Movement Landscapes
Movement and exercise areas help to develop motor functions, inspire creativity and are great fun
Movement Landscapes Buying Guide: How to choose the right elements for schools, nurseries and therapy
Movement landscapes create a wide range of movement stimuli and support physical activity, perception and learning together. They are ideal for use in schools, nurseries, sports and therapy. To help you find the perfect solution for your needs, our buying guide gives you a clear overview of areas of use, target groups, materials, safety, space requirements as well as care and maintenance.
- What is a movement landscape?
- What is the difference between a movement construction site and a movement landscape?
- What are the goals of a movement landscape?
- Educational goals and age groups
- Which materials are used?
- How much space does a movement landscape need?
- Safety and fall protection in movement landscapes
1. What is a movement landscape?
A movement landscape is a combination of different movement and play elements that encourages a wide variety of movement patterns. Unlike a single piece of equipment, it creates a coherent movement space with several stations, transitions and tasks. Typical components include balance paths, mats, platforms, inclined planes, climbing elements, tunnels or slides.
Movement landscapes are mainly used wherever movement is to be specifically encouraged and made varied and engaging. This includes schools, nurseries, therapy centres and psychomotor activity rooms.
2. What is the difference between a movement construction site and a movement landscape?
The main differences are in the set-up, objectives and freedom of movement. A movement construction site consists of individual elements such as boxes, boards, mats, beams or rollers that can be flexibly combined. Children often actively help design the movement environment or discover for themselves how the materials can be used. A movement landscape, on the other hand, is usually a deliberately arranged set-up of different stations or movement areas. It invites users to follow specific routes, overcome obstacles or try out different forms of movement.
|
Movement construction site |
Movement landscape |
|
Open movement concept |
More structured set-up |
|
Flexible combination of individual elements |
Coherent arrangement of several stations |
|
Children discover and co-create |
Movement activities are more pre-planned |
|
Focus on experimenting and changing |
Focus on passing through, experiencing and mastering |
|
Often adaptable on the spot |
Usually carefully planned |
3. What are the goals of a movement landscape?
A movement landscape promotes motor skills such as balancing, climbing, jumping or crawling and offers varied movement stimuli. At the same time, it strengthens coordination, body awareness, self-confidence and enjoyment of movement. Psychomotor movement landscapes link movement and perception particularly closely. They are frequently used in nurseries, schools, early intervention and therapy, and can help support body awareness, self-confidence, movement planning and social interaction.
Typical educational, motor and therapeutic goals include:
- Coordination
- Balance
- Strength and core stability
- Flexibility
- Spatial orientation
- Body awareness
- Concentration and attention
- Courage and movement confidence
- Social skills such as consideration and cooperation
4. Educational goals and age groups
Before buying, you should define what you want to achieve with the movement landscape. Is the focus on free movement, coordination training, sensory experiences or psychomotor activities? This decision determines the set-up, choice of materials and level of difficulty. Equally important is the age structure of the users. Movement landscapes must match the target group in terms of height, complexity and transitions. For younger children, low structures, clearly recognisable routes and soft transitions are particularly important. For older children, movement tasks can be more challenging, for example with longer balance paths or more complex climbing combinations.
|
Target group |
Area of use |
Requirements for the movement landscape |
|
Children over 3 years |
Nursery, kindergarten |
Low heights, simple transitions, easy-to-oversee elements |
|
Preschool children |
Nursery, preschool |
More movement variety, first balance and climbing tasks |
|
Primary school children |
School, all-day care |
Variable difficulty levels, combination of play and exercise |
|
Children with special needs |
Therapy, special needs school |
Clear structure, good safety, targeted sensory stimuli |
|
Mixed-age groups |
Social institutions, clubs |
Modular expandability, differentiated difficulty levels |
5. Which materials are used in a movement landscape?
Wood is often used for balance or climbing elements. Foam elements are ideal for platforms, rollers, wedges or soft transitions. Mats complement the movement landscape as a base or for additional safety. The materials used influence safety, feel, maintenance effort and durability.
| Material | Typical elements in a movement landscape | Advantage | Impact on safety, feel, maintenance and durability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foam | Mats, building blocks, ramps, platforms, play modules | Soft, shock-absorbing, safe, versatile | Increases safety thanks to good cushioning, feels soft and pleasant, is easy to clean depending on the cover and, with high quality, very durable even under intensive use |
| Synthetic leather/robust cover fabric | Covers for foam elements, mats, padding | Easy-care, wipeable, hard-wearing | Supports safety through closed, smooth surfaces, offers a grippy to smooth feel, is particularly easy to maintain and withstands frequent use well |
| Wood | Balance boards, platforms, climbing elements, rungs, roller boards | Stable, durable, pleasant feel | Ensures stable and safe constructions, feels warm and high-quality, is easy to maintain with the right surface treatment and very durable |
| Metal | Frames, supports, brackets, connecting elements | Highly load-bearing, dimensionally stable, robust | Contributes to high safety thanks to strong load capacity, feels rather hard and cool, is usually easy to clean and extremely durable even with intensive use |
| Plastic | Handles, rollers, plug-in systems, connectors, coatings | Lightweight, robust, easy to clean | Rounded shapes can improve safety, offers a smooth or grippy feel depending on the surface, is easy to maintain and resistant in everyday use |
| Textiles | Scarves, tunnels, hammocks, covers, crawl elements | Flexible, varied, promotes perception | Support safety in soft play activities, create a pleasant and varied feel, may require more care depending on the material and, when well made, are durable |
| Rubber/anti-slip material | Undersides of modules, treads, protective edges, floor pads | Non-slip, provides extra grip and safety | Significantly increases safety through better grip, usually feels grippy, is generally easy to clean and offers a long service life with regular use |
6. How much space does a movement landscape need?
When planning, it’s not just the footprint of the elements that matters. Movement routes, safety distances, supervision options and, if necessary, storage space for mobile components are just as important. The area should be planned so that children or other users can move safely between the elements. The room should not feel overcrowded. It is also important that supervisors can easily oversee all activities. Especially in schools, nurseries and therapy centres, a clear room layout is a key quality factor.
Key aspects to consider:
- Room size and layout
- Movement and running routes
- Free safety zones
- Good visibility
- Storage space for mobile or modular elements
7. Safety and fall protection
Safety is a central selection criterion for movement landscapes, especially with changing groups and different motor abilities. The difficulty of each station should always match the target group. Structures that are too high, confusing or poorly secured are not practical in everyday use. Particular attention should be paid to suitable protection and supervision in areas with climbing, jumping or dismounting situations. Important safety aspects include stable constructions, secure connections between elements, child-appropriate heights and distances, rounded edges and suitable floor coverings or fall protection solutions.
The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) emphasises for schools and children’s gymnastics that movement landscapes must be professionally set up, adapted to age and ability, and supplemented with suitable mats or safety equipment.
Depending on the exercise, the following can be used, for example:
- Gym mats for basic protection
- Low landing mats for landings from an elevated position
- Soft floor mats where higher safety is required or for movement landscapes with greater uncertainty factors
Do you have questions about a specific movement landscape or would you like to plan a complete movement landscape? Then feel free to contact us by phone or send us an email via our contact form.