We create bespoke natural playgrounds and play structures that children want to explore again and again. Designed around how children actually play and built for schools, councils, nurseries, adventure playgrounds and communities.
Bespoke design • Natural materials • Built for real play
Timber and fixings selected to stand years of outdoor play.
Every project starts with the children, site and brief.
Materials selected for demanding outdoor play.
More ways for children to move, imagine, explore and interact.
Who we are
From climbing towers and rope structures to mud kitchens, sensory environments and natural play trails, every Got Children First project begins with a simple question:
How will children actually play here?
We then combine thoughtful play design, skilled craftsmanship and durable natural materials to create environments that encourage children to climb, imagine, experiment, cooperate, take appropriate risks and discover what they are capable of.
Who we work with
Every setting has different priorities. Choose yours to see how we approach it, and the projects we've built for organisations like you.
Durable, inclusive play environments designed for intensive public use.
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Play structures that support movement, challenge, imagination and learning.
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Natural, sensory-rich environments designed around younger children's development.
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Bespoke structures that encourage risk, exploration, creativity and independent play.
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Unique garden play structures designed around the child, family and available space.
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Projects
London · Public Play Space
A robust rope and timber adventure structure for a well-used public site, with high-level crossings and multiple climbing routes for older children.
Rope crossings • Multi-level platforms • Nets
New Cross, London · Primary School
A raised timber walkway and treehouse structure that turned an underused corner of the school playground into the busiest part of the site at breaktime.
Treehouse • Walkway • Climbing access
London · Adventure Playground
Timber towers, rope crossings, climbing nets and imaginative play spaces built for an open-access adventure playground where children choose their own level of challenge.
Timber tower • Cargo nets • High-level walkway
Southwark, London · Nursery
A hand-built water wall with channels, pumps and vessels for pouring, damming and experimenting, designed for two- to five-year-olds in a nursery garden.
Water wall • Channels • Sand and digging area
How we design
Great play spaces do more than entertain. Got Children First uses the 16 Types of Play as a design framework, helping create environments that encourage a richer range of experiences, from physical challenge and imaginative worlds to creativity, discovery, communication and social interaction.
Climbing, balancing, crossing, jumping and finding different routes through a space.
A small timber structure might become a house, shop, den, ship, hideout or something adults haven't thought of.
Talking, negotiating, cooperating, creating rules and simply spending time together.
Mixing, shaping, building, combining and expressing ideas using materials.
Children experiment with how materials behave, how water flows and what happens when they change their surroundings.
A log becomes a vehicle. A stick becomes a tool. A tunnel becomes a secret entrance.
What we build
Multi-level towers, bridges, cargo nets, climbing structures and platforms designed for exploration and challenge.
Balance logs, stepping elements, tunnels and obstacles that transform outdoor spaces into journeys of discovery.
Pumps, channels, digging areas and sensory installations that encourage experimentation and open-ended play.
Original structures designed specifically for the site, brief and children who will use them.
Why Got Children First
We design around how children explore, imagine, move, cooperate and challenge themselves, rather than simply choosing equipment from a catalogue.
Play structures should feel made, not manufactured. Skilled workmanship sits at the heart of every project.
We select materials and construction methods appropriate for demanding outdoor environments and intensive use.
Our designs consider different abilities, interests and styles of play, creating more opportunities for more children to participate.
How a project works
Tell us about the site, children, budget and what you want the space to achieve.
We visit the site, understand the environment and identify the opportunities.
We develop a bespoke concept based around the children, setting and intended play experiences.
Our team brings the design to life using carefully selected materials and skilled construction.
The completed structure is inspected, handed over and ready for children to make it their own.
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Tell us about your space, the children who use it and what you'd like to achieve. We'll help you explore what's possible.
