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CHILDREN’S BUREAU PUBLICATION NO. 238
United States Department of Labor
mmism

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UNITED STATES DEPARTM EN T OF LABOR
F r a n c e s P e r k in s ,

CH ILD RE N ’ S BUREAU . .

Secretary

a t h a r in e

L e n r o o t , C h ie f

♦

HOME PLAY AND PLAY EQUIPMENT
F O R TH E

PRESCHOOL CHILD

Bureau Publication N o. 238

United States
Government Printing Office
Washington : 1937

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C.

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Price 10 cents

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CONTENTS

P age

Play a way o f learning....................................................................................
Playing alone..............................................................
Playing with other children.....................................................................
Parties and Christmas.......................................................................
Imitative play............................................
Pretending..................................................................................................
Training the senses..................................................................................
Play equipment................................................................................................

1
2
3
3
4
4
5
g

Toy».........................................................................................

Books and pictures....................................................................................
Outdoor play equipment.........................................................................
Suggestions for further reading......................................................................

7
8

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Home Play and Play Equipment
for the Preschool Child1
PLAY A WAY OF LEARNING
Play is the child’s way of learning, o f experimenting, of trying himself out,
of finding out about everything in the world around him. It is full of
pleasure for him, for it is full o f new experiences and new combinations of
past ones. Play is, at the same time, a serious thing to him and should be
planned for seriously by his parents.
Every mother can learn a great deal about play if she will watch her child
and not interfere with him. By the time he is a year old he bangs his toys
to make a noise and piles blocks one on the other. He fills his pails with sand
and empties them again; he points out figures or colors in his picture books,
trying to repeat the word he heard when someone else pointed them out.
Gradually, as the child grows older, he becomes more skillful in his move
ments and can pile his blocks higher and even tries to catch a ball and later
to string large beads. Things that he could not do a few months before are
becoming easy. He wants toys with which he can do something. He learns
to walk, and with this new accomplishment he starts the pulling and pushing
kinds of play. He drags along the floor a toy dog or a box tied to a string,
and shoves a chair across the room. Perhaps you have shown him how to
throw a ball, and he suddenly begins to throw everything he can reach.
Then, perhaps, he finds a crayon and scribbles with it on paper, on the
walls, on the floor.
At 2 or 3 years he begins to play with other children of his age. If he has
older brothers and sisters, they may try to make him share their games,
though at first he will not know what they are driving at. T o play his part,
to wait his turn, to follow the rules o f the game, to pay a penalty if he plays
out of turn are ideas that are as yet over his head. After a while he will have
grasped them and with them some of the fundamental lessons of happy
living.
When a mother has thus stopped and looked at her child’s play, she realizes
that play is his way o f learning. Through it he becomes skillful in the use of
his muscles. The little child who can put the last block on top of his tall
tower without upsetting it may well dance up and down with pleasure at his
accomplishment. He has learned something quite as important for his age
1 The material in the first part of this bulletin is reprinted from The Child From One to Six, Children's Bureau
Publication No. 30. Washington. 1935.

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Home P lay fo r the Preschool Child

as how to add 2 and 2 will be later. Encourage this training of senses and
muscles. Give the child toys that call upon him to use new combinations of
movements. Playing with a bean bag or a game of ring-toss teaches him to
throw accurately, stringing beads teaches another kind of skill, drawing on a
blackboard another. The big muscles of the back and abdomen are made
strong by climbing, swinging, walking on all fours, and turning somersaults.
Do not try to teach a little child to use the small muscles first. Stringing
large beads, drawing on large sheets o f paper, tearing and cutting out large
figures are much better for the young child from 2 to 5 than trying to do
anything fine with the hands like sewing cards and weaving.
Perhaps the most important lesson learned through play is that of coordi
nation, or the working together o f muscles and senses. When you watch a
6-year-old girl jumping rope to the sound o f her own singing, or that of her
playmates, you perhaps do not realize that the working together o f eye, ear,
and muscles in perfect rhythm is the result of the lessons learned through play
during the preschool years. Childhood is the right time to learn this type
of skill; the child who has played with vigor and freedom attains it without
conscious effort.
A child needs to walk and to run, to climb, to swing, to ride, to pull, to
push, to dig, to throw. He needs to have his interests always widening.
Although quiet play is important, especially for the little child, at least a
part o f every child’s play should be free and active.
It is best to have the room in which he plays indoors so arranged that he
can play freely all over it (or in a fenced-off portion) and handle and
touch everything within his reach. A playhouse or a porch that is fenced
and screened but open to the sun is useful.
P L A Y IN G A LO N E
It is worth while for every mother to teach her child to enjoy being alone.
The mother who hurries to pick up the baby as soon as she hears him
cooing or talking to himself is making trouble for herself. Any child who
is used to being left alone will play very happily by himself and amuse
himself with a tin pan and a spoon, clothespins, blocks of wood, or other
toys with which he can make or do something.
By playing alone without adult interference or help the child learns to
make his own choices, his own decisions; he learns to concentrate his at
tention on what he is doing; he learns some of his first lessons in independ
ence. D o not interfere with the child’s play. If he seems to you to be doing
something awkwardly, do not try to do it for him. Let him learn by doing
it himself. Even if the result is not up to your standards, it may be very
good for one o f his experience.
A little child will do the same thing over and over without tiring. He
needs much practice if he is going to learn to do things well. Give him
ample opportunity to practice climbing, balancing, pushing, talking,
singing, sweeping, dusting, shoveling, hammering. Do not interfere in

