Concrete in playground

[Toomuchtooyoung01]

I know I’m going to sound like a lunatic. My little girl is about to start primary school and we visited for the first time today to meet her teacher. I can’t get over the playground, the concrete is so hard and unforgiving, I thought it would be tarmac etc or the softer terrain you get in public playgrounds. It seems so dangerous. All I can think of is her falling over and how much it would hurt on the hard concrete, and then the agony of knowing I wouldn’t be there to comfort her. Am I being insane? I almost wanted to say it to her teacher but thought I would be forever thought of as a nutter so kept quiet. It’s bugging me though. Has/does anyone else worry about this?

You'll get ripped to shreds on here but I once turned down a pre-school for this very reason It didn't have any grass in the garden at all, just a huge expanse of concrete, littered with (really high!) climbing frames and slides. It was an accident waiting to happen and I still feel sick when I think about it today!

Child need to learn to fall and hurt themselves.

They need to learn a grazed knee is not the end of the whole.

There teenagers teenagers who never grazed a knee or seen blood, they have zero coping skills and all an ambulance for broken finger nas cos there is blood and it is sore

Is your child allowed to walk on a pavement? I don’t think a playground would be any harder than that.

I know I’m going to sound like a lunatic.

At least you know it’s irrational. It will be fine.

Times have changed, all playground stuff used to be set in concrete, I think we all survived the falls.

Sixties and seventies kids were tough.

I am confused.

What were you expecting.

Pillows, candy floss, an anti gravity generator?

Yes you sound like a lunatic, but thats fine, we all have at least one ‘nutty’ thing.

I have been into many schools and walked across many playgrounds and I can say that I can't think of any playgrounds that weren't concrete. The kids seems to manage.

I don't think tarmac is much softer but I can't think of any school playground I've seen that don't have hard areas, although some may have different areas to give a range of surfaces. Most children should be perfectly fine playing on hard ground by the time they get to school.

It complies with all legislation

It will be a form of tarmac not concrete

Soft pour/wood chip is only require if climbing over certain height.

You think tarmac (the black stuff they make roads from) is softer than concrete?!

Our local park has a concrete playground....

Id guess the vast majority of us survived concrete playgrounds at school, I don't remember kids getting carted off in ambulances regularly. It's fine.

and then the agony of knowing I wouldn’t be there to comfort her.

If you say this you will absolutely be known as "that parent" forever.

Is it all tarmac or grass areas too?
We have a good mixture of both some older schools in our area only have tarmac
It wouldn’t bother me and my about to start reception child is always flat on his face

This isn’t serious, surely?!?

@Somanysocks

Times have changed, all playground stuff used to be set in concrete, I think we all survived the falls.

Sixties and seventies kids were tough.

"We" all didn't, that's why Ester Rantzen lead the campaign to change it.

My DD did end up falling on a concrete playground in Reception and required an ambulance. But she was only just 4 and in her 3rd week there (had turned 4 in the July) so I put it down to her.

She was absolutely fine, enjoyed a ride in the ambulance and still describes it as her favourite ever day at school

it hasn't happened since and I'm not aware of any other incidences before or after.

@Okbye

This isn’t serious, surely?!?

I absolutely believe this is serious and true.

OP at least you've acknowledged that you wound like a lunatic!

The most she'll get is a grazed knee and a knackered pair of tights. Whoever does medical will look after her and she will be fine - the greatest win for a kid is to get a plaster from the receptionist/first aider when they're little, as it's a badge of pride they got one instead of a damp paper towel and a sprinkle of magic.

There will be no agony involved.

How does your daughter manage to walk along pavements ?

I think you already know you're being unreasonable, you didn't need a vote !

@SparksAndLarks

I am confused.

What were you expecting.

Pillows, candy floss, an anti gravity generator?

You would hate ours it’s all concrete and we don’t even have grass it’s artificial grass 😂

I think this is a really sweet post. Of course you will worry. Are trousers an option? They make a massive difference to the level of grazing. But generally that's all it will be. This is just one of those steps in acceptance that you can't protect them from everything. Don't listen to anyone being harsh. You sound like a lovely mum.

I wouldn’t choose a school that was solely concrete, I liked the school my children go to because it had lots of grass and a spongy surfaced climbing area. But concrete in some areas is fine. They will fall and graze their knees, but they’ll be ok and learn how to deal with minor injuries without cuddles from Mummy. All part of growing up.

Are you generally anxious about her starting school and do you think you might be fixating on this as a kind of subconscious distraction?

My son's playground was concrete with wooden benches and in all the 7 years he was at that school there was only one child who fell and broke their arm - my DS of course