This is a sponsored guest post.

It’s not hard to tell what a child envisions to be a perfect garden play area. Children need a place to run, ride, jump, climb, swing freely and without inhibition. Children love areas where it is easy for them to build, explore, discover, and playact. This should form the basis of your
garden design, where there is enough room for imaginative play and objects or accessories that will inspire your kids to think, have fun, develop and learn. The play area should be an avenue for your child’s cognitive and psychomotor growth.

A child’s play area doesn’t have to be as big as an amusement park. You can creatively design your yard and garden with the essential fun items and it will be the envy of his peers.

The garden has to have a sense of suspense, mystery and discovery. It should be a place of unending fun and exploration. The size of the garden space does not matter, as long as the whole family is involved, your child will have a sense of belonging and feel excited about the project.

The play area should also encourage nature study and imagination; this can boost your child’s problem-solving skills.

Here are some tips to help you build a kid-friendly garden:

An area where you can keep the kids in View

Imagine you have an area in the garden where you can engage in socialising or relaxing, while you watch your kids play in their play area and ensure that they are safe. This would give you inner peace and the children can confidently play and explore nature independently.

This relaxation spot can be made with composite decking material and outdoor furniturevsuch as benches, chairs and tables. Composite decking installation is normally done with decking joists which give the installers the framework to attach the decking boards. Also, decking joists help to ensure that the deck is built to be safe enough for kids to play on it.

You can provide a canopy or cover to provide shade and comfort during hot weather. Another benefit this area can provide is that you can grill barbeque and have a feast during family time at this area − depending on the space available. This spatial area can create an exciting experience for the entire family.

Build a Tree-house

A tree-house is an enduring emblem for a child’s play area. Apart from the space it creates for children to play with their friends, the tree-house is known to develop children’s motor skill through creative fun activities and climbing. Tree-house also enables children to be closer to nature, and this invokes a sense of tranquillity that strengthens their mental health. It creates a perfect place for family gathering and fun.

Since a tree-house has some associated risks, such as fall and scratches, it should be built in a way that lessens the risk of injury significantly. Safety measures and should be put in place to prevent any mishap.

Incorporate natural elements into your child’s play area

As we reiterated in previous points, nature presents an excellent environment for your child to learn and play with. When you include natural elements like soil, plants, flowers and water, it promotes exploration and discovery. For you to achieve the aim of providing a perfect outdoor garden for your child to play, it is pertinent to pay attention to natural elements and how they can be made part of your child’s play area.

Some of the natural elements you can incorporate into your child’s play area include:

Sand- Sand is an excellent play object for toddlers and small children alike. They can be used to create fine shapes, which can shape their creativity and make them smarter. Sand is very easy and inexpensive to get.

Running water– Another natural element which you can easily make available in your child’s play area is water. Ensure the water is flowing (not stagnant water) and has drainage. Water and sand can be used to build sandcastles, which improve kids’ eye-hand coordination skills.

Garden art

Garden art and decoration can be used to add a fun-filled or playful personality and theme to your garden. For you to design a child-friendly play area in your garden, you must be selective about your choice of plant and design.

Please avoid toxic plants such as pothos, poinsettia, English Ivy, peace lilies and sango palm. Some colourful flowers you can have in your garden include sunflowers, snapdragons, hen and chicks plan, marigolds, zinnias and nasturtium.

Some decorations you can use to spice up your garden include:

Bottle art – Hand painted glass bottles can be used as garden edges once they are installed on stakes.
Paint the fence- You can beautify and transform the looks of your fence by painting it to decorate your child’s play area. Your child can help with the paintings and stickers.

Rock art – Your kids can gather neat rocks and paint them. These rocks can be used to design the garden pathway.

Paving stones – Lay colourful rocks, pods, shells, and marbles around the garden. You can also use coloured cement. Your kids can memorialise their childhood by drawing in cement before it hardens up.

Emily

Hi there! I am Emily Evert, the owner of Emily Reviews. I am 28 and live in a small town in Michigan with my boyfriend Ryan and our two pugs. I have a large family and I adore my nieces and nephews. I love reading memoirs, and learning about child development and psychology. I love watching The Game of Thrones, Teen Mom, Sister Wives and Veep. I like listening to Jason Isbell, John Prine, and other alt-country or Americana music. I created Emily Reviews as a creative outlet to share my life and the products that I love with others.

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