Outdoor free-play area

We care for many young guests at Sternenbrücke who have illnesses that are associated with a strong urge to move around – as well as a lack of an awareness of hazards. In order to offer these young people a safe space and to help them meet their needs on our outdoor grounds, we created the free-play area.

The name captures the basic idea: the children are allowed to “freely” feel and experience this area and move around in it independently. The main focus is playing and moving around in a safe manner – each detail is geared toward this.

The different components of the outdoor free-play area

The free-play area provides various needs-based components such as different activity walls on which gears can be turned, abacus beads moved, bristles touched or door handles turned. There is also a large peg puzzle, an outdoor blackboard and a marble run. A toy shed houses lots of toys which have been individually adapted and compiled to meet the needs of the young people.

The ground of the free-play area features safety and grass surfaces. A roof provides protection from sun and rain.

Everything that this special area has to offer serves, on the one hand, to utilize and promote specific skills and, on the other hand, to create an additional incentive to engage in physical activity.