What if the people who use playgrounds the most were the ones who designed them?
Parks by Kids is a project developed by Zamania, Leo&Loona, and Kid-Friendly World that encourages children to imagine, design, and plan their own activity parks. Not just drawing a picture of a dream playground — but thinking through what a real park needs: attractions, zones, safety, budget, and who it’s for.
What Kids Learn
Designing an activity park teaches children skills that go far beyond the playground:
- Design thinking — creating spaces that work for real people
- Spatial reasoning — organizing zones, pathways, and layouts
- Budget awareness — understanding that everything has a cost
- Safety thinking — considering how to keep visitors safe
- Empathy — designing for different ages, abilities, and interests
When a child decides where the climbing wall goes, how much the roller coaster costs, and why the quiet zone should be far from the sports field, they’re practicing the same thinking that architects, urban planners, and engineers use every day.
The Tools
Parks by Kids provides two tools designed specifically for children:
The Activity Park Map — a single-page printable template where kids plan their park: name and theme, target visitors, main attractions, equipment, special features, park zones, safety plans, budget, and opening plan. It turns a big dream into a structured project.
The Park Builder Game — an interactive online tool where kids drag and drop attractions onto a canvas — roller coasters, pools, sports fields, food courts, playgrounds — while tracking their construction budget in real time. They see their park come to life as they build it.
The Approach
The child is the architect. Adults help with guidance and encouragement, but every decision — from the park’s name to its biggest attraction — belongs to the child. The goal isn’t to build a real park. It’s to go through the process of imagining something big and figuring out how to make it work.
Parks by Kids is part of the Kid-Friendly World project, which offers creative programs for families and organizations. Learn more at kidfriendlyworld.org.
If you are interested in collaboration on Parks by Kids or any other of our projects, please fill out the form below.