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Play a W ay o f Learning

these activities. Let him learn that success comes only through trying and
failing and trying again.
A play pen or a fenced-in part of the yard is a great help to the busy
mother. In the pen the child who has not yet learned to climb is safe;
and if it is built with a floor, which is covered with a blanket or quilt (ex
cept in hot weather), he will escape the cold and the drafts that make play
on the floor uncomfortable. The pen should be large enough to allow him
considerable freedom o f movement, and he should have things to play
with so that he will not stand hanging to the side of the pen too long.
P L A Y IN G W IT H O T H E R C H ILD R E N
A litde child also needs other children to play with. Adults or older
children cannot take the place o f companions of the child’s own age. A
little child needs to play and develop with other children who are in the
same stage of learning as himself, who are his equals, as well as with those
who are a litde older or a litde younger. The parents of an only child
especially must bear this in mind. Through group play a little child learns
by following the example o f others, by having to consider what others
want, by finding out that he can set an example which others will follow.
He learns many valuable lessons in adjusting himself to the demands and
ideals of his group as he will later have to adjust himself to the demands and
ideals of his community. Self-reliance, initiative, and leadership develop
through group play.
Parents should know who are the companions of their child; he may be
learning from them to play fair or to cheat. Be careful about letting a
little child play out of your sight with children of whom you know nothing.
Listen to their talk as they play, and see that no one teaches your child
“ not to tell your mother” or to “ hide it, your father might see.” There are
plenty o f playmates who will help you teach your child fair play, honesty,
and courage. It is well for children to learn early that certain rules of the
game must be observed, that no one can always win or always have his way,
that a good sport can lose without sulking, and that crying is unpopular.
When children are playing together, interfere as little as possible. It is
usually better to let them settle their own disputes. Do not encourage
tale-bearing; but if you are asked to settle a disagreement, hear both sides
and help the children to make their own decision fairly. At times inter
ference is necessary; no one should permit cruelty or dishonesty among
children.
P A R T IE S AN D C H R IS T M A S
Parties for children under 6 years of age should be very simple and occur
very seldom. Above all they should be small, not more than three or four
children, especially for the child who is not accustomed to playing in a
group. Parties should not interfere with the regular nap and meal times.
Unusual foods should not be served, nor should any food be served at
unusual times. Foods that would usually be served for dinner or supper

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Hom e P lay fo r the Preschool Child

may be served in special dishes or in a special manner, such as fancy shapes
for cookies or oranges, or sandwiches instead of bread. The child for whom
the party is being given may be allowed to choose which of the usual dishes
he would like to have.
Simple table decorations may add a litde extra color. The children
should not be dressed up in fancy clothes that may be spoiled by play. The
getting together of a few children for play is in itself sufficiendy exciting and
unusual to the average litde child to warrant the name of a party. Simple
games without undue excitement, played outdoors in a group, followed by
a simple supper at the usual time, make the best kind of party for little
children.
D o not overdo the Christmas festivities for children. A tree hung with
apples and a few shining ornaments and festooned with strings of cran
berries and popcorn and colored papers gives just as much pleasure as
one elaborately trimmed. Simple toys are often those most loved by
children. It is often the parents who cannot afford to spend much money
at Christmas who succeed in making it the happiest time. Christmas can
be made a truly happy time for the children by avoiding confusion, fatigue,
too many things at once, too much excitement, upsetting o f the daily
routine, and unusual food. One mother lessened the confusion by having
the litde children get their presents at a different time from the adults and
by putting away all but a few toys after a short time. She also insisted on
an outdoor playtime and a long midday rest for all. The children had
their dinner alone, and she made it a simple meal of the things they liked;
she knew that digestions are upset very easily by excitement, and she gave
them no rich and unusual food at dinner and no candy between meals.
Do not take a litde child to public gatherings, such as fairs or circuses,
or into crowded stores. These are always overexciting and overfatiguing
and offer great risk o f infection. Unless you suggest to the child that he
is missing something by not going to such places, he will feel no disap
pointment. A child should not be expected to sit through movies or other
entertainments suitable only for grown-ups.
IM IT A T IV E P L A Y
Much of a child’s play, whether he is alone or in a group, is imitation of
what he has seen and heard about him. He learns to do the ordinary
things o f life by practicing them in his play. A child will act out the
events of the household, going over and over what he sees and hears, and
he sees and hears just about everything that goes on.
P R E T E N D IN G
The litde child enjoys his toys because o f what he can do with them;
as he grows older he enjoys them also because o f what he can pretend
they are. He will often play in an elaborate world of make-believe, per
haps with dolls or boxes, blocks, flowers, stones, or bits of wood and china.

