How to Create the Ultimate Backyard Kids Play Area

With spring finally here, now is the perfect time to create or spruce up your backyard kids’ play area. However, you may be wondering how to start. There are both simple and grand ways you can upgrade your space to be the place your kids always dreamed it would be. From installing a car tire swing to laying out washable outdoor rugs, we reached out to experts across North America, from New York, NY to Ottawa, ON, to give us their best tips on how to create the ultimate backyard kids’ play area. Read below to see what they had to say.

Prioritize clean surfaces 

Keeping the outdoor play space as clean as possible should be a priority when designing the space. We recommend adding turf that is integrated with Microban® Antimicrobial Technology. Some artificial turf has technology that inhibits the growth of bacteria, mold, mildew, and reduces odors by 99%. This allows parents and kids to worry less and to truly enjoy the space. – Duane Jensen, Smart Turf President

Install a car tire swing

Every backyard play area should have a car tire swing. Most people just tie a car tire to a rope on a tree but we have a better idea. Grab a box cutter and carefully cut off the entire sidewall leaving about an inch of sidewall so you don’t expose the steel tread. Then turn the ring of the tire tread inside out and then tie it to a rope and around a tree. And just like that, you’ve got a really amazing swing in your backyard. – Playground Ideas 

Utilize colorful polymeric sand 

You want to create a special and unique area for the children while maintaining a consistent style to match the outdoor pavers of your patio and walkways. Utilize colorful polymeric sand to create a fun walkway to a play structure, a labyrinth around a playhouse, or a magical path through an enchanted children’s garden. Help your pavers stay in place, add some color, and keep little bare feet imaginative and sand-free. – DOMINATOR®️ Polymeric Sand 

Layout washable outdoor rugs 

​​The backyard is your kids’ chance to get creative and messy. Layout washable or wipeable outdoor rugs on your deck. Then give your child large canvases and an assortment of paints and other mixed media and let their imagination take over. They can spend hours creating and foraging in the yard for leaves, grass, and flowers to enhance their masterpieces. – @curiousg_andme

Introduce edible plants 

Introducing edible perennial plants can add a sense of wonder and exploration for kids and families to enjoy in any backyard play area. Edible perennial plants can add a lot of exciting dynamics to the backyard, from more shade to attracting more birds and beneficial insects to providing fresh healthy snacks from backyard to table. And best of all, edible perennials are low maintenance and grow back year after year, saving more time for your family to enjoy playing in your backyard together. – Nuts and Bolts Nursery

Use resilient surfaces around your play structures 

As parents and caregivers, we all know the difficulty of keeping up with your kids on the playground and how developmentally important it is for them to explore and gain new skills through their play. The safest, most playful best practice is to make sure that playground equipment has a resilient surface under and around it to help prevent injury from falls. Rubber mulch, turf, poured-in-place rubber, and rubber tiles are great options. – Voice of Play

Or try playground turf

Artificial grass is the best way to enhance the look of your property with innovative ideas. Some ways you can use it when creating a backyard play area include installing a backyard putting green, playground turf, or swimming pool turf. – Easy Greens

Create backyard crafts

Find some fun right in your backyard by creating crafts just for the outdoors. Create foam toys to go monster hunting or decorate your own throwing discs with these bite-sized frisbees. – Ninja Monkey Gym

Keep your dog away from the sandbox 

If your children play in the yard that your dog has access to or help with gardening, practice good hand-washing.⁠ Most parasites like roundworm, whipworm, or giardia are passed from dogs to children via dirt or soil infected with eggs. Train your dog to poop in a designated area and⁠ pick up the feces as soon as possible.⁠ Cover the sandbox when not in use to prevent your pet from going to the bathroom there. – Dog Meets Baby