75 years of playground fun
At 10 o’clock, the gates of Vrouwenhof open and the first children run into the playground. No wonder it is so crowded right away; the children can play and explore endlessly here. On almost 1.5 acres of playground, the children can romp around while parents/carers enjoy a snack and a drink on the terrace.
Children have been able to play at Vrouwenhof for 75 years. Over the years, the playground has changed a lot. With the biggest change being the natural play area. With the aim of attracting more visitors on days when it is too hot to go to the playground. Maarten van Walsum (business manager Vrouwenhof) talks about the newest addition.
A glimpse of the future
Maarten is an ambitious business manager with big plans for Vrouwenhof. “In the future, we would like to set up zones so that it is more obvious where the little kids can play. We don’t want to guide the children too much, but this keeps the playground uncluttered.” A climbing course has been on the wish list for a while, so they can climb and zipline. This would be a nice addition to the playground.”
“Previously there was a family swing, it has made way for the natural play area. It was a popular playground equipment among visitors, a great place for children to play with (grand)parents.” As far as Maarten is concerned, a new family swing is coming as soon as possible. Children can play here all year round.
“Before, we had less visitors when it was raining, now we even had people coming in whilst it was raining. Children kept playing in the water, they were already wet after all. Parents could sit dry under the umbrellas.”However, in winter it can get very cold or the weather is variable. An indoor play area is still on Maarten’s wish list. Still, plenty of children come to play when it’s cold, the challenge of not falling into the water makes it extra thrilling, and Vrouwenhof has plenty of other great playground equipment for children to enjoy playing on.
Natual play
Romping around with water and sand, going on adventures and going home covered in mud; children have so much fun with it. Natural play areas allow children to indulge in natural elements, push boundaries on the equipment and go on adventures.
Take playground Vrouwenhof in the Netherlands as an example.
In April 2023, the playground Vrouwenhof opened a beautiful natural play area. Here children can romp around and explore, in and above a layer of water. Once they arrive on the island, they can let their imagination run wild. Fill the bucket with sand and bring it on top via the pulley. During the design proces of the playground, children’s safety was taken into account in the design. During the realisation of the playground, children’s safety was taken into account in the design. The area is located next to the terrace, so parents can keep an eye on the children while they are playing.
The goal of providing a place to keep cool and increase the number of visitors during the heat wave has been achieved. Children come to the playground in their swimwear, ready to play by and in the water.
“The introduction of natural play and water helped us start competing with swimming pools and beaches. Children come to Vrouwenhof during hot summer days to cool down, whereas before it was a lot less busy during those days.”
Children with disabilities can also play with water and sand. Vrouwenhof has a sand playing table and water pump where children in wheelchairs can easily play. The paths are easily accessible, which encourages playing together. For children who like to play in their own world, There is enough space to pull back.
“We see that the water area has increased the visitor age by two years. The age used to be up to 9 years old. Now we are seeing that children aged 10/11 are also spending more time at Vrouwenhof to play around the water. They used to have less space to run around and build dams and huts.”

“I used to be a kid who loved being outside all the time and going on adventures. Therefore, it makes me very happy to be able to offer children the same thing, they can play in a nature like environment here. It’s a great addition to the playground and I would recommend it to anyone.”