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P lay a W ay o f Learning

All these things take on an importance to him that the grown-up outsider
sometimes finds it hard to see. The flowers may be people, and the blocks,
boats or engines. In his imagination he may turn his playroom into a
wood full of wild animals or a lake with each chair a boat. He is happy
so long as he is allowed to play in this way, but he may be made most
unhappy by the misunderstanding adult who destroys his fairy castles.
Play o f this kind is used most often by a child who plays alone; less often
children playing together will build up a make-believe world.
It is well for the parents to respect and enter into the spirit of such play.
“ Let’s pretend” is a part o f every life, and the imagination of the child
should be helped to grow in a healthy direction; however, this makebelieve life should not occupy a child’s whole time. Play with real toys
and real children should be a larger part o f his life.
Dressing up to play parts, especially with costumes, is usually enjoyed
by children playing together. This kind of play cultivates the imagination
and at the same time encourages a social spirit.
T R A IN IN G T H E SEN SES
Teach the child to enjoy form and color, to draw, however crudely, and
to make patterns out of colored blocks. Help him to develop the sense
of touch shown by the child who is letting sand run through his fingers,
shaping a mud pie, or tenderly smoothing a piece of satin or velvet dropped
from his mother’s sewing box. Even the very young child may get great
pleasure out o f beautiful sounds and shapes and colors. Musical interest is
keenly developed in some young children, and a piano, a phonograph, or
a radio is a great source o f pleasure and instruction.
Rhythmic movements to music are a great pleasure to most children—
singing, marching, keeping time to music with hands or feet or bodies.
Thus they learn to appreciate and respond to rhythm, to recognize and
reproduce musical sounds. Such activities help to develop love o f music as
well as skillful use of the body. Every child who plays the singing, dancing
games o f childhood is getting his ear as well as his muscles trained. Ball
bouncing games and hopping games also are o f the rhythmic type.

126427°— 37----- 2

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PLAY EQUIPMENT
TOYS
There are two kinds of toys— those that the child can do something with
and those that he can only watch. Children enjoy for years their sand
boxes, blocks, balls, tools, wagons, dolls, dolls’ furniture, and the many other
toys out o f which they can make something or with which they can do some
thing new; but they soon tire o f the toys that they only watch— the ordinary
mechanical toys. Certain mechanical toys are of interest to a child, such
as a phonograph that can be handled easily by a child of 3 and an automo
bile that he can wind up and steer. Many a child takes more pleasure in a
dozen clothespins and a few pieces of cloth to wrap around them than in an
elaborate ready-made doll whose clothes will not come off. The little child
is interested in making, in building, in doing— not in looking on. Encourage
him in this, for if he does not develop this interest early in life, he may grow
into the kind of person who is always a looker-on and not a doer.
Blocks should be part o f the equipment of every playroom. Plain blocks,
colored blocks, large ones and small— all blocks are worth-while toys.
They are used in many ways— to build houses, barns, fences, or roads.
They become trucks and railroad trains. The colored ones that offer a
chance to experiment with patterns, shapes, and matching of colors delight
children. Wooden blocks in the shape of a train of cars, which can be taken
apart or hitched together easily, are good. Blocks may be made at home by
cutting a piece o f lumber known as a two-by-four into 2-inch lengths and
sandpapering the pieces until they are smooth. So as not to be too heavy,
large blocks may be made like boxes with covers nailed on. Mill blocks or
pieces of scrap lumber, which are sold at a few cents a hundred at the
lumber yard, are excellent blocks for small children. They come in differ
ent sizes and shapes. Unless very smooth mill blocks are chosen, the rough
edges should be planed or sandpapered.
Balls are always satisfactory toys for young children. Very large balls
to be rolled on the floor, smaller balls to throw, rubber balls to bounce,
colored balls, balloons on a string, are all good.
Large sheets of paper should be provided for drawing. The paper may
be unprinted newspaper (newsprint), purchased at the newspaper office,
or light-colored wrapping paper, or samples of wallpaper. Crayons; a
blackboard and colored chalk; clay or moist sand for modeling; blunt
scissors and large pictures to cut out; bright-colored pieces of paper in
different shapes that can be used for folding, cutting, or pasting; a peg
board with large colored pegs and holes; large colored beads to string—
all are toys in which the 3- to 5-year-old child will take much interest if
he is allowed to use them himself
6

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P lay Equipment

Toys that can be pulled by a string, such as a horse and wagon, or a
truck, or a train o f cars, are o f special interest to the 2- to 4-year-old child
if they are large enough to be loaded with blocks or sand and unloaded
again. Electric trains are not suitable for children under school age. Egg
boxes or other small, substantial boxes made of wood and fitted with ball
bearing casters make good wagons to haul blocks or toys in or for the small
child to ride in. They can be used outdoors or indoors.
Dolls are an important part of playroom equipment for young children.
Dolls made o f heavy rubber are durable and washable. They are sold in
many different sizes. Soft rag dolls or dolls made of cloth and painted so
that they will wash are also good. Soft woolly animals and other toy
animals; housekeeping toys of all sorts— small tables, chairs, dolls’ beds,
bureaus, carriages, dishes, kitchen stoves and pots— gardening and car
pentry toys that are really useful and durable are needed.
Pieces o f cloth or yam, empty spools and boxes, wrapping paper and
bags, colored cord, old clothing to dress up in, and discarded magazines
are all valuable material for children to play with. Such kitchen utensils
as egg beaters and pans that fit into one another are often absorbing toys
to a young child. (Kitchen utensils that are sharp or in any other way
dangerous should not be given to children.) Empty cans of different sizes
may be made into a set of nested cans if the edges of the cans are made
smooth.
Shelves of the right height for the little child are better than boxes for toys,
for the child can keep the toys in better order on shelves. Toys that are
kept in a box are more apt to be broken.
Avoid toys that are easily broken. Through them the child learns careless
and extravagant ways. Toys should encourage constructive, not destruc
tive, habits.
B O O K S AN D P IC T U R E S
The best books for the very little child are picture books made of cloth, for
he can handle them without tearing the pages. Large, gaily colored
pictures are his chief delight. Pictures o f things that he knows about are of
more interest to him than pictures o f things he has never seen. Washable
window shades cut into pages and sewed together make excellent scrap
books.
Children very early enjoy rhymes like the favorite, Mother Goose. The
first stories children like to hear are simple ones with much rhythm and
repetition. “ This little pig went to market” , “ The house that Jack built” ,
“ Three little kittens” delight children. Probably they care less for the story
than for the sounds. Interest in the story itself comes later, but the pleasure
in sound and rhythm remains. Most children enjoy having simple stories
read or told to them. They like to hear the same story told over and over
again or to look at the same picture again and again. The parents may
weary of a story long before the child is satisfied.

