With the way people talk about it, technology can seem like a destroyer of our lives. It surrounds us, it distracts us, it yearns to be used as a crutch day in and day out. We are even more critical of technology when it comes to how our kids interact with it. We tend to think of it as keeping kids from having a normal childhood, running around the playground and interacting with friends. However, technology does not have to be the antithesis of a happy childhood. By incorporating technology into children’s parks, we can make playtime even more engaging and exciting for the kids of today and tomorrow.

Kids are already very quick to pick up how different digital technologies work. Even if a child doesn’t have a smartphone or tablet of their own, it doesn’t take them long to learn how to work it. This ability for kids to quickly understand how tech works can easily be used on the playground for their benefit. Infusing a park with digital games and puzzles can add another dimension to a child’s learning capabilities. Imagine a game that teaches kids about ecosystems, like how rain forms and how trees grow while those kids are running around in that environment. Or perhaps a game like a digital scavenger hunt with virtual finds hidden around the vicinity of the park. Now, kids are not just running around getting exercise and socializing with friends, but they’re learning and problem-solving at the same time. Doing this can help lead to improved cognitive functioning in children. Not to mention it can make learning fun, leading kids to continue to want to learn as they get older.

You also don’t have to physically build new technologies on the playground to get kids to learn while having fun. There are a multitude of apps on the Internet that encourage kids to learn while playing games, and learning how to include app play in a playground setting can be something almost revolutionary. All a playground would need is a network for kids (and parents) to connect to. Parks could even have a couple tablets on hand in case some kids don’t have any and want to join in the fun. And going a step further, you could even have games that connect users on different devices, allowing kids to socialize through their technology and face-to-face at the same time. Kids already are drawn to new tech, so being able to get kids outside while still incorporating that tech is a great way to bring two worlds together.

There are so many different ways that new technology can be brought to the playground to improve playtime for kids. It can promote socializing, problem-solving, and exercise all at the same time while giving kids the illusion that they’re just having fun. While new technology can be scary, and it can be hard for parents to accept that technology has become a major part of raising their child, it doesn’t have to be such a bad thing. The bottom line is that technology and the digital world is here to stay, and it will only continue to grow and develop and evolve.