The wealthy frequently had outdoor spaces set aside for their children to play, at least as early as the beginning of the 1800s. Not long after that Friedrich Ludwig Jahn started a gymnastics movement in Germany. It became very popular and people began putting outdoor gymnastic equipment in the children’s play areas. This sounds like it fit the parents’ idea of what an outdoor play area should be more than it fit a child’s, but if the equipment could be climbed on, it was still probably all good.

Another German, Friedrich Fröbel created the concept of kindergarten. In the mid 18800s, as part of the educational play he promoted, he brought the sandbox into his schools. The popularity of having play areas set aside at schools spread through Germany but the first public playground was built in Manchester, England in 1859.

In the 1850s in the US, Frederick Olmstead and Calvert Vaux were designing New York City’s Central Park. They set aside one hill as a place for boys to climb, but that was the extent of the “child-friendly” part of the park. The city was already changing. Its population was growing, immigrants were moving in. They didn’t go to the park, they played in the streets and vacant lots near their homes.

A Tenement House Committee was formed to study the problem in 1889. As a result, the Brooklyn Society for Parks and Playgrounds was formed.It was described as a moral movement – perhaps playthings for children to keep their idle hands from becoming the devil’s playthings.

The earliest had sandboxes and slides plus an open area for sports and they were popular, Boston went from one sandbox playground in 1885 to 11 by 1887.

In 1895 New York made a law saying, “Hereafter no school house shall be constructed in the City of New York without an open–air playground attached to or used in connection with the same.” The first two in the city were located at 69th Street and Broadway.

And 95th Street and Amsterdam. Not much play area there now! Well, maybe if you think you’re Frogger. (We don’t recommend that.)

They were only open after school hours.

In 1897, the city wanted to build more playgrounds and have specially trained recreation specialists who would direct the physical energies of the children to good outcomes. Activities included marching, singing, drills, folk dancing, climbing on the equipment, arts and crafts, and basketball.

Between 1903 and 1905 nine new parks opened in Manhattan alone. By 1908 there were eleven playgrounds in Manhattan and five in Brooklyn.

Playgrounds have become an expected part of all parks now. In England after World War II they would upcycle junk in the playgrounds for kids to play with. Now it’s all smooth plastic with short slides over soft tire mulch. Seesaws and monkey bars have dropped in popularity because they’re considered too dangerous. But, really, isn’t that what made them great?