With winter almost done, spring is beckoning and with it comes the perfect opportunity to refresh your backyard, encouraging the whole family to get outside, play and reconnect with nature.
Kids love sunshine and fresh air, and it isn’t just enjoyable - it’s essential to their wellbeing. Being outdoors fuels their imagination, supports both their mental and physical development, and helps regulate their mood and energy. All this makes your kids feel better and sleep better (and that’s important!).
If a backyard upgrade has been on your mind recently, it only takes a few steps to turn your backyard into a safe and engaging play retreat that your kids will love all year long.
Why Outdoor Play Matters
There’s no argument that children are naturally drawn to being outdoors. It’s a space where they can explore, invent, build, experiment, climb and run - all the essentials of childhood. But the benefits of playing outdoors extend far beyond burning off energy; all of these things combined contribute to the ongoing development of children at all ages.
Imaginative play is one of the best reasons for being outside. It nurtures creativity, develops problem-solving skills and emotional intelligence. A cubby house is easily turned into a space station or cafe, helping children to develop storytelling skills, practice communication and learn to negotiate and develop social skills.
Active play, like swinging, climbing and running, helps to build gross motor skills, balance and physical confidence. Active play promotes better quality sleep, boosts mood and can help improve concentration.
For older kids and adults, the outdoors helps with relaxing and resetting both the brain and body. Simple activities like backyard cricket, reading in a hammock or some gardening can help reduce stress and help grow family connections.
Having space that supports both imaginative and active play gives the whole family a place to unwind, create and thrive.
Play and Imagination Zones
Designing different play zones not only keeps kids engaged, it supports a range of developmental needs and allows multiple children to use the backyard in different ways. You could have one child building a school in a cubby, while another is climbing the monkey bars - separate and not interfering with each other's play, but still all together.
Imaginative Play Spaces
A cubby house or elevated cubby is almost an essential for backyards and becomes an area for pretend play, encouraging role-playing, and endless make-believe adventures. From tea parties to shops, and space stations to pirate ships, cubby houses are guaranteed to offer hours of fun.
Look for durable timber cubbies designed to last. These can be easily customised depending on your child’s needs and there's a size for almost every backyard.
Sensory Play Stations
Sensory play is fantastic for your child’s development and it starts right from the baby stage. Mud kitchens, sandpits, and water tables allow kids to experiment with texture and cause-and-effect and are perfect for those STEM-related activities. They allow for messy play while helping to build fine motor skills and curiosity around how things work.
It’s easy to add a few kitchen utensils, containers or natural materials like leaves and rocks for experimenting and imaginative play.
Active Play Equipment
Risky play is important to a child’s development, and a swing set, climbing frame, or monkey bars offers both the risky play element as well as physical fun, helping to develop your child’s strength, balance and coordination. These types of play equipment encourage children to challenge themselves in a safe space. If you’ve only got a small backyard, there are some great compact options available such as slides or climbing walls that offer the same benefits.
While we might be planning a spring makeover, it’s never too early to look ahead to the warmer summer months. Inflatable water slides or splash mats are a huge hit in warmer months and provide hours of water play and opportunities to socialise with friends and neighbours. For the older kids, a portable basketball hoop can help them de-stress while shooting hoops solo, or challenge a sibling in a fun after-school game. It’s also a great way to spend time with your teens and gives you an opportunity to open conversations in a non-confrontational setting.
Outdoor games like giant Jenga, ring toss, or a bean bag toss are also great for encouraging cooperative play and friendly competition and are perfect additions for birthday parties or family Christmas events.
For quick setup and storage, look for foldable or inflatable options that can be brought out on weekends or school holidays.
A Splash of Colour and Comfort
We often focus on making our indoor space welcoming and comforting but a backyard should feel just as welcoming. There are some easy additions that can help make your backyard even more kid-friendly and cosy, including:
- Outdoor rugs to help define play zones and soften hard surfaces.
- Kid-sized furniture, like a picnic table or hammock, for snack time, art, or even afternoon naps in the fading sun.
- Cushions and umbrellas help make the space comfortable for longer stays outdoors.
You can also add colour to your backyard through child and pet safe plants; an edible garden is always a great addition to a family space.
Tips for a Play Safe Backyard
As all parents know, risky play is great for children, but not so great for stress. A backyard needs to be a safe place for children to play, and there are some great options to allow the kids to engage in play, all while keeping injuries to a minimum.
- Choose quality, durable timber play equipment designed for outdoor use.
- Install soft fall surfaces, such as grass, bark mulch, or rubber mats, under climbing or swinging areas.
- Perform regular checks: tighten bolts, sand any rough spots, and clean equipment to ensure it stays in good condition season after season.
Get the Kids Involved
While parents will need to make the big decisions on equipment purchases and locations, getting the kids involved is essential. Allowing the kids to make some decisions in their play space helps to develop a sense of ownership and pride, meaning they are more likely to spend more time outdoors and look after the space.
So how to get the kids involved?
- Let them help pick out plants or garden decorations.
- Invite them to decorate their cubby house with fairy lights, artwork, or outdoor-safe paint.
- Assign small “zones” and let them decide where different activities will happen.
Your kids will come up with some amazing ideas when they are encouraged to contribute.
Don’t Forget the Grown-Ups
While the main goal is creating a play space for the kids, a backyard also needs to be a space where adults can relax, recharge and spend time connecting with their children. By adding in the right outdoor furniture, you can help transform the entire backyard into a place the whole family wants to be.
Connect Around a Firepit
With the cool evening still hanging around, a firepit is a great place to spend some time with the kids; and who doesn’t like a toasted marshmallow! Spend some time sitting and talking about your day, create memories and new family traditions and simply slow down (your kids will forget the tv even exists).
Read and Relax Together
There’s almost nothing better than reading to your child, and a cosy daybed or sun lounge is the ideal space to do so while still getting the benefits of being outdoors. Shared reading time, whether you read to them or you read solo side by side, is a less structured part of the day - and it's certainly more magical reading outside under the fading light than it is under a bright bedroom light.
Be Present, comfortably
Sometimes, it’s not about actively being involved in your child’s play, but about being nearby where they can ask questions or start discussions. A comfortable seating area with some relaxing outdoor furniture lets parents enjoy a coffee, catch up on reading, or simply enjoy the sunshine while keeping an eye on little adventurers.
Plan Now for a Stress-Free Spring
Taking the time to refresh your backyard now means that you’ll be ready for the next school holidays and those longer sunny days that are just around the corner. Your backyard will become a low-stress place to keep everyone entertained, active and away from screens without needing to fight traffic to a crowded park.
The earlier you start planning and setting up your new backyard, the more time your family will get to enjoy it together. Whether you are looking forward to sharing morning tea at the cubby cafe or kicking a ball around after school, you’ll be glad you made the time to prepare.
Ready to Refresh Your Backyard?
Explore beautiful, durable, kid-friendly cubbies, swing sets, mud kitchens, and more at The Best Backyard. With thoughtful design and a focus on safety, our products help create a space where your kids can learn, play, and grow.
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