Spending time outdoors with our little ones is getting more and more difficult, with children not only having the TV to watch, but smartphones, tablets, and a whole host of gaming consoles to occupy themselves with. Especially in the colder months, it’s a mission to persuade young ones to wrap up and get everyone out the door before it goes dark, which is why having a child-friendly garden with plenty to do can be a lifesaver. Rather than having to drag everyone to your local park when you need some fresh air, you can let kids play in the garden safely and happily, with plenty to do. 

Growing patch

It’s important to do plenty of research beforehand to make sure all the plants you choose are safe and non-toxic to both kids and animals. For example, many flowers commonly found in the garden can be dangerous if ingested by little ones, such as daffodil bulbs, hydrangeas, lilies, and rhododendron. It’s also worth making sure that none of the plants in your garden are sharp, thorned or overly delicate so you can let your kids play outdoors with little worry. 

There are plenty of low maintenance plants, fruits and vegetables for you to plant with your kids. Why not create them a dedicated patch of the garden to experiment with different vegetables and see what they can grow? Instead of just planting flowers that look nice, you can plant vegetables and fruit for your kids to harvest and even cook with you as part of their meals. 

Plenty of grass

While you may have seen many households opting for artificial grass over the real thing, it can actually be just as much maintenance and hard work to keep in good condition. Instead, having a natural lawn with real grass provides the perfect space for children to play and spend time, as well as offering a super soft landing, something all parents can relate to being hugely important. Children are naturally accident-prone so its important to keep hard surfaces and corners to a minimum in your garden until they’re older and have developed better spacial awareness! 

A healthy and luscious lawn is the best type of material for kids to play on, hence why the grass is still the most prominent feature of most family gardens to this day. What’s more, your lawn doesn’t have to be high-maintenance to take care of if you book in for annual professional treatments. Greensleeves offer professional lawn treatments to help keep your lawn thriving all year round in the varying UK climates, so all you have to do is mow it regularly. They also offer a huge range of free lawn care tips for homeowners to benefit from. 

Play area 

A useful way to make your garden child-friendly but still suitable for adults to enjoy too is to section it off. Depending on the size of the outdoor space at your home, you could separate areas off so all the family can enjoy it. For example, having a dedicated play area where your kids can let loose, have fun and make as much noise as they like gives them somewhere to burn off their energy in a safe environment. You can create your own tyre swings using recycled materials or look on secondhand marketplaces to find toys that can be reused to improve your garden in an eco-friendly way. It’s best to use plastic or treated wood play equipment that will stay weather-proof and safe for your kids over the years. 

By having dedicated areas of interest and fun for your kids, it will help to keep some areas for yourself that are relatively noise and mess-free!

Avoid water 

While a pond or a unique water feature might look pretty in your garden, it’s not worth taking the risk if you have young children. Not only is water messy, but it can pose a big danger to children if they’re left alone to play in it. Instead of having a play area that involves water, you should opt for sandpits or a mud kitchen where the kids can get messy without any potential risks.