Kid Friendly Backyard Ideas

Yard Ideas for kids

Going to parks and playgrounds are activities all kids love. What if I told you that you can give them the same or a better experience without leaving home?

With the current changes in everyone's lifestyle, most families now spend a lot of time at home

Though, how do you create an at-home space where kids can have memorable, enjoyable moments as they grow and learn? If you’re a family with younger kids, you may find it tricky to design a yard that both adults and kids can enjoy.

Give your family a break from all the screens and try out some of these kid-friendly backyard ideas to make your outdoor space a haven where your whole family will enjoy a great time! 

The Best Kid friendly backyard ideas

There are a few factors you'll want to be mindful of when creating a child-friendly yard. Will elements you include suit your children's ages? Do you need city permits for some features? Will those features be enjoyed for a significant amount of time? These are all questions you can find answers to below as well as safety measures we advise keeping in mind to make the best use of your yard and create a dreamy place for your kids!

Design elements children will enjoy!

Treehouses

A treehouse is one of the best kid-friendly backyard ideas, it's a whimsical feature that can create a space where children’s imaginations can flourish, and families can make beautiful memories!

Treehouses encourage imaginative play and spending time in a natural setting, which will be a breath of fresh air and a way for your kids to have old-school adventures!

The great thing about them is that they don’t necessarily demand professional installation as a treehouse can easily be your next DIY project which doubles the fun as you can bond with your children over this project, making memories that will last a lifetime.

You can customize a tree house to your liking, attach any features of preference like fireman poles and slides, and play with the style to make it match the rest of your yard!

Do You Need a City Permit?

What’s great about treehouse structures is that 90% of the time, you will not need a permit to build one! In some cases, you might need a Permit if you're building an elaborate\professionally constructed treehouse but otherwise, permits wouldn't be required to build one. So, if you’re looking for a project your family will enjoy for years on, a treehouse is a great feature to consider. 

Jungle Gyms

Movement is essential to children’s growth and development! So, if you want to guarantee both enjoyment and physical activity for your kids, Jungle gyms check both boxes! Jungle gyms are structures that kids can climb, jump and swing on.

When it comes to jungle gyms, you’ll have a handful of options to choose from making them A- suitable for all ages ranging from toddlers to school-aged kids, and B- easy to pick from based on budget.

Long-lasting Interest

Children tend to lose interest quickly; will that be the case with these types of structures? Jungle gyms can include a variety of different features such as ropes, monkey bars, and swings amongst others, making them multiuse features that are hard to ditch! 

Climbing Wall

Climbing walls are features that can be enjoyed by all sorts of ages from younger children to the big kids (Yes, the adults) so it's granted fun for everyone!

You can also customize the size of a climbing wall to be suitable for your kids' age, which makes them a feature suitable for all sorts of ages so you can consider them even if you have older kids!

They're also very convenient since they can be DIYed and will work with whatever space you have! You can build a rock wall feature on an empty back wall you have, paired with a playhouse, or just as a standalone feature!

Build a Sandbox

It is not news that kids love playing with sand, it is fun and great for sensory skills. A sandbox is a feature that will be suitable for younger children and toddlers up to 2 years as it helps them perceive their sense of touch all while having fun!

Sandboxes can be customized in size and shape, so they'll fit within any play area!

You can customize a Sandbox to have lids to cover and prevent messes when playtime is over or install an overhang for shade so your children can enjoy their time without being in the direct sun!

Can Sandboxes be DIYed?

Sandboxes are another feature you can DIY as they’re very affordable and easy to complete! It’s very easy to find building instructions for sandpits online, so if you’re looking for an easy, low-cost project to work on over the weekend, this might be the one for you! 

Water Slides and Splash Pads

Waterslides are an addition that will be enjoyed by adults as well as youngsters, they’re relatively affordable and will surely ensure fun family times on a hot day!

There are quite a few options for water slides, some of them are inflatables in different shapes and sizes that you can purchase premade, and others you can DIY. Premade water slides you can purchase online are also relatively affordable so you won't be spending a lot of money, but you sure will have a lot of fun!

If you happen to have a stretch of grass on a sloped section, you may be in for a treat as you can install a slip-and-slide waterslide! Just looking at those, you can hear the laughter in the making.

Slip-and-slide waterslides are easy to set up and can be one or multiple lanes. Another feature with a similar premise is splash pads. The best thing about these two features and that they have in common is how budget-friendly they are! That’s why they form cheap thrill summer features where your kids can enjoy themselves while cooling off from the summer heat. 

Gardening

A great idea to create memorable moments with your children is by connecting over a personal garden project! Gardening is an activity enjoyed by many, ranging from younger children to grown adults, and even elders. Not only does gardening ensure a quality time of bonding with your kids and enjoying being outside in nature together, but it also enhances learning and developmental skills!

Responsibility and Productiveness

For a hands-on experience, you can give your kids smaller tools, or work with smaller garden boxes. Gardening teaches children great morals like patience and responsibility, making it both enjoyable and productive. Just picture their pride and excitement seeing what they planted come to life!

Gardening is also an environmentally friendly hobby, which is a great concept to teach your children responsibility from a young age. They'll have fun, be productive, and help the environment!

Gardening is an affordable hobby that will teach your children about science and that may become a long-term skill they enjoy for years to come! 

