Garden Play Area Ideas for Kids

Entertaining your children over the summer holidays (and any breaks from school!) can be an expensive time packed with busy venues and children that are desperate to be entertained.
To help, we’ve created a list of garden play area ideas for you and your children to enjoy, allowing endless fun from the safety and comfort of your own home for this summer and for years to come.

1. Waterproof Playhouse 

Kids love to copy what the adults are doing so playing house is common. A waterproof play house offers great variety as you can furnish it with toys, play kitchens or even a small slide.  The best bit? Your children can play outside even if the weather isn’t ideal.

Large playhouses can be hugely expensive and are usually impractical, however, pop up gazebos are a brilliant alternative that are easy to assemble and dismantle, as well as having the ability to be adapted for other purposes such as hot tub covers and shelter at family BBQs.

2. Artificial Grass

Although installation can be expensive, installing artificial grass is great for creating a fun and safe space for your children to play lawn games on. It is also much easier to maintain than natural grass which is an added benefit for a busy parent. It can also last up to 15 years, which will see your children through until they’re older, potentially adding value to your home.

3. Sand Pit 

Picking up a raised plastic sand pit is a failsafe choice that provides hours of fun – but if you are a fan of DIY you can use wooden planks to create a border in your garden and then fill it with sand. Be sure to cover it with a pop up gazebo or tarpaulin to protect it from the elements. 

Sand pits can be a great sensory experience for kids to get used to new textures and can be filled with buckets, spades and other toys so they can be creative and make shapes with the sand. 

5. Chalkboard

It’s common for families to have a chalkboard inside the home to help children learn to read and write. But they can be messy and it’s often hard to describe to children the difference between the walls you can write on and the walls they cannot, which can often lead to them taking redecorating into their own hands. 

An outdoor chalkboard means they have a designated area to write and doodle to their hearts’ content without you having to follow them around ensuring they don’t make a mess.

6. Stepping Stones 

Stepping stones are one of the most purse-friendly garden play area ideas. This can take a great many forms, from old tree stumps to painted paving stones. The limit is your creativity, stepping stones can be great for stimulating your children while also helping them build coordination and keep active from the safety of home.

7. Trampoline 

You can never go wrong with a trampoline, they can provide entertainment for children as soon as they’re walking up until adulthood. Installing one below ground is also a good safety precaution as it greatly reduces the height if you’re worried about your kids falling off or struggling to climb on. 

8. Climbing Frame 

These provide great freedom for children to play and use their imagination. Helping them to learn and gain more control over their body as they grow up. They are usually easy to install by pitching them into the ground or securing them to an existing playhouse, wall or fence.

9. A Swing Set 

Swings are endless fun and likely one of the most beloved playground attractions, they are a great way to promote bonding between you and your children or spirit teamwork between them as they practise sharing and helping each other. You can find swing sets in a variety of sizes so you’ll be able to find the perfect one for your garden.

10. Slip and Slide 

The slip-and-slide is a great summer addition to your garden and can be lots of fun for the whole family. If you aren’t looking to purchase one there are DIY options available. All you need is a sheet of waterproof plastic (any colour), some pool noodles, some plastic pegs to secure everything into place in your garden and a hose to wet the slide so your children can slide to their hearts’ content. 

11. Build an Outdoor Ball Pit

Similar to the process of the sand pit you’ll need 4 wooden planks to build borders, then fill it with plastic ball pit balls. You could also add extra toys or hidden treasures in the ball pit for your children to find which will be great for their problem-solving skills and cognition. Be sure to add sufficient cover by placing a pop up gazebo over the top whilst in use for protection from the sun and rain.  As they grow up, the pit can be transformed into whatever you see fit from plant beds to outdoor storage.

Discover our range of pop up gazebos

If you’d like some more information on gazebos that can be used in your garden play area contact us or browse our range of pop up gazebos.