How splash pads can provide inclusive fun for all
When the summer sun blazes, many families flock to splash pads to beat the heat. These play spaces can be a refreshing escape for children and caregivers of all ages—and they can be particularly effective in ensuring that kids of all abilities are included in the fun.
Water-based activities like those found at splash pads can help children self-regulate and calm their nervous system. And because splash pads typically have an open design and a flat surface, they often accommodate kids whether they get around on their feet or with a mobility device.
Still, these factors alone don’t make splash pads inherently inclusive for all abilities and needs. To help ensure these play areas accommodate everyone, communities should be intentional in decisions ranging from chosen play features to how splash pads incorporate shade, parking, and restrooms.
Making Fun For All
Community attractions like splash pads are enjoyed to their fullest when they’re designed for all community members.
For example, while many children enjoy laughing and running as they chase water streams and eagerly wait to be drenched by water-dumping buckets, children with sensory-processing differences may need to escape to a quiet space. Also, children who have difficulties regulating body temperature may need shaded spaces to stay cool. And wheelchair users have more fun when play features are built at accessible heights.
Splash pads should also accommodate parents or grandparents—or even great-grandparents—who accompany the children. These visitors may need easily accessible parking, restrooms, or shaded seating areas from which they can comfortably supervise.
With all this in mind, the following are some key areas in which communities can focus efforts to make splash pads inclusive for all:
1. Play Features
The growing popularity of splash pads means there are more play elements than ever to incorporate—from water cannons, mist sprayers, and shower domes to traditional playground equipment like tunnels and slides—that offer new types of fun when combined with water. Ideally, a splash pad should include a mix of elements that encourage different types of play and provide diverse sensory experiences.
Water tables can present water in multiple ways, allowing kids to manipulate it whether it’s in a still state, softly bubbling, or flowing through small topographic channels or across a water maze. Water tables also facilitate social and cooperative play among children as they gather to discover the cause-and-effect fun of playing with water. Furthermore, kids can get in on the action with water tables that are designed for all abilities.
Dumping buckets and other elements that dump water can also be enjoyed in multiple ways. Many children like these elements for the anticipation and inevitable drenching they deliver. And children with autism, ADHD, and Down syndrome especially can enjoy how the falling water stimulates the nervous system, providing inputs to their muscles and joints.
Dumping-water elements are one of several features at a new splash pad on the Aces for Autism campus in Winterville, N.C. The campus offers learning labs and therapy spaces for children on the autism spectrum. The water dumpers and other play elements at the campus’ splash pad were thoughtfully selected by the Aces for Autism team and inclusive play experts who considered the sensory and experiential needs of children with autism.
Ground-level elements are simple additions that can bring big fun to a splash pad. Jets that shoot water straight up or in a jumping sequence can encourage creative play or invite kids to race through. And waterspouts and bubblers can attract children with disabilities who may be less comfortable with more intense water-spraying and -dumping elements.
At Parkersburg City Park (W. Va.), some children use the splash pad’s ground sprayers to self-regulate. The structures are located around the perimeter of the play area, making them readily available for kids, no matter where they are on the pad.
2. Accessibility
When designing splash pads, communities should ensure that people of all abilities can access and move around the spaces with ease.
For example, the parking lot should be reasonably close to the splash pad area so children and their caregivers can get there with minimal effort. The walkway that connects the parking lot to the splash pad area should also be wide enough for all people—including wheelchair users—to travel side-by-side.
One of the most common inclusion-related questions concerning splash pads is whether wheelchairs can be used on them. The answer is yes. Most manual wheelchairs, braces, and walkers can get wet.
Sometimes, splash pads are located next to playgrounds. In these instances, visitors should have ramped transition areas or walkways that allow them to easily go from one play space to the other. This was the approach taken at Burrus Old Mill Park in Blue Springs, Mo. The park’s jungle-themed playground and splash pad are connected by a large transition zone that has both stairs and a ramp so all visitors can fully enjoy both spaces.
3. Personal Care
Inclusive splash pads should provide visitors with everything they need to stay safe and comfortable, especially when the summer heat broils.
Restrooms, for instance, should be located close to a splash pad for customer convenience in order to keep the play area sanitary. While a filtration system will help protect water quality at a splash pad, there’s still a possibility that contaminants will spread in the water. Having easy access to toilets, trash cans, safe drinking water, and showers can help prevent the spread.
Restrooms should also include at least one family stall with a full-size changing table so larger children or adults with disabilities can change comfortably. The table should be no more than 18 to 20 inches off the ground to allow wheelchair users to transfer on and off.
Water temperature is another consideration. Cold water can affect the degree to which some kids enjoy playing with water and, as a result, shorten their play time. Water heaters can be added to a splash pad’s water-circulation system to keep the water warm and encourage kids to play longer.
Finally, shaded spaces can help caregivers, including elderly grandparents, beat the heat. These spaces can also be an area of safe escape for children taking medications that make it difficult to regulate body temperature, helping them avoid becoming overheated and dysregulated.
Steps To Inform The Design Process
A desire to include everyone in the splash-pad fun can make it difficult to identify the right design. However, communities can inform their decisions by involving parents in the planning process and reaching out to local school districts or organizations that work with area children. This can help communities understand the “ability demographic” and create splash pads where all kids can play and learn—and stay cool—together.
