bgWhat do you want in a Soft Play/Activity Centre - with area for special needs kids? Please let me know your thoughts and views..

[OMGIAMAMUM]

I'm in the process of putting together a business plan for a Soft Play Centre in Scotland. I have my own ideas and vision on how it's going to be HOWEVER I would really appreciate others views on what they look for in terms of a good time out with their small people please, in particular what you want, wish or look for in this sort of venue. Especially given that I'm considering putting in an area dedicated to special needs kids. I've not much experience in this particular area of childcare so your feedback and help would be much appreciated.
It's really important for me to seek views of other mums for market research purposes.
In terms of what I have so far I can give you a brief description of my centre, which will:
? Be a children?s soft play centre where the emphasis is on fun and children are treated like VIP?s. Where the play equipment and the general environment is of a high quality, pleasant and clean.
? Have an age range of entry of 0 ? 10 years of age with a dedicated area for babies and toddlers to play.
? Have an emphasis on quality and service, to a level to rival other such centres coupled with a simple but tasty menu of snacks, meals and drinks available to suit both adult and child tastes with the emphasis on healthy but tasty food options for both parents and children. Emphasis on friendly but fast service for food and drinks we've probably all had some experiences when your trying to get something either ordered or heated up for your small people in such places and it's taken an age while you have a grumpy/v. hungry/unhappy child or children on your hands, so a common sense approach in these sorts of situations for customers will apply and the kids will be attended to asap by the staff.
? Be a funky place for parents to hang out and enjoy themselves while their children play with an area dedicated to parents and their wants and needs.
? Also be a party venue with a full range of party services and options for parents and children to choose from.

All views, thoughts and suggestions welcome please, the more the merrier.

The local play area by me has always been great as they have a box of toys and books , so if one of your children cant get around they still have something to play with.

Also the ball pond was accessible. some of them have been impossible for Ellie (SN) to get to, had to go up a big slide and down to get to the balls. This one, I can get to her easily if she needs help .

I think if you had an area just for SN children, although it is a great and very thoughtful idea, all the other kids will just dive into it anyway!! Especially if they are not meant to go in it!! it will seem even more attractive to them!!

Think it is just important to have an area were children can access a n bit more easily

Hi, and what a lovely thoughtful idea.

I avoid softplay areas as Lottie finds them too daunting.
She's 4 at Xmas but not walking so we find that most soft play areas are pointless.

An ideal scenario would be:

• a quiet area where older children without special needs are strictly banned.

• Limit to number of children allowed in to that area.

• Room for child to do their own thing and have fun etc but make it possible for mum or dad to rescue child. I took her to a place once where I found it incredibly difficult to get to her and neither of us enjoyed that.

• low level stuff, trampoline built into ground over a pit, or raised just ever so slighly, same level as a low sofa.

• soft stairs to climb up, 4 or 5 max with a wide safe slide to come down so someone not walking could pull up each step and use slide.

• re the food, lots of the children with special needs have gluten intolerances so gluten free products would go down really, really , really well I'm sure.

Well done, great to hear that your place wqith have a SN's only section, it's wonderful and heartwarming and I hope others follow your example.
Good luck with it.

Am I missing something - isn't there already a thread on this with lots of responses?

Oh sorry - this one has "special needs" in the title. Doh!

No your not missing anything Galaxy this thread is already posted in a different section. I just wanted to gain some feedback from mums and parents of special needs kids too and thought I might do that by posting a thread in a section of the site dedicated to special needs - well spotted!
Thank you all so far for your comments and suggestions these are really valuable and very helpful.

Please keep your thoughts and views coming.

Oh yes a sensory area would be wonderful.

• funny mirrors
• fibre oprics with changing light colours
• different textures on floor and walls

Check this site out for special needs ideas

Ooh don't set it up in Scotland - come and do it near me! It sounds really great.

One thing that springs to mind are nappy changing facilities that are big enough for special needs kids who are not out of nappies. Those fold out tables are hopeless for a hefty four year old so you end up on the floor with everyone staring at you.

