No one in their right mind can argue that our children are spending far too much time indoors, sitting in front of their computers, tapping at their tablets and starring at the TV for hours on end. This is a very negative trend that leads to childhood obesity, lack of imagination and other issues that may prove to be a huge harmful influence later in life.
One of the best things that you can do is to make sure that your backyard is a place where your children will love to spend time and where they can have as much fun as they’d like. We would like to present to you a few DIY projects that will not cost you too much and that will turn your backyard into a bona fide playground for your children.
Building a treehouse
There are many reasons why a treehouse is such a classic when it comes to backyard shenanigans for kids. For one, it provides them with their own personal space where they can be free and where they feel like the lords of the castle, which is a huge thing for children. Also, it is a place where they can bring their friends and where they can spend time together, forming relationships and exercising their social skills. There are plenty of ways in which you can build a treehouse and the most important thing is to make is safe.
Put in a swing
Swing is another classic and there are a number of ways in which you can do this. For instance, you can go the truly old-school way with a tire swing which requires nothing but a tree, some rope and an old tire. Or, you can buy premade swings that your children will love to play with. Finally, you can go with one of those huge swings that can easily accommodate an entire family or a whole army of kids.
Paint twister on your lawn
Twister is a fun game and it is also very good for your children’s health and flexibility. It provides a great fun way to exercise and no one will even notice they are exercising. A great way to bring twister into your backyard is to paint it on the grass. Make sure that you use environmentally-friendly colors and that you are precise when painting the circles on the ground. Before you know it, your backyard will be full of children playing twister.
Turn the walls into chalkboard
Kids love to draw and paint and if you thought that this has to be an indoor activity, then you were much mistaken. For example, you can turn an entire wall in your backyard into blackboard and let the children draw whatever they want and as much as they want. This will easily lead to various drawing games thought up by them which will boost their creativity and also keep them outside.
Recycle old stuff
The best thing about these DIY projects is that you can reuse old stuff that you have in your garage and around the yard. For instance, you can use old tires to build a pyramid playground for the kids. You just fill them out with earth and stack them up as a pyramid. Or, you can reuse the wood from packing wooden crates and create a xylophone that your kids will be able to play and make music. You can also have them help you with the projects, perhaps building a dog house together or something like that.
These are just some of the ideas that you can implement in your backyard that will entice your children to go outside and play in nature. You can also put in trampolines, water slides, goals for soccer or a basket for basketball, do some gardening with your children and so much more.
