Creating A Playground in Your Back Yard
Kids love a day at the playground so imagine the look on their faces if you surprised them with a new playground in your very back yard. All you need is an adequate amount of space, a free day on the weekend and whatever pieces of fun equipment that fits your budget. Check out retailers like Tesco for swings, slides, and climbing frames at reasonable prices, staples of any traditional play park, but you can also push the boat out with wackier ideas. Take a look at these before setting to work.
- Tree house
If you’re lucky enough the have a sturdy tree in the garden, put your DIY skills to the test by building a tree house. You’ll need some good quality planks of decking wood, a power drill, lots of strong outdoor nails, a saw and branch logs for the steps. Then of course it will need to be decorated with a rug and some pillows! A lot of work will go into making a treehouse but it will be totally worth it. You might even be able to escape up there yourself for a quiet afternoon with a good book.
- Sand pit
For those days when it’s not quite hot enough for a trip to the beach, the kids can play in a homemade sandpit. Measure a square in the garden and begin to dig it out to your preferred depth. Lay down landscaping fabric and staple to the ground. Pour in bags of sand, which are available to buy at most garden and hardware centres. Border the pit with some wooden decking pieces, sand and varnish for safety. You can also add a paddling pool to imitate the sea!
- Swings
Whether you choose a hanging tree swing or buy one as part of a climbing frame, there are lots of choices to suit your garden. One idea is to make a tyre swing! You’ll – obviously – need a tyre as well as three pieces of one-inch thick chain (each 4.5 foot long), three two-inch bolts and twist roly rope. Use a drill, wench and ladder to put the tyre swing together. You can find guides on how to do this online.
- Chalkboard area
If you already have a decking or patio area, you can make it more interactive for the kids by creating an easy-to-make chalk board area. Get a large sheet of wood, sand it and apply some chalk board paint, which you can pick up at the hardware store. Drill it onto a fence or simply store it in the shed and bring it out when the kids want to have a drawing session.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to adding fun factors to the garden. Once the kids are entertained you can sit back on the sun lounger while you keep an eye on them and top up that tan.
Images by Eduardo Merille and Julie, Dave & family used under the Creative Commons License.
Sarah L says
We had a tire swing growing up and it was used all the time.
Sue M. says
We didn’t have a big tree in our back yard when I was growing up, but we had one up at the family cabin and I loved playing on it! Great ideas, thanks for posting!
lisa says
Those are good ideas. I can’t think of any kid that wouldn’t want a tree house. It can be a fort or secret club house.
Sara Theissen says
Love this! I have fond memories of playgrounds.
salexis says
So sweet – outdoor play is really important!!!
Caroline says
I always wanted a tree house growing up. A friend of mine had one and we had so much fun in it.
M.Clark says
Creating a playground in your back yard is a great idea. I like the tree house and the swing. Thank you for sharing this post.
Patricia Delgado says
We don’t have a very big backyard but we have a playhouse and a small slide. We got them a small trampoline but thats a Christmas gift so they will get it soon. We also have a sand and water table. It a fun way to pass some time during the day in the sunny Florida weather.
Jerry Marquardt says
Nice tips trying to get the playground project off the ground. I like the structure.
Saundra McKenzie says
We have put up a swingset for the grandkids, but are afraid they will throw sand at each other. They are 2 and 5.
Sandra Watts says
I would like to do this for my grand kids when they come up.
April says
Our chalk board area was always the sidewalk or driveway, but then mom and dad would get aggravated about all the chalk dust getting dragged in on shoes and the mess all over everything outside. Great idea
Irma says
I love the tire swing. I had it, too, when I was a kid.
Sue Mullaney says
We didn’t have a big tree for a tire swing at home but we did up at our cabin and I really enjoyed it!
N Bear says
Oh how I wish we had a bigger yard.
Miles Imhoff says
One of my earliest memories is a dream where I had a playground in my backyard. 🙂
God bless,
Miles
Lauryn R says
These are all such fun and exciting ideas! I had a tire swing and a homemade sandbox in my backyard as a kid and I have so many great memories of them!
Shannon says
Thank you for sharing this with us, I have a platform tree house when I was young and I really loved it.
Amber simmering says
Those are done great ideas! We have our garage that I let the kids o paint or color on and then they have their little playground of course but I also wanted a toss swing or something like that for them
Jerry Marquardt says
I love your tips and pointers to get the backyard playground up and running. It makes it so much easier when you have a game plan.
Sarah Phillips says
Thank you for this amazing article! Creating a playground in your backyard is incredibly important when you have children. Giving them a safe place to explore the world will reap benefits that last a lifetime. I read somewhere that allowing a child to explore nature from a young age helps them grow into creative and curious adults. I know I LOVED having a huge backyard to explore. My treehouse was my own little safe haven.
Molli vandehey says
i just moved into a new house and it definitely needs a small playground.
Amber Ludwig says
Yes!! It really makes parenting that much easier lol!! Crazy kids!?!? Outside with you 🙂 And boy do they love it out there!