As new technologies have arisen, and busy schedules have dominated our lives, the trend of children spending much less time outdoors has grown. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic so far have also exacerbated this unfortunate trend. Overall, children don’t spend nearly as much time outside as they used to. A recent research study determined that the average current generation child spends four hours per week outdoors. For comparison, their millenial parents spent just over eight hours per week outdoors on average.
The positive physical and mental health impacts of being outdoors for children are well documented. As such, it is important to find ways to motivate children to get outside into the sunshine and fresh air. One proven successful strategy is a child friendly backyard.
4 Child Friendly Backyard Ideas
Playhouse From a Converted Shed
A backyard outbuilding isn’t just useful for lawn and garden supplies and tools. A shed can also be used for a near ideal playhouse. Collect decorations and furniture that fit with your child’s tastes, and you can end up with a near magical space that can house an area for arts and crafts, space for toys and games, or a reading nook among many other ideas. The exterior can be useful for adding an outdoor table to provide seating for your children.
Adding a Water Feature
Water features such as ponds and fountains add a wonderful atmosphere of tranquility and peace to the backyars. They can also serve as a source of fun for all age groups of children. If you were to stock your pond with Koi, the kids have a pet of sorts they can care for and observe their growth. Kio ponds facilitate creating a micro ecosystem in your backyard that can attract other wildlife such as butterflies, or birds. The opportunity to interact with nature further serves to grow a child’s interest in the great outdoors.
A Family Garden-A Shared Responsibility
Gardening is an endeavor involving multiple steps. Planning the garden space, deciding what to plant, planting the seeds and caring for the plants are all activities with which children can help. A garden is a great way to merge family time with time outdoors. A garden not only serves as a great source of healthy physical activity for kids, it also gives them a sense of accomplishment as they watch the vegetables and fruits grow and thrive under their care. It gives new meaning to the phrase “the fruit of their efforts!” As an extra bonus, children that raise vegetables are much more likely to try them!
Designate a Play Area
Children love to have play spaces they can call their own. The idea of using a shed as a playhouse certainly fulfills this idea, but so also does a designated backyard play space. There’s no shortage of ideas to outfit this space, with everything from a swingset, play gym, sandbox and a hopscotch area coming to mind. Once you get this built, it’s sure to be popular with all of the children in your family.
Perhaps you’re looking for some assistance with bringing a child friendly backyard into existence. If so, the pros at Holder Outdoor can help create the right design layout and install the features that best meet your specific needs. Call or click today!
