce direct runouts into parking lots, roads, or ponds.

G

Gaga pit: A gaga pit is an enclosed octagonal or circular area used for a fast-moving dodgeball-style game played below knee level.
Ground-level play: Ground-level play refers to play features that can be reached without climbing, such as panels, musical elements, spinners, or sensory stations.

I

Inclusive play: Inclusive play means designing a playground so children with different physical, sensory, cognitive, and social needs can play in the same space together.
IPEMA: IPEMA is the International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association, which offers third-party certification that equipment conforms to relevant safety standards.

L

Loose-fill surfacing: Loose-fill surfacing includes materials such as engineered wood fiber, sand, pea gravel, or rubber mulch that shift and require ongoing maintenance.

N

Nature playground: A nature playground uses landforms, logs, boulders, plantings, sand, and water-inspired play elements instead of relying only on manufactured structures.
Ninja course: A ninja course is a challenge sequence with overhead grips, balance obstacles, and timed traverse elements meant for stronger school-age kids.

P

Pea gravel: Pea gravel is a loose-fill surfacing material made of small rounded stones that can cushion falls but is difficult for wheels and strollers to cross.
Poured-in-place rubber: Poured-in-place rubber is a seamless rubber safety surface installed on site to create a firm, stable, and wheelchair-friendly play base.

R

Ramp play structure: A ramp play structure uses sloped routes rather than stairs so more children can move onto the structure and between activities.
Resilient surfacing: Resilient surfacing is any playground surface designed to absorb impact and reduce injury severity during falls.
Roll-on swing: A roll-on swing is an adaptive swing platform intended to accommodate wheeled mobility devices or easier assisted transfers.
Rubber mulch: Rubber mulch is a loose-fill surfacing made from shredded rubber that cushions falls but can scatter, heat up, and require containment.
Rubber tile: Rubber tile is a modular unitary surface made from preformed tiles that can create a stable accessible route when seams stay level and intact.

S

Sand: Sand is a traditional loose-fill surface that can absorb some impact but shifts easily, hides debris, and is hard for wheels to navigate.
Sand digger: A sand digger is a mounted scoop or excavator-style play feature that lets children move sand and practice cause-and-effect play.
See-saw: A see-saw is a rocking play element that moves up and down around a central pivot when riders shift their weight.
Sensory garden: A sensory garden is a planted area designed to support exploration through texture, smell, sound, color, and quiet observation.
Shade sail: A shade sail is a tensioned fabric canopy installed over part of a playground to reduce direct sun exposure on children and equipment.
Soft surfacing: Soft surfacing is a parent-friendly shorthand for impact-absorbing playground ground cover such as rubber systems, sand, or engineered wood fiber.
Spring rider: A spring rider is a seat or small figure mounted on a spring so children can rock forward, backward, and side to side.

T

Tot lot: A tot lot is a small playground area intended primarily for toddlers and preschoolers, usually with lower decks and simpler motion equipment.
Transfer station: A transfer station is a platform, ledge, or step that helps a child move from a wheelchair onto elevated equipment.

U

Unitary surfacing: Unitary surfacing is a continuous playground surface system, such as poured-in-place rubber or bonded rubber, that stays in one piece instead of shifting like loose fill.

W

Whirl: A whirl is a spinning playground feature, often bowl-shaped or disk-shaped, that creates rotational movement for one or more riders.