Two young girls in a swimming pool.
Whether you want to spend more time together as a family, encourage your kids to spend fewer hours indoors playing video games or simply hope to give them a safe place to interact with friends, consider turning your backyard into a retreat where they can enjoy themselves. Determine if you’d prefer a space where your children can participate in athletic activities, utilize their creativity, unwind or all of the above.
Swimming Complex
Build a water oasis where you and your children will not only have fun and cool off on sweltering summer days but also improve cardiovascular fitness with some great physical activity. The best way to motivate your kids to stay active is to have a pool that can cool them off during a hot summer outside. For example, if you live in hot weather southern states such as Alabama, there are many great pool installers and when considering inground swimming pools in Mobile that your children will use, you might wish to incorporate a shallow end, slide, decorative floor for games and essential gates for safety. You can also create a design with elongated steps that will help inexperienced swimmers get used to the water and also serve as a place for adults to cool off and lounge.
Treehouse
Provide a haven for your children that also enables them to spend time outdoors and connect with nature. Consider constructing a stable and safe treehouse that will encourage them to put down their electronic gadgets, climb and enjoy the fresh air. The structure can serve as a clubhouse, a place to host sleepovers or even a spot to study if your home gets too noisy. Whether you design the unit yourself or hire a professional builder, be sure to have the designated tree inspected prior to building to ensure it is sturdy enough to support the building for years to come.
Art Station
Assemble an outdoor creativity spot where the kids can paint, make jewelry and participate in a variety of activities ranging from racing cars to pretending to cook. You can even create a designated messy space for younger children by filling large tubs with soil that the kids can use to make mud pies or build dirt castles. Use plastic tubs and buckets to store materials like paper, paints, brushes, beads, string, and utensils next to a long plastic or weatherproofed wood table. Keeping all of the supplies on hand will make setting up and cleaning up easier.
Gravel Pit
Design a slightly upscale version of a sandbox by covering one corner of the yard with pea gravel. The area will encourage children to stretch their imaginations as they can use the space to dig, build and create track racing toy trucks or miniature houses for bugs. If the area is large and flat, you can also add colorfully-painted numbered stepping stones to create a place where they can play hopscotch with friends. Use larger rocks, recycled tires, plastic tubing or smooth wood boards to outline the zone and keep pebbles from migrating throughout your landscaping.
A welcoming backyard haven will give your children a secure place to relax, play and grow. Choosing a plan that combines stations to participate in activities with plenty of space to chill out will give your kids somewhere they’ll love to hang out year-round.