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Home Play fo r the Preschool Child

Choose pleasant, happy stories, whether you tell them or read them to
the children. Do not give children pictures or books that may fill them with
fears. Do not buy a book merely because it is cheap or has a pretty cover.
Find out first whether it is the kind o f book that the child will enjoy.
Pictures, preferably colored ones, of familiar animals or groups of children
playing, or pictures illustrating nursery rhymes or stories, may be placed on
the wall where the children can see them easily, not too high.
O U TD O O R P L A Y E Q U IPM E N T
Some simple home-made play apparatus is needed in every back yard
where little children play. A few smooth boards of different widths, lengths,
and thicknesses, not too heavy for a little child to carry, can be used for
building and climbing. Large blocks made like hollow wooden boxes are
useful for pushing and climbing. Wooden packing boxes of different sizes,
from which the extra nails have been pulled out so that the children can
safely climb into the boxes, are material for playing house or store or for
other imaginative play. Boxes made of veneer may be used, but they are
not so strong as boxes made of solid wood. A piano box or any other large
box with windows cut in the sides makes a good playhouse. The play
house should be simple and easily changed about. Children like to make
their own playhouses, and a packing box that is a house today may be a
boat tomorrow.
A work table can be used outdoors as well as in the playroom. The work
table for children 4 to 6 should be equipped with durable and efficient
tools, such as a hammer with a short handle and a broad head; a small
vise; a short, wide saw; and short galvanized nails with large, flat heads
(roofing nails). There should be plenty o f wood to work with— wood that
is soft enough for the small child to saw easily and to drive nails into.
A back-yard pool for wading and sailing boats is popular with children,
and a lawn shower is helpful in the summer. If the yard is large enough,
each child should have space for a little garden of his own and tools for
gardening.
Toys that encourage vigorous outdoor play are valuable. A tricycle, a
wagon big enough to ride in, a wheelbarrow, and a sled give opportunity
for much activity.
Not all back yards are large enough for climbing bars or slides, but such
simple equipment as sand box, seesaw, packing boxes, swing, or horizontal
bar can be used in small yards or even on a porch. The egg boxes fitted
with casters described on page 7 are good playthings for a porch.
The equipment described in the following pages need not be built all at
one time. The sand box, the play planks, and the packing boxes are a good
combination to start with, and other pieces may be added later. Back-yard
play equipment should be planned for the needs of the children when they
grow older, as well as for the present. Such equipment as swings, rings, and

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P lay Equipment

bars, if attached to frames that are large enough and well constructed, can
be varied according to the interests of children o f different ages.
The designs shown are for sturdy, long-time outdoor equipment. Fragile
equipment is dangerous and in the long run expensive. These designs may
be adapted, however, to the material and space at hand, but lumber or pipe
that is used to make frames for swings or bars should not be below the
minimum thickness or diameter given in the specifications.
Lumber that is well seasoned, comparatively straight-grained, and free
from cracks or splits should be selected. All lumber used for playground
apparatus should be surfaced on four sides and the comers planed. If
lumber is difficult
to obtain, pipe may
be used for frames,
Pipe is more durable
than w o o d and
requires less care,
more expensive and
though it is usually
more difficult to set
up. Galvanized iron
pipe, 2 to 3 inches
in diameter, is best for
play apparatus. Pipe
and pipe fittings may
be bought from hard
ware stores or plumb
ing firms. If second
hand lumber or pipe
is used, it should be
n==
carefully selected and
tested.

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FIG. i

Special fittings for swings and rings are sold by manufacturers of play
ground equipment and by dealers in hardware or in barn and hayloft
equipment. The hooked bolt (fig. 19), galvanized thimble (fig. 20), and
black enameled clamp (fig. 21) shown on page 16 cost only a few cents apiece.
Although chain is more durable than rope, swings made of rope are strong
enough for small children in the home playground. If chain is used, it
should not be too heavy. With the fittings suggested, waterproof rope will
make a safe and durable swing. The small additional expense of such
special fittings will be justified by the longer life, easier upkeep, and greater
safety of the apparatus.
Outdoor play apparatus must be constructed so that it is firm and secure.
Uprights and cross beams must be set straight and level. Frames for swings

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Hom e Play fo r the Preschool Child

and bars need not be braced if they are set 3 feet deep in concrete. (For
method of setting uprights in concrete, see pp. 13—14.)
Wooden apparatus should be given a coat of linseed oil and painted with
waterproof paint as a protection from the weather. All parts of apparatus
that are to be placed underground should be treated with a preservative
to a point at least 6 inches above the ground. Friction points on metal
should be greased frequendy. Bolts should be used to fasten wooden parts
together wherever it is possible; they fasten the parts more securely than
nails and are less likely to split the wood or to work loose. Where wooden
parts are bolted together, washers should be used to protect the wood, and
the bolts should be tightened frequendy. Bolt holes treated with a pre
servative will prolong the life of the joint. Playground apparatus should be
inspected often, as ropes fray and bolts loosen. Sharp corners of swing
boards and sand boxes should be cut off, as the illustrations on pages 16
and 11 show, and rough edges of boards should be smoothed to prevent
splinters. The swing should be placed close to and parallel with a fence
or a wall; or a fence should be built around the frame to keep children
from running into the swing while it is in motion (fig. 1, p. 9).
In the following descriptions of equipment all dimensions specified for
lumber represent the “ nominal” dimensions according to which lumber is
usually described. The actual dimensions of the surfaced lumber are
slightly smaller; for instance, a 2-inch board is about 1% inches.
Douglas fir and southern yellow pine are suitable woods for most of the
equipment described. Redwood and cypress are more expensive, but they
may be substituted in any piece of equipment for which Douglas fir or
southern yellow pine is suggested.
SAND B O X
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D

