Outdoor playtime is vital for children to grow up healthy and strong. Kids were made to run, jump, and laugh in the sunshine. Turning your backyard into a safe and fun environment for young children is easy if you follow a few guidelines.
Choosing Play Equipment
Swing sets, slides, trampolines, and climbing walls are the center stage for any backyard playground. Be sure to choose age-appropriate and sturdy playground equipment. The last thing you want is for a piece of equipment to collapse and injure a child. You’ll also need to place swing sets, slides, and other items so that there is room to move. Finally, anchor the equipment securely to the ground.
Also, young children need to be supervised while playing on such equipment; while climbing, swinging, and jumping are fun and build a child’s strength, it can also lead to injury. You’ll also need to create a soft landing for when the little ones inevitably fall. Don’t put play equipment on top of a patio or a cement slab. Rather, place it on grass or sand to soften falls. You can also buy rubber mats to place under play equipment.
Safety and Privacy
Above all, your backyard play area needs to be safe for small children. Lattice screening around the border of your yard protects the children from the view of strangers while allowing you to keep a watchful eye on them. Your backyard needs to be secured from both strangers and children wandering off. The amount of privacy depends on the thickness and spacing of the slats. Lattice screening can also be erected anywhere in your backyard.
Plant a Garden
While physical activity is important, your backyard can teach children much about life. Sectioning off a small garden plot for the children to plant seeds is a real learning experience. They’ll need to water their little garden and care for the plants as they grow. Finally, they’ll be able to proudly pick the vegetables they grew for you to cook. Understanding the cycle of life and where their food comes from is an important lesson that can also be fun.
Build a Sandbox
An old-fashioned sandbox is both inexpensive and will provide hours of fun. In addition to a frame filled with sand, you’ll need child-sized shovels and buckets. The kids can experiment for hours digging and building castles in the sand.
For more ideas, just think back to your own childhood for the things that you liked to do. These don’t have to be expensive updates. The most important thing is that your kids are safe and can have fun.
