This week, the Town of Benson was selected as a winner in the Play Everywhere Challenge, a $1 million national competition that will award innovative ideas to make play easy, available, and fun for kids and families in cities across the U.S. The Challenge is hosted by KaBOOM!, a national non-profit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all kids, particularly those growing up in poverty in America.
Benson created a unique plan to add sidewalk “Playspaces” at the Mary Duncan Public Library. The “Playspaces” will include colorful images painted onto the sidewalks and vertical interactive play panels. The sidewalk “Playspace” idea was selected as one of 50 winners out of a pool of more than 1,000 applications nationwide. Other winning ideas include outside-the-box play opportunities like Playful Gardens in Tucson, AZ, The Moveable Fest in Nashville, TN and Bubble Rooftops in Minneapolis, MN.
The Challenge, developed in collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Target, Playworld, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Endowment for the Arts, attracted an outpouring of creative ideas to spark kids’ imaginations and get their bodies moving. Benson’s idea came from a passion for getting kids more involved in physical activity and interactive play.
“We were trying to find an idea that would allow children to play on the way without having to make a special trip to a playground. The sidewalk ‘Playspaces’ provide an opportunity to play during an everyday walk downtown” says Matt Smith, Benson Parks and Recreation Director.
“Winners like Benson are at the vanguard of building kid-friendly cities that meet the needs of families and enable kids to thrive,” said James Siegal, CEO of KaBOOM!. “By integrating play into everyday spaces in such an innovative way, Benson’s project is a great model to inspire other cities across the country to follow suit.”
Research shows play is vital to healthy brain development and is pivotal to how kids learn problem-solving, conflict resolution, and creativity–in other words, the skills they need to succeed as adults. Yet today, too many kids, especially those growing up in poverty, are missing out on opportunities for play because of families’ time pressures, the lure of screens, and a lack of safe places to go. Meanwhile, evidence shows missing out on play time puts kids at risk for challenges ranging from obesity to anxiety to trouble adjusting in school.
“Winning this challenge is a win for Benson’s kids, and for their chances to grow and develop through play,” said Smith. “We hope this prize will be the start of more great things here in Benson: a transformation to make play a way of life for all kids and families in our community. Our project addresses equity issues in Benson by making play accessible to everyone, anytime.”
To learn more about Benson’s ideas for making play happen everywhere, contact Matt Smith at MattSmith@townofBenson.com or (919) 894-5117. Contributed photo