(All lumber surfaced on four sides)

Sides: 2 pieces o f lumber, 2 in. thick, 10 in. wide, and 6 ft. long.
Ends: 2 pieces o f lumber, 2 in. thick, 10 in. wide, and 4 ft. long.
Shelves: 2 pieces o f lumber, 2 in. thick, 8 in. wide, and 4 ft. 4 in. long.
Nails: 1 pound 16-penny common.
Sand: 1 wagonload (to fill the box to a depth o f 8 in., approximately % cu. yd. or 16
cu. ft. o f sand will be required).
C O N S T R U C T IO N

Nail the side boards to the ends. Center the boards for the shelves on the end boards
and nail them firmly to both end and side boards, so that they are half inside and half
outside the box and will not need to be braced (fig. 3). Cut off the sharp comers o f the
shelves. Brace the corners o f the box with iron or wood. A wooden bottom in the sand
box will keep the children from digging into the soil underneath and mixing it with the
sand.
Any sound grade o f softwood lumber can be used for the sand box. Among the lowpriced woods are southern yellow pine, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and spruce. A
low grade o f white pine will also be suitable. The boards should be free from knot
holes and other defects through which the sand can sift readily. One-inch lumber
may be used if stakes are driven into the ground at intervals to hold the boards in place.

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Play Equipment

No. 1 and No. 2 Common grades o f lumber will be satisfactory for a sand box.
Smooth boards should be selected, and the top edges o f the boards, inside and outside,
should be smoothed with a plane or a wood rasp and sandpaper.
The sand box should have a cover to protect the sand from stray cats and dogs. Canvas
weighted at the corners with stones may be used, or wallboard nailed on two strips o f
wood may be laid over the sand box at night. Another type o f cover is a light wooden
frame covered with 1-inch galvanized-wire mesh, which permits the sun and air to reach
the sand. T o keep the sand dry in wet weather, however, a permanent cover, hinged to
the box, is best. It may be made o f waterproof canvas or other fabric stretched and
nailed to a frame, or o f wood, or o f wallboard and wood. Both wood and wallboard
should be painted with waterproof paint.
A sand box may keep a child playing happily in the sunshine if he has such simple
things as spoons, muffin tins, pails, pans, a flour sifter, and a wagon. Unless the sand is

moistened occasionally, it will get dusty. Small children need moist sand to mold their
cakes and pies, and older children need it to make mountains and tunnels. Little stools
or boxes, large enough for children to sit on but small enough for them to carry around,
will help to keep children from sitting in the sand when it is too damp. The shelves on
the ends o f the sand box give them work tables or seats and help to keep the sand in the
box.
This sand box is large enough for two or three children to play in. It should be placed
where it will get the direct sun at some time during the day but where there is shade also.
The sun helps to keep the sand clean. The shade adds to its comfort as a play spot. A
tree, a shelter o f vines or canvas, or a beach umbrella may be used for shade.
P L A Y P L A N K AND SA W H O RSE
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R P L A Y P L A N K

(All lumber surfaced on four sides)

Plank: 1 piece of vertical-grained Douglas fir or southern yellow pine, 2 in. thick, 10 in.
wide, and 12 ft. long. (Maple or birch,
in. thick, in Clear or Select grade, may be
used.)
Cleats: 2 pieces of lumber, 2 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 10 in. long.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F P L A Y P L A N K

Bolt a cleat to the bottom of the plank 6 inches from each end, as figure 4 shows (p. 12).
This is to keep the plank from slipping when it is placed on boxes or on the sawhorse
(figs. 6, 7, and 8, p. 12).

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Home Play fo r the Preschool Child

It is especially important that a plank that is to be used as a slide be free from splinters.
Select a smooth, vertical-grained piece o f lumber and give it the following treatment:
A thorough sandpapering, a coat o f linseed oil to protect it from the weather, a coat of
white shellac or varnish, and a heavy coat o f floor wax. The children should not be
permitted to slide against the grain o f the wood. A cleat at only one end o f the plank
that is to be used as a slide will help to prevent its being placed in the wrong position.
Planks that are not to be used as slides should be smoothed with a plane or a wood rasp,
given a coat o f linseed oil, and painted with waterproof paint.
The play plank may be placed across the sawhorse to make a seesaw (fig. 6). It may
be used also on large blocks o f wood or on the sawhorse as a slide board (fig. 7) or on
two boxes as a walking board (fig. 8) for the smallest children to practice balancing.
There should be plenty o f wooden boxes o f different sizes to use with the play planks,

from closed boxes 5 inches by 5 inches by 8 inches to large packing boxes. The nails
should be removed from the open end o f the packing boxes.
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R S A W H O R S E

(All lumber surfaced on four sides)

Top and legs: 1 piece o f No. 1 Common grade Douglas fir or southern yellow pine, 2
in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 9 ft. long.

