How to Create a Gorgeous Kid-Friendly Backyard

Whether you’re looking for some activity, or a bit of relaxation is what you need, sometimes the best weekend getaway can be right at home. Make your backyard into a place that you and your kids will love to hang out. With some creativity on your side, you can create spaces that instill wonder and play. Check out these easy tips for your kid-friendly backyard and get the whole family outside!

Build a Homemade Swing

There are plenty of pre-made playground sets on the market. But why not make it special – by making it yourself? Make a good old-fashioned tire swing or a super simple one with rope and wood. They're easy to put together (and easy on the budget), and can give your child hours of fun. Have your child help you pick out the kind of swing they want – and then help you build it. Keep it bare bones or go the extra mile and personalize it with your child’s favorite theme and they’ll be swinging on jungle vines or shooting off into outer space for hours on end.

Give Them a Hideaway

Everyone needs some alone time, and kids don’t get much privacy. Whether it is a tree house or a super cool teepee, they’ll love having a place of their own where they can get away from it all and read, play games, or just be by themselves.
If your child has a hobby they are passionate about, use this space to foster it. Does your child like art? Make sure their playhouse has a table with lots of paper, pencils, and paints. Are they a bookworm? Set up a corner for them to curl up and read. A hideaway gives them the space that they need to grow.

Make a Wildflower Garden

Dedicate a corner of your yard to planting wildflowers – and let your kids help you do it! Wildflowers are low-maintenance plants which often reseed themselves and require very little watering. But they can attract moths and butterflies, provide a great splash of color, and can give your kids a supply of flowers for picking or for art projects.

Not only will you be getting loads of bonding time working on the garden, but you’ll also have a wonderful learning tool to teach your kids about flowers, bees and butterflies, and their importance to backyard habitat. 

Go Backyard Camping

Don’t have the time for a full-on camping trip? Pitch a tent less than twenty feet from your own back door. 

Even in the backyard, kids will have a blast rolling out sleeping bags and telling each other scary stories after dark. If you have room for a fire pit, you can also roast hot dogs for dinner and make S’mores for dessert! Your kids will have so much fun, they won’t even realize that they haven’t left home!

Laze about in a Hammock

If relaxation is what you’re after, get dreamy in a hammock. There are specially designed hammocks that are just for kids – and even some for babies. If you want to set up adult-sized hammocks as well, the whole family can spend time together out beneath the trees.

Hang one up between two trees, or on a pre-made metal frame. Make sure your kids are well supplied with books and cold lemonade and while away a summer afternoon or simply snuggle up together for a quick afternoon nap.

Explore the Night

The backyard is enchanting once the sun goes down. Put up some solar-powered gazing balls in the garden that will glow after dark. Hang up fairy lights on the back deck or along the edge of the patio and have your summer dinners outdoors. Warm summer nights can be a great time for kids to star-gaze and to learn about moths, bats, and other nighttime visitors.

Kids sometimes can be afraid of the dark. Creating welcoming spaces can help them overcome their fears.

Create a Natural Habitat

Make your backyard a nature-friendly place. Kids are fascinated with wildlife – so make sure they have plenty to see right at home. Nesting boxes and feeders will give kids a chance to learn about the birds in their area. If you have space for a small pond, you will be amazed at the frogs, dragonflies, and other amazing animals this will attract.

Like a wildflower garden, these attractions are a great way to teach kids about nature. Invest in a pair of binoculars, keep it by the window, and encourage them to keep a nature journal. They’ll improve writing and fine motor skills and will discover a true love of nature.

Leave Open Spaces

Sometimes less is more. If you are lucky enough to have a big backyard, try to keep some of it open and undeveloped so the kids can run off some of that energy. Open spaces also allow the whole family to go out and play together – tossing around a Frisbee or playing catch.

The backyard can be so much more than just a stretch of lawn. With a little time and effort, it can be a place which encourages kids to be outside, fosters their creativity, and encourages learning even out of school. 

Have you transformed your backyard into a kid-friendly space? Or are you planning to? Share your ideas with us!

Suggested Products

Peg and Awl Olde-Fashioned Tree Swing

Little Turtles Tipi Cotton Canvas Teepee

Hammocks Nica Large Hammock Chair

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