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Backyard Ideas for Kids

Mayuri Kulkarni
When your children turn 3 or 4 years old it is time to provide them a playground of their own. The backyard is the best place to be used for this. You can turn it into a very beautiful and exciting play area.
Keep your backyard open, not filling it with too many elements. Open space allows kids to play a variety of games, without space constraints. Since a flat grassy area improves the look of the backyard; you can install a synthetic lawn.
Fencing the backyard is important as it ensures safety of your child. After implementing the landscaping and fencing ideas, it is time to add some real play area ideas.

Ideas to Design a Backyard for Kids

Playhouse

If you plan to turn your backyard into an interesting place for your kids to play, you should definitely consider a playhouse. There are numerous options for designing a cute little house where your kids can sit together and play for hours. Based on the size of backyard and your budget, you can have readymade models resembling a miniature fort.
You can make one yourself using wood, or even fencing posts. Just make sure you add a window on each wall of the house, and a door at the entrance. Paint it in vibrant colors and see your kid's eyes light up with joy!

Sand Box

Remember those days when you had fun building beautiful sand castles on the beach? Imagine your kids having such fun time right in the backyard! You just need a sand box, filled with sufficient quantity of sand, and voila! Your miniature beach is ready!
Throw few vibrant colored shovels, sand buckets or beach-themed decorations to add to the feel.
You can hide small toys or chocolates in the sand for the fun of treasure hunt. Don't forget to keep it covered if you don't want to find stray animals sleeping in it! When your kids grow out of it, you can easily convert the sand box into a flower bed.

Kiddie Pool

A little pool in the backyard is something kids will cherish especially during the summers.
If there's an existing swimming pool in your backyard, throw in some colorful floating boards, tubes and floats to make it look inviting to kids.
However, even if you don't have a pool, you can get a small inflatable plastic pool, fill it with water, and place it in a cozy corner of your backyard. Just get some floating toys for your kids to play with, and they'll thank you for a fun-filled summer like never before!

Basketball Hoop

Playing basketball can be exciting and a basketball hoop is all you need to put your kid into the game. Begin with a plastic hoop and shift to a high quality one as your kid grows.
Team sports play a key role in the all-round development of a child, and the afternoons spent playing the game with friends, would help your kid become a better person. What's more, you can bond with your little one on weekends, over a game of basketball. Sounds great, isn't it?

Tree House

A snug tree house tucked behind a canopy of leaves, is what childhood dreams are made of! You can construct a tree house in any shape or size, just pay attention to the safety aspect. There are many options for choosing designs for the tree house.
You can construct a proper house with windows and a roof in place, or just design a space with walls around it. Also, don't forget to provide a safe way to reach the tree top. Your kids can spend lazy afternoons sitting inside the tree house, admiring the nature. However, seek professional help to build the tree house, instead of trying to do it yourself.

Slides

Slides are fun, and more so when they are right in your backyard! Depending on your kid's age, go for small portable slides or install bigger ones, some with swing sets. You can even make a wooden one at home and paint it in fun colors.

Swing

It's hard to imagine a play area without a swing. If you really don't intend to miss out on a swing set when designing a play area for your kids in the backyard, you have many options!
Right from grand swing sets in different shapes, to a humble swing installed on an A-frame, you can choose anything catching your kids' fancy and suiting your budget.

Flower Garden

If you have a spacious backyard you can create a small flower garden in a corner and  your kid can take it's responsibility. Get bright flowers that grow easily. Your kids will jump with joy seeing their very own garden in full bloom.

Sprinkler

Playing for hours in the sun can be exhausting, and a jet of cool water emerging from a sprinkler can provide much-needed relief to the kids playing in your backyard.
It is also a known fact that kids love to play with water, and sprinklers installed in different parts of the play area can add to the fun quotient.
You can also turn a little creative with the sprinklers and position them in such a way that the water flows over the slides. This will bring the experience of a water park right to your backyard!

Hammock

A hammock in your backyard is a great idea, as it would provide a place for relaxation and unwinding at the end of the day. You can choose to hang a hammock between two sturdy trees, or install poles for the same.
Just make sure your hammock is hung in a shady corner of the backyard, so that your kids can spend their afternoons reading a book or playing a guitar while lying on it. You can even spend some quiet time admiring the stars shining bright in a clear evening sky. Get the picture?

Backyard Landscaping Tips

A beautiful backyard is incomplete without proper landscape. Landscaping is not just having colorful plants. It's also positioning of the structures so that the child is always excited to play here. Here are some tips...
Gather the required materials for turning the backyard into an exciting play area. Large cardboard boxes, sand, fake rocks, wooden planks, artificial boulders, etc, make some of the great raw materials to implement backyard landscaping ideas for kids.
Place some artificial rocks to form a bench-like structure under the shade of a tree. This can be the resting area after a good play time.
Children love to play inside closed structures. So, you can place some cardboard boxes and make a fort out of it. Use large boxes and mount them to form a fort-like structure with windows and doors. Else you can simply form a tent-like structure with a couple of blankets and strings.
Place wooden planks to form a bridge as a route to go from one place to another. This can be fun and adventurous for the kids.
So, you can see that you can implement plenty of backyard ideas for kids and your children will surely love and enjoy their new play area. All you need to do is, do some research, be innovative, plan properly and design the backyard, keeping in mind the safety of your child.