Braces: 1 piece of lumber, 1 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 6% ft. long.
Nails: 1 pound 16-penny common nails or carriage bolts.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F S A W H O R S E

Saw the long piece of lumber as follows: top, 24 inches long, and 4 legs, each 20 inches
long. At a distance o f 6 inches from each end of the top, bolt two small blocks o f wood
or saw out a section % inch deep, as in figure 5, to keep the play plank from slipping off
the sawhorse. Saw the shorter piece o f lumber into four pieces to be used as braces, as
follows: two 24 inches, two 15 inches. Assemble the pieces and nail the sawhorse to
gether as shown in figure 5.

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P lay Equipment

SWING AND CLIMBING BARS
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R F R A M E

(All lumber surfaced on four sides)

Uprights fo r swing: 2 pieces o f No, 1 Common grade Douglas fir or southern yellow
pine, 4 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 14 ft. long.

Cross beam fo r SWtng: 1 piece o f No. 1 Common grade Douglas fir or southern yellow
pine, 4 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 6 ft. long.

Upright fo r climbing bars: 1 piece o f No. 1 Common grade Douglas fir or southern
yellow pine, 4 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 10 ft. long.

Braces: 4 pieces o f No. 1 Common grade Douglas fir or southern yellow pine, 2 in. thick,
4 in. wide, and 8 ft. long (not required if uprights are set 3 ft. in concrete).

Nails: 1 pound 20-penny common nails and 1 pound 7-in. heavy nails or bolts.
( N o t e .— The frame may be made o f 3-in. pipe o f approximately the same lengths as
the lumber.)

Unless specially treated lumber is bought for the uprights, the parts that are to be
placed underground should be treated to a point 6 inches above the ground to prevent
decay or damage from insects.
Fasten the cross beam to the tops o f the uprights for the swing with heavy bolts or nails,
as shown in figure 9. Square the beam and posts with a carpenter’s level or a wide board
that has been cut square. Brace the angles (joints) o f the cross beam and uprights se
curely with wood or iron (fig. 11). Dig three post holes for the uprights 3 feet deep.
Center the two post holes for the swing uprights 6 feet apart. The post hole for the
other upright, to support the climbing bars, should be 4 feet from the upright for the
swing. Make square forms for the holes (fig. 12, p. 14). Set the uprights on pieces of

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Home P lay fo r the Preschool Child

wood so that they will be level. Rough, ready-made wooden boxes to fit the holes may
be used as forms for the concrete. The uprights will not need permanent braces if
they are set 3 feet deep in concrete. They must be braced temporarily, however, until
the concrete is set (fig. 12).
Exact proportions for a concrete mixture cannot be specified, as the proportions de
pend upon the size and nature o f the sand and gravel (aggregate) that is used. A pro
portion o f water to cement that would give adequate strength in concrete foundations
gallons of water to 1 sack o f Port
for playground equipment is 6
screening size of the gravel is 1
land cement. If the maximum
part o f cement, 2 parts o f sand,
inch, the proportions may be 1
maximum size o f the gravel is 2
and 3 parts of gravel. If the
part o f cement, 2 parts o f sand,
inches, the proportions may be 1
exact amount of sand and gravel
and 3% parts o f gravel. The
workable may be determined by
necessary to make the mixture
sand out evenly on a wooden
m ix i n g trial batches. Spread the
evenly over it. Turn the cement
floor and spread the dry cement
shovel until they are well
and sand thoroughly with a
gravel in an even layer on the
m ixed. Then spread the

and continue mixing and
Add water, and mix until
pebbles have been thorcombined. Pour the con
form around the upright
Smooth the top surface
slope it so that water will
mg in around the upright,
moved after 24 hours,
tected from the sun and
days, and the equipment
the concrete has hardened.

cement-sand mixture
turning with a shovel,
the cement, sand, and
oughly and uniformly
crete mixture into the
and tamp it thoroughly,
with the trowel and
run off instead o f seep
The forms may be re
Concrete should be pro
kept damp for several
should not be used until

FIG 12
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R S W IN G

Rope: Waterproof manila rope, % in. in diameter and about 25 ft. long (length depend
ing upon height o f child and kind o f swing).

Swing seat: 1 piece o f maple or birch, 1% in. thick, 8 in. wide, and 24 in. long (fig. 13).
Other kinds o f swings shown require the following material:
1 pair o f galvanized steel or aluminum rings 1 in. thick and 8 in. in diameter (fig.
14).
1 automobile tire (fig. 15).
1 pair o f rings made o f rubber hose or bicycle tires (fig. 16).
1 piece o f log 21 in. long and 5 in. in diameter, and balancing rung o f oak, ash, or
hickory, 21 in. long and 1% in. in diameter, for standing-log swing (fig. 17).
Rope for climbing, 2 in. in diameter and approximately 14 ft. long (fig. 18).

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Play Equipment
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F S W IN G

The safest method of constructing the swing is to use special metal fittings (p. 16), such
as a 6-inch hooked bolt (fig. 19) to attach the rope to the cross beam; a galvanized
thimble (fig. 20) through the hook to prevent wear on the rope; and a clamp (fig. 21) to
fasten the rope. If a bolt cannot be bought already hooked, have a blacksmith bend a
heavy, threaded bolt into a J-shaped hook, and put the thimble through the hooked end of
the bolt. Bore a hole through the cross beam. Put the threaded end o f the bolt up
through the hole in the cross beam and fasten the nut with a wrench, using a washer
against the wood. As the bolt is screwed into the cross beam, the hooked end will be
forced into the wood so that it cannot pull loose (fig. 22). (It is important to use the
washer, even though it is not shown in the drawing.)
Pull one end o f the rope through the hook so that the rope rests on the thimble, and
fasten the end o f the rope with the black enameled clamp, as in figure 22. A bowline
knot may be used (fig. 23), but the clamp is a more permanent means o f fastening the
rope to the cross beam.

