Playful Planting: Nature's Playground

Exploring how plants enhance children’s play spaces, fostering creativity, sensory engagement, and biodiversity while promoting resilience, well-being, and a deeper connection with nature.

For the past 20 years, we have designed and managed the creation of over 50 nature-inspired gardens and play spaces for children. Our main ambition has always been to reconnect families with nature through play.

Engaging Stakeholders in Playful Design

As part of our process, we run hands-on engagement workshops to involve all stakeholders. We find adults often struggle to find their inner child, assuming what children want rather than what they need. To overcome this, we encourage the older stakeholder to recall their own childhood green spaces, often those memorable places filled with trees, plants, water, wildlife, and a sense of adventure. No matter where we’ve run this exercise be that in Japan, Russia, Norway, France, Germany, the USA, South Africa, Australia, or across the UK; the most vivid memories always involve time spent in nature. And at the heart of these experiences? Plants.

Why Plants Matter in Play Spaces

Plants (trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables, etc.) are vital in children’s environments. They offer resilience, biodiversity, and, most importantly, play value. Yet, they are often overlooked in favour of static play equipment.

When integrated thoughtfully, plants can be:

• Play settings in themselves

• Extensions of play equipment

• Sensory experiences stimulating touch, sight, taste, smell, and sound

• Spaces for exploration, creativity, and learning

Roger Ulrich is an architect known for his research into the benefits of nature on human health. His most notable discovery is that views of nature can significantly reduce stress, enhance recovery from illness, and improve overall well-being. His work has influenced landscape design, specifically healthcare setting where promoting nature exposure for better health outcomes.

Plants should be fundamental to all play environments.

 They offer:

• Hands-on play: Collecting leaves, climbing trees, making dens

• Risk and adventure: Climbing, balancing, hiding

• Sensory stimulation: Soft textures, rustling sounds, fragrant flowers

• Dynamic play: Unlike fixed equipment, plants grow, change, and evolve

Designing with plants

To maximize their impact, we follow key guidelines:

1. Texture & Form – Mix evergreens with deciduous trees, smooth with rough, thin with thick.

2. Seasonal Change – Include plants that highlight different seasons.

3. Colour & Fragrance – Choose trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers that add variety.

4. Craft & Play – Select plants for weaving, making potions, or culinary activities.

5. Sound & Movement – Use grasses, bamboos, or trees that create sounds in the wind.

Plants as Design Elements

Beyond play, plants shape space, movement, and identity.

Enclosure & Hideaways

Plants create natural boundaries and secret hideouts, offering variety beyond traditional fencing. They soften transitions between indoor and outdoor environments and provide refuge spaces that support social and imaginative play.

Identity & Wayfinding

Distinctive plantings give spaces a sense of place. Flowering plants, specimen trees, or herb gardens create strong visual and sensory identities, helping children form lasting connections with a space.

Movement & Circulation

Plants can guide movement through a space, framing paths, creating tunnels, and shaping playful routes. Whether running, chasing, or strolling, children interact more with spaces enriched by planting.

Climbing & Adventure

Tree climbing is universally loved. Some species provide excellent natural climbing structures. Where suitable, designated climbing trees should be included with appropriate critical fall safety surfacing like wood chips beneath.

Loose Parts & Play Props

Leaves, seeds, petals, and sticks become natural toys. Unlike manufactured play equipment, these organic materials stimulate endless creativity.

Education & Learning Through Plants

Plants provide a living classroom. School grounds and public spaces should integrate:

• Trees for shade and climbing

• Herbs for sensory gardens

• Edible plants for growing and tasting

• Seasonal flowers for observation and study

Accessibility & Inclusivity

Thoughtfully designed plant spaces benefit all children, including those with disabilities. Textured pathways, raised planting beds, and sensory gardens make nature accessible to everyone.

Landmarks & Navigation

Trees, large rocks, and water features help children navigate spaces and create a sense of security. Plants provide visual markers, helping young children orient themselves.

Seasonal & Wildlife Benefits

Plants introduce children to seasonal change and natural cycles. Fruit-bearing trees, wildflower meadows, and native shrubs attract wildlife, offering close-up encounters with birds, butterflies, and insects. These interactions foster curiosity and respect for nature.

Climate Resilience & Environmental Quality

Plants modify climate, offering shelter from wind and shade from the sun. Children are more sensitive to heat, so designing with trees that provide dappled shade encourages year-round outdoor play.

Erosion Control & Water Management

Play spaces are often located on marginal land with poor drainage or steep slopes. Vegetation helps manage surface runoff, preventing erosion while recharging local water systems.

Native vs. Non-Native Plants

While native species enhance local biodiversity, some urban conditions may favour hardier non-native species. A balanced mix of native habitats and well-chosen exotics offers resilience and diversity.

Drought Resistance & Sustainability

Selecting drought-tolerant species conserves water and fosters environmental awareness. Children who interact with sustainable landscapes grow up with conservation in mind.

Planning & Managing

Unlike static structures, plants require ongoing care. Thoughtful maintenance ensures play settings remain engaging and safe.

Steps for Planting Success

1. Create a plant list suitable for your area – Identify species suited to play, wildlife, and shade.

2. Evaluate existing vegetation – Retain and enhance what works; remove hazardous plants.

3. Integrate plants into play design – Mix plant settings with manufactured play elements.

4. Involve communities in maintenance – Schools, families, and local groups can help care for play plantings.

Conclusion

Plants are not just aesthetic enhancements; they are essential play elements. They stimulate creativity, support biodiversity, and shape healthier childhood experiences. By designing play spaces that integrate resilient, playful, and engaging plant environments, we create spaces where children can connect with nature, explore, and thrive.