Obstacle Courses

Looking for a challenging experience that will make your kids want to head outside and away from TV screens? Consider investing time in an obstacle course!

An obstacle course will develop your children’s motor skills, balance, and problem-solving skills and will encourage imaginative play. And not only is it a great element for mental skills development, but it will also strengthen your children’s muscle use skills and physical development, so opting for one will grant you an at-home outdoor adventure!

Get Creative!

One of the things that make backyard obstacle courses very special, is how creative you can get with them. You can use any tools and utensils you have at hand to make one, such as hoops, baskets, and jump ropes. You can still get a built-in obstacle course if you’re looking for a more permanent option, and the great part is that those too, can be DIYed!

Permanent installation\built-in obstacle courses can have more long-term features like zip lines and in-ground tree stumps among other ideas. Again, when thinking of how to get creative with obstacle courses, the sky is your limit! 

Install a Zipline

Ziplines are another feature we can all agree are very enjoyable, they also are offered in great range as you can customize them to your liking and available outdoor space! You can install one with a simple zip line kit that you can get online! All you'll need are two trees and maybe earmuffs for the sounds of fun times.

Like Jungle gyms, zip lines will teach your children patience and cooperation skills as they take turns to play, and they'll also ensure a lot of physical activity so your children will stay healthy!

Consider a swing set for your outdoor space

Swings are features enjoyed by all sorts of ages, they’re offered to adults in indoor swings, porch swings, swinging chairs, hammocks, and more! Adding a swing set to your yard is granted to bring your little ones to spend time outside!

Swingsets encourage active play, social skills and sharing, and physical activity. So, your kids will be having the time of their lives and making memories while gaining a lot of health and personality development benefits!

They are also suitable for children in the age range of 2 to 9 so it works with older kids and can be suitable for children younger than two with a safety belt and supervision.

This feature will give you a break as a parent too as you can have your own time and relax not worrying too much about the state of your kids when they're outdoor playing! They also come in all sorts of styles and materials and could have different added features so you'll have a wide range to choose from considering budget, space available, and personal needs!

Boost Creativity with an Outdoor Play Kitchen

Roleplay and pretend play boosts children’s imagination as well as their mental development, it can also have an underlying concept of how the real world works, which enhances their learning skills and vocabulary! This is why you should consider an outdoor play kitchen for your kids’ play areas. 

Outdoor play kitchens will make for a feature you can bond with your children over and give them great childhood memories while they learn all sorts of skills! 

Roleplay will give your children the chance to express themselves, learn new vocabulary, and develop interaction and communication skills. 

There is a wide range to choose from when considering a play kitchen, as you can find set ones online or DIY ones with all sorts of toys and play equipment! 

Chalkboard Paint

The best backyard ideas for kids are ones that get them to connect with their creative side, and this one is no exception! a chalkboard addition to your children’s play areas will make your yard one of their favorite places! It will provide them a space to draw, express themselves and play with colors.

A chalkboard is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use as it’s very convenient and can fit in all sorts of spaces as they can be of any size. And since we all love to scribble, they’ll also suit all sorts of ages so can still consider a chalkboard addition if your children are older! 

Childproofing your yard

It's important to choose the safe options for materials and items your children will be around to ensure a kid-friendly backyard. Choosing covers for items that are potentially harmful, avoiding toxic plants, and fencing off areas that shouldn't be unsupervised are all things you should consider if you want a successful kid-friendly backyard.

Creating a kid-friendly patio

A patio or deck makes for an outdoor living room and so it's important to make sure it's a safe space for your children to use!

Choosing non-slip materials and maintaining the hardscape of your patio or deck is important for your kids to have a safe space you're not worried to let them use.

If you happen to have a fire pit, consider making a border around it or a top cover for when you are done using it so your child won't confuse it with a sandpit.

Child-proofing your pool

To avoid unsupervised access of your kids to water features in your yard, you should consider fencing your pool. There are many types of pool fences from glass to aluminum and wrought iron typically with a 5 to 6 ft height range, so you'll be able to choose whatever fits the style of your landscape.

To ensure fun, be mindful of safety! 

Don't forget that making the right safety decisions is what matters most when creating a kid-friendly backyard. This highly depends on choosing the right materials and elements! For instance, selecting non-slip surfaces such as pavers is the smart safety option when reviewing a hardscape for a kid-friendly space.

Ground cover

Since you want to avoid trip accidents as much as possible, you should consider artificial turf instead of natural grass. Artificial grass provides an even, soft surface that would minimize injuries in case of playtime accidents making it ideal for play areas or open yard spaces where kids can run.

Plants and trees

Another thing you want to be mindful of is choosing suitable plants. Some plants are naturally toxic, others produce needles and thorns, not so child-friendly if you ask me, that’s why making sure you’re not using any plants your kids are irritated by or that can harm them, in the long run, is crucial to creating a safe space for your family to be outside and enjoy nature!

ShrubHub's Design Service

Shrubhub design specialists will guide you through the best options for your space! We offer professional design consultations, during which we go over all necessary aspects to ensure a functional and aesthetically beautiful yard design.

Our designs will include a detailed legend of different features as well as plants making them very easy to follow and base work on! For more ideas visit shrubhub.com and book your design consultation to start the process. 

ShrubHub.com