FIG.13

FIG.IS

FIG .17

FIG. 18

The swing seat should be low enough for the small child to touch the ground with his
whole foot, about 12 inches from the ground. For older children, 20 or 22 inches is the
usual height. For the small child it is better to drill four holes in the swing seat, one in
each comer, and run the rope through the holes (fig. 25). Cut off the comers o f the
swing seat. Put the rope through the holes in the swing seat and fasten by wrapping
the ends tightly to the rope (fig. 25) with marline (a cord that can be bought at a hard
ware store or a marine supply house). Galvanized wire is often used to wrap rope, but
the ends must be fastened carefully and inspected often to prevent the child’s getting
scratched. The kind o f clamp that is used to fasten the rope to the cross beam cannot
be used here, because children might get hurt on the metal end.
An effective way o f fastening the rope to the hook in the cross beam and to the
swing seat is to splice the rope. Usually the company that sells the rope will do the
splicing. If this method is used, however, the swing cannot be adjusted to different
heights.
The swing may be a standing-log swing (fig. 17), designed to develop the arches o f the
feet, or a pair o f flying rings for strengthening arm and shoulder muscles. For the small
child, rings made o f rubber hose or bicycle tires (fig. 16) slipped over the rope and fastened

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Home Play fo r the Preschool Child

tightly will serve very well, but the older, more active child will need metal rings (fig. 14),
as the hands will not slip on rubber easily enough for a comfortable change o f grip.
An automobile tire swing (fig. 15) is popular and can be used in many ways. A casing

from which the inner tube and valve have been removed is firmly fastened to a single rope.
A used tire is satisfactory, if it is not worn through and the fabric is not thin.
The climbing rope is a heavy single rope in which knots are tied, 9 to 14 inches apart,
the distance depending upon the size o f the child who is to use the rope (fig. 18).

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M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R C L IM B IN G B A R S

Bars: 5 straight-grained maple, hickory, or birch bars, 1% in. in diameter, 4 ft. long.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F C L IM B IN G B A R S

The bars can be bought, finished, from a lumber company or a planing mill. Bore holes

1y4 inches in diameter, 12 inches apart, in both uprights o f the frame (figs. 10 and 26).
Sandpaper the holes enough to permit the bars to enter. Drive the bars through the holes
with a heavy block o f wood and a hammer. The bars should fit in the holes so tightly
that they cannot slip out or turn in the
child’s hands. (See fig. 10, p. 13.)
The climbing bars will be enjoyed by
children under 5. One end o f the play
plank may be placed on one o f the lower
bars and the other end on the ground or
on a box for a walking or bouncing plank.
One end o f the plank may be placed on a
higher bar to make a slide. The cleat on
the sliding plank will prevent its slipping.
(See description of play plank, pp. 11-12.)
When the child is older, the wooden bars
may be removed by sawing them off close
to the upright, and a piece o f 1-inch pipe
placed through the upright for a horizontal
bar. This bar should be 1 or 2 inches
higher than the child’s extended finger tips
and should be bolted to the uprights. This
may be done by having holes Yia inch in
diameter bored through the pipe 2 inches
from each end. Bore a l)^-inch hole in
each upright through which to place the
pipe; then at right angles to the first hole in each upright bore another hole
inch
in diameter, exactly intersecting the first hole at the center. Put the bar in place and
bolt it with %-inch carriage bolts and washers through upright and bar (fig. 27, p. 18).

SWING, RINGS, TRAPEZE, AND BAR
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R F R A M E

Uprights fo r swing: 2 pieces o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern yellow pine,
4 in. thick, 6 in. wide, and 14 ft. long.

Cross beam fo r swing: 1 piece o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern yellow pine,
4 in. thick, 6 in. wide, and 14 ft. long.

Upright fo r horizontal bar: 1 piece o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern
yellow pine, 4 in. thick, 6 in. wide, and 9 ft. long.

Braces: 4 pieces o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern yellow pine, 2 in. thick, 4 in.
wide, and 10 ft. long (not required if uprights are set 3 ft. in concrete).

Nails: 1 pound o f 20-penny common nails or carriage bolts.
( N o t e .— The frame may be made o f 3-in. pipe of approximately the same lengths as
the lumber.)

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Hom e Play fo r the Preschool Child
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F F R A M E

See directions for constructing frame o f swing, page 13.
M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R S W IN G , R IN G S , A N D T R A P E Z E

Rope: Waterproof manila rope, % in. in diameter (length depending upon height of
child; approximately 25 ft. will be needed for swing, 15 ft. for rings, and 15 ft. for
trapeze).
Swing seat: 1 piece o f maple or birch, 1 in. thick, 8 in. wide, and 24 in. long.
Rings: 2 galvanized steel or aluminum rings, 1 in. thick, 8 in. in diameter.
Trapeze: 1 straight-grained maple, birch, or hickory bar, 1% in. in diameter, 24 in.
long.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F S W IN G , R IN G S , A N D T R A P E Z E

See directions for constructing swing, page 15.

