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How Playtime Helps Children Build Friendships and Confidence

For children, playtime is about much more than having a break from lessons. Playtime and social skills go hand in hand, giving children valuable opportunities to spend time with friends, communicate with their classmates, discover new interests and enjoy being active together. 

The playground provides a different environment from the classroom, giving children greater freedom to choose what they want to do, who they want to play with and how they want to spend their time. 

From organising a game of football to inventing an imaginary adventure, everyday playground experiences can help children become more confident when interacting with others. 

How Does Playtime Help Develop Social Skills? 

Playtime gives children a chance to step away from structured learning and enjoy more independent experiences. 

During this time, children can choose activities based on their interests and interact with different groups of friends. They might join an existing game, invite someone else to play or create an activity of their own. These experiences can help children become more comfortable communicating with their peers and navigating different social situations. 

Playtime can also provide a valuable opportunity for children to develop independence. Rather than having an adult organise every activity, children can decide what they want to do and work things out together. 

Building Friendships Through Play 

Friendships often develop naturally when children have regular opportunities throughout the school day to spend time together. 

A school playground can provide a shared space where children can discover common interests, play games and have conversations. A child who enjoys climbing, for example, might meet other children while using the same equipment. Another might make friends through football, imaginative games or simply sitting and talking. 

Not every friendship begins with a structured activity. Sometimes it starts with something as simple as asking, “Can I play?” 

Giving children plenty of opportunities to interact can help create a playground environment where friendships have room to develop.  

Playground Equipment Bringing Children Together 

Traditional playground games can be an excellent way of encouraging children to play together. Games such as tag, hide and seek, skipping games and ball games can bring groups of children together and provide an easy starting point for social interaction. 

Children can also create their own games. They might decide what the rules should be, choose teams or adapt a familiar game to make it more interesting. This freedom can encourage children to communicate their ideas and listen to those of others. It can also help children feel more confident about joining in with an existing game or inviting someone else to play. 

Playground equipment can provide even more opportunities for children to play together. For example, our Activity Panels such as Chunky Noughts & Crosses and 3 In a Row provides another compact option for encouraging children to interact during playtime. Even equipment such as Planters can encourage children to spend time together. A small group of keen gardeners can work together to plant and care for flowers or vegetables, giving them something to talk about and share. 

Playground Markings can also inspire traditional games and provide clearly defined spaces where children can organise their own activities. 

Learning to Work Together 

Some playground activities naturally encourage children to work alongside one another. 

Climbing structures such as Pick Up Sticks, Space Frames , Young Explorer Towers and Trim Trails, can provide shared physical challenges where children can encourage their friends, take turns and work out how to approach an activity together. 

For example, Pick Up Sticks provides a variety of climbing, balancing and movement challenges, giving children different routes to explore and opportunities to encourage one another. Space Frames offer larger-scale climbing experiences, while Young Explorer Towers combine features such as climbing, balancing and sliding to create varied opportunities for active play. 

These experiences don’t require children to be given a set social activity. Simply having a shared challenge can give children reasons to communicate, wait for one another, offer encouragement or celebrate completing an activity. 

These everyday experiences can help children become more comfortable working with different people, an important skill both inside and outside the classroom. 

Imaginative Play Brings Children Together

Not all playgrounds play needs to involve running around or active play. 

Children tend to have vivid imaginations, so this gives children a fantastic way to interact with their peers. An outdoor space can become a shop, café, castle, campsite or somewhere completely invented. Children can begin to create characters and develop stories together. As games develop, they may need to explain their ideas, listen to their friends and adapt the story to include other children. 

Role-play equipment such as Playhouses, Stages, Mud Kitchens and Themed Play areas can give children a perfect setting for collaborative games. 

Spaces for Conversation and Quiet Play 

Most children also need opportunities to slow down and talk. Outdoor Seating can provide informal spaces where children can sit with friends during break times. Benches, picnic tables and sheltered areas can give children somewhere to chat, share experiences or simply spend time together. 

These quieter spaces can be particularly useful in a varied playground, allowing children to choose between active games and more relaxed social time. 

Helping Children Feel More Confident at Playtime 

For some children, joining in on a playground game or approaching a group of children can feel very daunting which could result in them deciding not to join in at all.  A well-planned outdoor environment with appropriate playground equipment can provide different ways for children to get involved. They might start with a quieter activity before joining a larger group, play alongside another child or gradually become involved in a game.  

Having opportunities to make these choices can help children become more confident in deciding how they want to ask to join in with their peers. A school playground therefore does not need to be filled with a wide range of organised activities, simply providing a variety of spaces and equipment can give children the freedom to find their own ways to play. 

Creating a playground where friendships can grow 

The best playgrounds don’t necessarily need to have the most equipment. They need to provide children with different ways to play and interact. 

A balanced playground could include: 

• Open areas such as a field or a dedicated space on the playground for group games and activities.  

• Traditional playground markings to help with inspiration for games and encourage participation.  

• Climbing equipment to encourage shared challenges and turn taking.  

• Imaginative play zones where children can begin creating their own games, using their vivid imaginations.  

• Seating areas which provide a perfect spot where children can slow down, talk and relax.  

• Quieter spaces for those children who prefer playing in smaller groups or less active play.  

The aim isn’t to dictate how children should play, but to give them the space, choice and equipment they need to create their own play experiences. 

Making the most of playtime 

Playtime is an important part of the school day. It gives children a chance to be active, have fun, make choices and spend time with their friends away from the structure of the classroom. 

Whether children are inventing a new game, completing a Trim Trail, climbing, acting out an imaginary story or simply talking with their friends, these everyday experiences can give children opportunities to practise communication, cooperation and confidence. 

For schools, creating an outdoor environment with a variety of opportunities for active, imaginative, social and quieter play can help make playtime more engaging and enjoyable for everyone. 

How Can Fawns Help?  

Ready to create a playground where children can play, connect and build confidence together? 

At Playtime by Fawns, we design and install outdoor play spaces for schools across the UK, combining active play, imaginative play, games, climbing equipment and social spaces to create playgrounds that work for the children who use them. 

Get in touch with our team today to discuss your project. 

Whether you are starting from scratch or looking to improve an existing playground, get in touch with Playtime by Fawns and let us help you turn your outdoor space into a playground children want to use. 

What to read next… 

How Does Play Support Social Development?  

Seven Inclusive Play Activities to Promote Sharing and Turn Taking 

Age-Appropriate Outdoor Playground Games