If you’re looking to create a space where children can unleash their imagination, have fun, and connect with nature, transforming your garden into an engaging play area is the perfect solution. By combining creativity, thoughtful design, and a touch of nature, you can craft a captivating outdoor space that invites endless adventures and creates lasting memories. In this guide, we will explore various elements and ideas to help you transform your garden into an exciting play area. From play structures and imaginative play zones to sensory gardens and natural elements, the key components that make an outdoor play space truly captivating. Discover how to incorporate interactive features, seating areas, and age-appropriate activities that cater to the interests and developmental needs of the children in your life.
According to research, active play is not only pleasant, but it is also vital for children to be physically fit and healthy. Children learn reflexes and movement control while playing and gross motor skills, flexibility, and balancing abilities. Physical activity helps children create more substantial muscles, improve bone density, improve heart and lung function, and prevent obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Physical development, contentment, and improved immunity are among the other benefits. Relieving stress and encouraging socialization in children increase your sensory abilities. Learning new words and concepts is enhanced by exposure to sunlight. Get rid of sleeping problems, learn to appreciate the environment, creativity, health advantages, social skills, well-being, independence, and exploration.
But due to COVID-19, kids are spending more and more time at home in front of screens, which leads to a lack of growth factor for them. Additionally, even adults need that evening time with a cup of tea just to sit and relax in a peaceful place. A small garden can be the perfect place to soak some sun and just chill out after a long day. So, the best way to deal with this kind of problem is to try and create a small garden play area in our own backyard or outdoor play for kids to stay happy, healthy, and safe. With the kind of resources available today, we can easily do a lot to our garden in a very economical manner. With this article, we will help you with tricks for setting up a garden play area.
Importance of outdoor play for kids
In the most recent study, findings showed that outdoor play helps children develop skills such as problem-solving, creativity, confidence, and collaboration.
In today’s world where children are busy with electronic devices and schoolwork, it is important for them to take some time out of the day to play outside. Outdoor activities are not only fun but also physically stimulating for children.
The importance of outdoor play for kids is something that we should be encouraging our kids to do by providing a safe environment and opportunities like parks or open fields.
Tips for Setting up an Attractive Garden Play Area are-
Sensory Table-
If you don’t have a lot of outdoor space available, the best use of the tiny space can be by building a sensory table. You can make it with an umbrella to protect you from the scorching rays of the sun. Sensory play promotes learning with the senses: touch, smell, taste, movement, balance, sight, and hearing, and it is a great way to relax your mind after a long day. The best part about a sensory table is making it from almost anything, including water, sand, smooth rocks, rice, or dry beans. And you can always change the materials to keep them fresh.
Sensory Tables are for experimentation with components such as soil and water and exploration and discovery. Children discover, create, and play as they research, explore, design, and play. Sensory exploration facilitates a wide range of learning, including the development of math and science concepts, fine motor abilities, and more. With hands-on experience pouring water and feeling it, a child learns how water and elements move and the features of things like gravity. Touch teaches children how to manage objects in their surroundings. A sensory table may appear to be a fundamental resource. Still, it is one of the best investments and resources an early educator or parent can provide when used appropriately.
Garden Swing-
The best thing you can do for your kid is creating a small play space. You can easily buy a swing anywhere online or in stores. Or a better thing is you can make a tire garden swing for your kid. The tyre garden swing is one of the safest and most straightforward swings you can create for your children. It is pretty inexpensive to prepare and will save you money.
Other garden swings contain chains, metal, steel hooks, and brackets, all of which can injure your children. Fingers can be pinched, teeth can be chipped (after all that money spent on braces), and some parts can loosen, fall apart, and injure you. There are no steel elements visible on this tyre swing that could hurt your child’s fingers, legs, or teeth. It’s a tire garden swing made entirely of rope (nearly). It’s exceptionally durable and will provide years of enjoyment and play for your children. This tyre garden swing can accommodate three children and withstand years of use and damage.
Treehouse-
As a kid, the most lavish surprise you can get is a treehouse, especially during COVID times when you are stuck at home with people around you all the time. The outdoor playhouses for kids are the best way to give them some space. Making a treehouse from the ground up with readily available items. This would be an ideal hideaway for unwinding and clearing your mind. First, construct a robust base from the treehouse using four huge, long, sharp wood pieces. Then begin to add more to ensure that it is safe for everyone. To create the floor, you’ll need four wooden pallets. We used nails to secure several wooden panels on the bed to give it an excellent surface. To make it cute and inviting, build a ladder to allow everyone in and decorative carpeting. We can use flowers to decorate the deck and add a lovely entrance mat for our visitors for the finishing touches.
Garden Hammock-
With winters kicking off and spring at the door, people look for recharge hacks to go out of their homes and enjoy a little warm and sunny weather. One of the best ways to encourage outdoor playhouses for kids is by adding a hammock in your garden. People install hammocks in their gardens to properly utilize their garden space and enjoy their time by listening to music, reading books, or sunbathing and taking a nap. People looking to have a temporary setup can buy one of the many quick hammock setups available in the market. They are easy to set up and fold once their purpose is solved. There are many ways to set up a hammock. You can either try the two ends of the strap to trees or hang them by drilling the rods in the garden. There are a few things to keep in mind while strapping to the trees. The trees should have the proper distance between them as per the length of the cloth, and the straps should be pinned very carefully to avoid any accidents.
Camping-
It’s time to be creative around the house, and what better place to begin than your garden? This way, you’ll have enough space to invite your friends over for a pleasant get-together. Backyard camping is a fantastic method to get interested in outdoor playhouses for kids. Insect repellent and torches are critical goods to have on hand at your campground. Ensure you have everything you’ll need at the campsite, so you don’t have to go back to the house. If you wish to camp beneath the stars, set up a tent or a tarp on the ground where you can spread out your sleeping bags. To make dinner preparation easier, lay up a picnic table – or a movable table – in your backyard campsite. You can also add an outdoor fire pit and a grill to make it campier.
Pool Time-
Children’s happiness from a bit of pool time needs no description. But public pools are a big no, especially after the pandemic. So the best replacement is you can install a small pool for your child in your garden. That way, your kid is near your eyes, always in clean water and, importantly, safe. There are also many more advantages other than the fun that the pool provides us with.
There’s a reason for all of the splashing, pouring, and puddle jumping. Outdoor playhouses for kids are not only activating their senses, but they are also benefiting from learning via play and developing self-control.
Water play involves three of the eight sensory categories: auditory, visual, and tactile. Hearing the splashes provides auditory stimulation while seeing diverse lines, forms, and movement offers visual stimulation, and feeling the water on the skin provides tactile stimulation. Sensory play is necessary to avoid sensory avoidance habits in general. Sensory avoidance behaviours concerning water would impact bathing and learning to swim.
Conclusion
There are various ways in which you could use the space and set up an attractive garden play area and make the most out of it. You could use your space and prepare the setup based on your personal choice and requirements. You could either set up a few games if you have children or revamp it to make a place where you could come and relax for a while and recharge yourself. These setups based on small activities help you go together with your friends and family and promote bonding while you all are having a good time.
The way you want to decorate your outdoor space depends entirely on your budget and available space. You must, however, keep in mind that this is an investment. It’s not only an excellent opportunity to get to know your neighbors and have a good laugh, but it’s also a great way to just sit and relax. An outdoor area will be beneficial.
It will not only help you bond with others around you, but it will also help you cope with the stresses and anxieties of everyday life. After a long day at work, you can sit down and unwind by thinking over your day. It will improve people’s quality of life.
Here are some resources to help you set up an attractive garden play area for your children: