Swing Sets for Me: The Playdaters

Next up in our “Swing Set for Me” series, we are looking at the Playdater! What swing set or playhouse would work great for a playdater?

There are few things better as a parent than having close adult friends who also have kids. Not only that but both your kids and their kids get along amazingly well and play for hours uninterrupted so the adults can drink coffee, sit around the fire, and chat together.

Playdaters love having other parents with their kids over. They love letting their kids learn, play, and grow with other children, and there is no better place to do this than their own home. They frequently host costume, season-related, or educational parties and invite other children over.

So what standard swing set would handle a lot of children well but also not dominate the entirety of your backyard? You want a swing set as an option, not the only option. You still want plenty of space for make-believe play and other games.

The Marina Swing Set

When you first look at the Marina, it seems smaller than many of our other sets. However, due to the design, there are so many fun activities and places for children to play that it can hold crowds of children. 

Three children can be swinging, three can be up in the tower, three can be down playing with the connect four and lemonade stand, two can be going down the slides, and another two could be clambering up the ramp slide! That is 13 children at once!

Dual Slides

The dual slides spark slide races. This makes sliding a shared experience with other children or Mom and Dad. The Avalanche slides are great slides. Heavy duty, they can handle a lot of weight and have tall sides and a nice lip at the bottom for catching the children as they come off the slide.

Ramp Slide

The ramp slide is a lot of fun! However, I caution against little ones using it when the older kids are. I observe that older children love to clamber, slide, and crash about on the slide in great bouts of fun. This would be overwhelming for a little three-year-old trying to get up. You could swap out the ramp slide for a normal rock wall or additional slides if you wish.

To address the issue of little ones on the ramp slide, we added a much easier access point to the back of the tower. A 5’ ladder provides a simple climb for children who don’t want to use the ramp slide.

Swing Beam

With three swings, the Marina has a great selection of rides. If you need an additional position, we can do a fourth position at the end of the swing beam. That is a great place to put a baby swing.

Under the Tower Fun

The little snack area under the tower is a great place for children to take a break. You can serve treats there or provide coloring books. The connect-four-in-a-row game is fun when a child needs a short rest from the fast-paced play!

Playdaters will love the Marina! You can view the product page here! However, check out the New Cottage if you want a playhouse with similar goals.

As always, if you have any questions, contact our swing set design team! They will be happy to help!