To create an irresistible outdoor play space that will encourage your kids to spend more time outside, you can create a backyard that specifically keeps kids and their favorite things to do in mind. Here are our top landscape design tips for creating the backyard of your child’s dreams for your Huntington, NY, home.
Encourage Imagination
A flat expanse of grass may seem ideal for children because it gives them plenty of room to run around and burn some energy, but it may not spur their imaginations or seem very inviting when you’re trying to get them to go play.
A combination of hideaways and open spaces for fast-paced fun, on the other hand, do give children lots of options for imaginative fun and creativity. Many kids don’t need anything fancy to stay entertained. The simple things could be enough. Rocks, water, grass, sand, and trees could be all that you need to set up a combination of open and somewhat secret spaces that will keep them busy for hours.
For instance, create a small paver patio just for kids in a corner of the backyard, surrounded by vegetation and boulders that help them not only connect with nature but also inspires them to create a fortress of their very own.
Related: Have More Fun in Your Southampton, NY, Backyard With These Landscape Design Ideas
You could have a jungle gym or play house positioned right at the edge of the lawn or even in a more densely vegetated area, to give kids a variety of views and inspire them to play pretend.
If you have suitable trees, a tree swing is a winner with all ages—and of course, tree houses are also universally loved, even by adults!
Surround a sandbox with larger boulders for kids to climb on and parents to sit on, rather than an awkward, uncomfortable border that’s impossible to sit on.
A water feature such as a waterfall with a natural pond could also be a big hit with kids, and it’s a landscape feature they won’t outgrow.
Encourage Movement
To encourage movement, make it easy for kids. Depending on the available space, consider installing a basketball court, volleyball court, swimming pool or even a small skate park.
Even the smallest yards can accommodate a tether ball, basketball hoop, a jungle gym, or even a climbing wall.
Related: The Best Game Court Designs for Your Port Jefferson Backyard
Spaces That Grow With Your Kids
One of the biggest concerns homeowners have with creating child-friendly backyards is that eventually, the kids will outgrow the space and it will not be used until (and if) grandkids come into the picture.
The good news is that all of the kid-friendly solutions mentioned above can grow with your kids. As they outgrow a jungle gym, sandbox, or swing set, the area can be transformed into a new outdoor living space that the whole family can continue to enjoy.
The little paver patio in the “jungle” can become a meditation retreat or a reading nook. A sandbox can become the kids’ own private vegetable or flower garden, or even a zen garden where they can play with positioning stones and using a rake to create geometric shapes in the gravel (this is something that the adults may play with just as often, if not more).
A game court can revert back to lawn or xeriscaped area, or perhaps become a vegetable garden or an extension of your outdoor living space that features a pergola-covered seating area, fire pit, hot tub, or gourmet outdoor kitchen.
A climbing wall can be transformed into a vertical garden as part of a sophisticated outdoor dining space.
With a little planning, you can create a backyard that’s perfect for both children and adults, and create a dream space for children that will grow along with them as the family’s interests and needs evolve.
