Business

Fit and Fun Playscapes CEO & Founder Pamela Gunther: Cultivating a Culture of Daily Movement Through Innovative Physical Activities

January 13, 2024
1:23 am

Movement is not just the cornerstone of physical growth, but cognitively, socially, emotionally, and creatively as well. It promotes the formation of new brain synapses, mitigates stress hormones, and improves information processing. The importance of physical activity and the increasing sedentary lifestyles, particularly among the younger demographic, is why Pamela Gunther founded Fit and Fun Playscapes, which is 100% women-owned, WBENC-Certified WBE (Women’s Business Enterprise), and WOSB (Women Owned Small Business) certified.

Transitioning from a background in architecture and propelled by a personal connection to developing ways to assist her son diagnosed with ADD, Pamela Gunther has woven movement into a playful representation of life skills with impactful solutions. Her journey began with the development of visually-engaging games for her son’s school playground. The vibrant designs painted on the playground were an instant success, sparking excitement and joy among students and nudging the ball of innovation in motion for Gunther.

As Gunther vividly recalls, “When the kids came off the bus, hopping, skipping and jumping their way across the playground in awe, it gave me sparks! Every kid was moving, laughing and enjoying the colorful designs we painted.” This passion for childhood motion and joy remains at the heart of Fit and Fun Playscapes.

Today, Fit and Fun Playscapes offers a collection of dynamic and customizable self-adhesive rollout playscapes, activities, and reusable stencils that is rooted in the belief of empowering people of all ages and abilities to improve their lifestyle and learning experiences through diverse physical activities.

Steeped in vibrant colors, engaging styles, mindfulness, and supporting scientific research, Fit and Fun Playscapes doesn’t stop at the product development phase. With a service perspective rooted in a commitment to their customers, they provide guidance throughout the customer journey. Their high-performing and quality products require no professional installation, saving costs and time for users.

The future for Fit and Fun Playscapes continues to expand beyond schools with a plight in supplying their unique graphics and activities to parks, hospitals, senior and veteran communities, and workplace wellness. The push for daily movement resonates with Gunther’s motto to “Create a Culture of Daily Movement.”

As revealed by a study conducted by the CDC and Oklahoma Dept of Ed, utilizing the company’s Reusable Stencils on painted play spaces led to an increase of 66% in teacher-student engagement and involvement. The diverse range of games increased by nearly 60%, and over 90% of the students were actively participating in physical play.

Perhaps it is Gunther’s belief that ‘if it’s not fun, we’re not doing it’ or her view of recess as a microcosm of life’s challenges and learning that enables Fit and Fun Playscapes to continually evolve and meet changing demands.

Gunther’s leadership and passion are reflected in her statement:

“As a Founder and CEO, my mission is to help communities thrive! Thrive with physical, social, and mental experiences that engage people of all ages and abilities. I love my journey and how we impact millions of people every day.”

The story of Fit and Fun Playscapes isn’t just one about play. It’s a story of turning movement into an engaging and educational activity. It’s about making a difference and giving back to society one movement at a time. As physical activity continues to decline and screen time increases among the youth, the journey that Fit and Fun Playscapes has embarked on is more important now than ever before.