Landscaping For Childrens Play Areas

Every home with children needs somewhere outdoors for the children to play. There are a lot of rewards for creating an outdoor play area for the children: they are happy, parents are happy knowing the children are safe, and the rest of the garden is usually left undisturbed. You may find that if you create a nice area, all the kids in the neighborhood will be hanging out at your place, which may or may not be a good thing. It is usually reasonably easy to adapt  landscape plans so that at least a small play area can be provided for the younger members of the family.

Homes with small children should place play areas close to the house. The kids will be close within sight but not feel locked up or restrained. An area, such as a kitchen window, that is visible from the most used areas of the house is good. While there are a lot of manmade toys that can be placed in a play area, young kids will often prefer to think up their own games using nothing more than sticks, rocks, and other natural materials. A basic sandbox will keep small children happy for hours. Add some simple elements like stones to the sandbox. (When the kids are grown, you can change the sandbox into a raised garden bed.) As does a small tree with strong branches close to the ground, an old log works good as a frame for climbing.

The older kids will prefer their play areas be a little further away from the house. Still, they should always be in a very visible place that has been specifically planned into the front yard design or backyard landscaping ideas. Older children love to use their imagination, so don’t provide them with a treehouse immediately. Begin with the simple, possibly using some boards nailed to a tree as steps or even a piece of rope to climb up into the trees. The tree can then be anything. A house, plane, ship, or anything the imagination can come up with.

A rough grassy patch can be good as a play area as it is soft enough to fall in and possibly long enough to be a hiding spot. If this idea doesn’t quite go with the rest of your landscaping, give bark chunks or chips a try as a cushion under play equipment.

An patch of concrete slab will almost always be a favorite and well used spot as the children grow up. This is where they’ll break in the rollerblades, learn to ride a bicycle, play jacks, jump rope, and learn and play many childhood games. And who knows. They may even take up gardening if you give the kids a sunny spot of their very own.