One approach to the problem that Anniebear suggests of all kids piling into the special needs area would be to run dedicated special needs sessions where parents were allowed to accompany their children on the equipment. My Ds2 has problems with his motor skills and soft play areas are brilliant practice for him and he loves them. But he can be quite slow climbing etc and get daunted by a hoard of 7 year olds pelting past. He is also very easily disorientated and so could get very lost in the middle of a big apparatus so it's best if someone can be with him.

As I mentioned on the other thread, I'd love there to be cameras and screens so that I can find ds2 without having to look absolutely everywhere. He doesn't often answer to his name (he's autistic) and has no natural instinct to come and find me.

SN-only sessions would be great. Our local support group sometimes hires a play centre for the evening and it's great to see the children enjoying themselves without parents having to worry quite so much.

I love the idea of a sensory area. Maybe a bubble machine too that could be switched on at regular intervals.

I think the diet thing is hugely important: maybe it's unrealistic to expect to cater to all the various diets (though just knowing what is and is not free from dairy and gluten would be a huge help) but also it helps if you are understanding about families bringing in their own food, heating it up etc. if you can't cater to special diets. It's also ESSENTIAL to ban foods outside of the cafe area so you don't get them finding leftover snacks in the ballpool etc.

Personally, would appreciate lower/easier apparatus: H can't climb particularly well but manages small steps - particularly if they are marked with hi-viz strips. She struggles with peripheral vision, but I'd guess there are a whole bunch of other issues around safety for kids with limited vision. Most play areas seem to go from early crawler level to 5-year-old rope walks and steep slides without a lot inbetween. Or the stuff that is easy enough won't take the weight of the bigger kids.

Echo the suggestion for SN only sessions - even if only once a week. Or the possibility of hiring out to SN groups. I know dd loves the soft play area at nursery and it is great for her development but she wouldn't cope with the business of a normal soft play centre.

And sensory stuff too would be great though the equipment is expensive.

I would like to see some notices/signs that indicate entry points to different levels and where for example the slide ends up (ie what level), as my ds (ASD) runs off and i can never get to the right place to catch him.

My feelings are the same as HeartinTheCountry. Ds2 loves soft play stuff, but would be put off by too many children and too much exuberance!!

This is a great place

Sessions that are only for children with SN (and siblings)? I think you could have a real market if you have a big enough population nearby as the thing that puts me off even trying soft play are parents of NT children tbh. One of the boys in ds1's class had a session for a birthday in a pub play area dn it was closed to the general public- and all the parents were saying how lovely it was to be there as a group of SN parents and that none of us would dare go usually.

A once a month session just for SN and siblings could be really popular. Perhaps also cotact local special schools and see whether they would want to use the facilities?

Some sort of gate to stop children running out, ditto gates to stop them getting behind the tills/drinks bit.

Light (at least in some sections)- a lot of soft play areas can be gloomy.

One of our local indoor play areas is only available for SN children in the first hour of every day. It is used regularly by sn schools as well and it is great. This one is open for all ages, up to and including adult, but has smaller areas for younger children only.

This has proved a huge sucess

Our local place has a special needs session but it is early on a sunday morning. I'm afraid I've never actually checked it out because it's enough of an effort being ready early in the week (ds is first to be picked up by taxi as we live furthest from school).

However, I have taken both children there at other times and although I don't get to chat and drink tea like the 'NT' mums it has been managable. I put this down to the attitude of the owner and staff which IMO is very important. They have not made a big issue of the fact that ds refuses to wear socks when there are notices everywhere instructing people to do so. When I booked dd's birthday party and mentioned that I would bring food for ds, the owner offered immediately to do the whole party GFCF so that I wouldn't have to worry. They make no objection to me going on the equipment with ds (for encouragement and occasional rescue!)etc etc.

All these are little things but they make me feel welcome and that I could face going back again. We ended up leaving one place because of their insistance that ds wear some coloured bib thing with velcro fastening (can't even remember why!)which he wouldn't keep on, because it was 'THE RULES'. They were totally unwilling to make allowances for a child's limitations.

Omgiamamum, I'm sure your place will be a huge success because you already have the right attitude

Oh, and I agree about heavier duty changing facilities for larger children being much appreciated.

haven't read this in full...but love that you are planning this!

a 'quiet area' somewhere away from the chaos...i have given up on soft play centres as cos mine are autistic...they get overwhelmed by crowds and noise...

also somwhere quieter to eat...less distractions!