i.play System Lures Children Outside to Play

The i.play system, developed by Playdale Playgrounds, was designed to get children off the couch and encourage them to go outside and be active.

The i.play system is a fun, highly interactive electronic playground designed to motivate children to be more physically active. The system combines interactive technologies with traditional playground equipment to promote stealth fitness, encouraging children to engage in exciting active games and get their recommended amount of exercise without realising that they are doing it.

i.play has a dedicated website where children can enter their scores and compare them to those of their friends and other players on the i.play system league table. Kids can also use the website to keep track of their progress over time. Educators, on the other hand, can use it as a valuable tool to make students more aware of their activity levels and start a discussion about the benefits of introducing exercise into their daily lives.

The i.play system was developed by Playdale Playgrounds, a UK-based family-owned company that specialises in manufacturing playground equipment, in collaboration with a leading sports and research company. Launched in 2007 as a tool to combat the growing childhood obesity epidemic, the electronic playground revolutionised outdoor play by turning vigorous exercise into something kids genuinely enjoy and look forward to doing.

Research has shown that the energy expenditure during a game of i.play is similar to that of running at 10 kph and higher than that during a game of tennis or swimming front crawl. The games available with i.play challenge kids to lunge, twist, bend, reach, jump and run, helping them improve muscular strength and endurance, coordination, agility, stability, reaction time and cardiovascular health.

The i.play system is durable, safe, vandal resistant and solar powered. It is suitable for children of all fitness levels and offers a low level game play option for wheelchair users and younger children. Additionally, the system uses both audio and visual cues to both immerse players in the games and to ensure equal access to children with visual or aural impairment.

Watch the video to see the system at play.