When you were little, the outdoors was your best playground. You might find it difficult to remember all the reasons and spots that got you injured but it was outdoors.
Now you are grown, you own a home with a beautiful garden you have cultivated over time. But you have also created a play space inside your home for your kids. You wanted to protect them from the serious injuries you sustained during your childhood.
But over time, you’ve thought it would help your little ones to be more expressive, imaginative, and appreciative of nature if they played out in the garden.
“You ask yourself, what elements should you include in your garden design, to make it appealing to children and adults?”
When children are playing outdoors, they are at ease and in their natural element. They let off steam and tap into talents they never knew they had. The ideal garden you should have is safe and exploratory for your children.
This article gives you some ideas to consider when designing a garden that will be fun, interesting, and safe for your children and family whatever their age!
Safety
Regardless of your garden design, leave a space for your children to run around and kick a ball without damaging anything.
Keep the grass in your garden mowed and free of dangerous items. Then you can visit a plant nursery to pick out the plants and shrubs you want to grow in your garden. They should be safe for your children to play with, thorns-free and non-irritating.
Adding Play Equipment
When you think of a children’s play area, brightly coloured play equipment comes to mind. But with a little imagination, your children can spend a lot of time in the garden without you spending a lot of money or giving up lots of space.
For example, a composite decking can be used as a play space as well as relaxation area; a rope swing from a tree can be as much fun as a swing set so don’t feel that you are restricted to commercially produced swings, slides, and climbing frames. You could also make a willow tunnel that doubles up as a den for your male children who like to pretend they are at war and hiding from their enemies.
Adding Some Intrigue
Consider adding a secret garden or wild area in your garden design to make their playtime more pleasurable. A tree house would work if you have the space for it, but any designated area especially for the children, where they could build a den or hide in bushes, also works well. You can also make or buy bird feeders, and nests and place them in the tree house. When your children see that birds are beginning to nest in their tree house, they’ll be all the more pleased and excited.
Nurture a Love for Nature
Whether it’s digging around in the dirt, or sunflower growing competitions, a love of gardening can be nurtured from a young age. If this is something you’d like to encourage in your garden, you may want to think about incorporating a raised bed or a small veggie patch for your children.
Children are often curious about what is under rocks which ends with digging up or playing with worms. How about creating a lovely natural habitat to attract bugs? Just to pique their curiosity more. You can collect anything from your garden that you think would be comfy, such as:
- Bamboo
- Moss
- Bark
- Stones
- Mud
- Leaves
Then, find something to create little areas or “rooms” shall we say! You could use anything from an empty yoghurt or butter pot, or a wooden box of some sort from around the house. Then you lay it down, and wait for the bugs to find their exciting new home.
Dedicating a Shaded Area for Chillout Time
We’ve discussed how to enhance and make your children’s playtime worthwhile. What about when they need to chill out?
Creating a nice space for them to read a book, do some colouring, or simply sit and enjoy the fresh air is a great idea.
Consider adding a canopy, parasol, or teepee to the area so your children can cool down in the shade, and get some privacy. You may also consider hiring pergola builders to install a retractable shade cover in your garden. Some shade covers will protect them from light showers, perfect for those unpredictable summer storms.
Outdoor Storage
Last but not least is storage. Where there are children, there will be toys. And this is true outside as well as inside the house! Having outdoor storage will make it easier to tidy up when they are exhausted or done playing. Anything from a garden shed or a storage bench that can also be used as seating would do.
Conclusion
So that’s how you create a child-friendly garden that your children will love. You can use the ideas above to design a garden in a space that both children and adults will love being in.
The great thing about a well-thought-out garden is that once all the things are installed, you can sit and enjoy a bit of peace while your kids play and explore! It’s a Win-win.