M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R H O R IZ O N T A L B A R

Bar: 1 piece o f pipe, 1 in. in diameter, 6 ft. long.
Bolts: 2 carriage bolts, % in. in diameter.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F H O R IZ O N T A L B A R

See directions for attaching climbing bars to uprights, page 17.
It is especially important that this combination o f swing, rings, trapeze, and bar (fig.
28) be well constructed. Inspect it frequently. The combination is a good piece of
apparatus for a large yard. It may be placed across the end o f a yard where it will cover
a space about 20 feet long and 18 feet wide. If several children o f about the same age
use the equipment, three swings may be preferred. The attachments may be varied to
suit the children’s ages and interests.

HORIZONTAL LADDER
In this piece o f equipment the horizontal ladder is supported by two perpendicular
ladders. The easiest way to construct it is to buy a 30-foot ladder, either single or exten
sion, and cut it into three sections. Set two of the sections in concrete (see directions on
p. 13) for the perpendicular ladders, and place the other section across the top for the

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Play Equipment

horizontal ladder. For older children, the horizontal ladder should be firmly bolted to
the uprights at both ends (fig. 29). For children under 5, the horizontal ladder can be
made adjustable. Cut a groove in the frame at each end o f the horizontal ladder,

¡jL

FIG. 29

as in figure 30, so that the ladder
will not slip when one end is placed
on a rung o f one of the perpendicular
ladders and the other end on the
ground. Younger children will like
to climb on the ladder and swing from
the rungs when it is in this posi
tion. A play plank for walking or
bouncing may be laid on the lower
rungs o f the perpendicular ladders
or placed at an angle from an
upper rung and used as a slide.
(See description o f play plank on
pp. 11—12.)
A 10-foot ladder may be bought
and used as a horizontal ladder, and
the perpendicular ladders may be
constructed according to the follow
ing specifications:

Jl
i i

t i

M A T E R IA L N E E D E D F O R P E R P E N D IC U L A R L A D D E R S

uprights: 4 pieces o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern yellow pine, 2 in. thick,
4 in. wide, and 9 ft. long.

Braces: 4 pieces o f No. 1 Common Douglas fir or southern
yellow pine, 2 in. thick, 4 in. wide, and 10 ft. long (not
required if uprights are set 3 ft. in concrete).
Rungs fo r uprights: 10 pieces o f maple or birch, A in.
thick, 3 in. wide, 20 in. long.

Nails: 1 pound 16-penny common nails.
Bolts: Carriage bolts, % in. in diameter, 5 in. long.
C O N S T R U C T IO N O F PE R P E N D IC U L A R L A D D E R S

Set uprights in concrete (see directions on
pp. 13-14). Bolt the rungs tightly to the
uprights about 10 inches apart.

FIG. 30

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SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Busy Childhood; guidance through play and activity, by Josephine C. Foster.
D. Appleton-Century Co., New York, 1933. 303 pp.

Play in Education, by Joseph Lee. Macmillan Co., New York, 1915. 500 pp.
Some Educational Activities for the Young Child in the Home, by Rowna
Hansen. U. S. Department o f the Interior, Office o f Education Pamphlet No. 51.
Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1934. 23 pp. 5 cents.

P L A Y E Q U IPM E N T
Home-Made Toys and Play Equipment, by Agnes Tilson.

Published by Farmer’s
Wife, St. Paul, Minn., 1933. 23 pp.
Home Play. Playground and Recreation Association o f America (now National
Recreation Association), 315 Fourth Avenue, New York, 1928. 48 pp.
Home Playground and Indoor Playroom. National Recreation Association, 315
Fourth Avenue, New York, 1936. 9 pp. Mimeographed.
Housing and Equipping the Washington Child Research Center, by M ary
Dabney Davis and Christine Heinig. U. S. Department o f the Interior, Office o f Edu
cation Pamphlet No. 13. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1930*
24 pp. 5 cents.
Permanent Play Materials for Young Children, by Charlotte G. Garrison.
Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1926. 122 pp.
Play and Play Materials for the Preschool Child, by Harriet Mitchell. Publica
tion No. 45, Canadian Council on Child and Family Welfare, Ottawa, 1934. 62 pp.
Play and Playthings, by Anna W . M . W olf and Edith London Boehm. Child Study
Association o f America, 221 West Fifty-seventh Street, New York, 1930. 11 pp.
Two to Six, by Rose H. Alschuler. William M orrow & Co., New York, 1933. 160 pp.
(Includes a section on play materials.)

GAMES
Games and Game Leadership, by Charles F. Smith. Dodd, Mead & Co., New
York, 1932. 658 pp.

Games for the Playground, Home, School, and Gymnasium, by Jessie H. Ban
croft. Macmillan Co., New York, 1909. 463 pp.

Handbook for Recreation Leaders. U. S. Department of Labor, Children’s Bureau
Publication No. 231. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C., 1936.
15 cents. (A manual o f games.)

121 pp.

N o t e . — Many o f the State universities or agricultural colleges issue mimeographed or
printed material on the subject o f play and play equipment. Residents o f a State ran
obtain such publications free or at small cost by writing to their State university or agri
cultural college.

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These children are playing with a sand box, play planks,
a packing box, and a wagon. In the picture on the cover
5-year-old children are using perpendicular ladders to
which a slanting ladder has been bolted.
Both pictures are from photographs taken at the National
Child Research Center, Washington, D. C.

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Full text of Home Play and Play Equipment for the Preschool Child, Bureau Publication No. 238

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