Changes

Playgrounds were seen as important educational tools when they were first developed. People also saw that they kept children away from increasingly busy streets, particularly as accidents harming children began to rise in the early 20th century. While early playgrounds were formal, by the 1940s they became less so and began to be seen as a form of free or less structured play. New equipment developed but materials use for playgrounds only began to change in the 1970s and 1980s, as injuries again became a concern. Some of the equipment known well in playgrounds, such as swings, have been around for centuries, but other equipment became designed and invented for playgrounds. Today, playgrounds are also seen as part of the battle to fight child obesity and keeping children engaged and away from harmful activities.