Discover 30 enchanting backyard play areas, each offering a unique blend of fun, creativity, and learning. From DIY sandbox corners to modern play structures and cozy nooks, find inspiration to transform your outdoor space into a children's paradise. Perfect for toddlers to older kids, these ideas are budget-friendly, engaging, and safe for endless playtime.
Our school has an Outdoor Learning Committee that I am a part of. We all feel very strongly that the environment where the children play outside is just as important as the environment inside our school. We have worked hard to make our playground an area where the kids can run, exercise explore and yes...learn! Outside play plays an important role in children's development! They are working gross motor muscles and getting must needed exercise. They learn how to solve problems such as when social disagreements arise. They learn empathy as they help friends who get hurt. They learn to take risks and see where their limits are and feel empowered as they take those risks and succeed. They create games and role play. They learn science concepts as they discover things in nature and learn to look closer and ask questions about what they see as they discover new things. They learn kindness as they try to save an insect in danger or nurture a plant. They are literally learning about life and life skills as they play outside, so we knew the environment needed to support that. We had an area that we were having some problems with in the middle of our asphalt area. We wanted to turn it into something all of the kids could explore and benefit from and decided to create a Barefoot Sensory Path. We came up with a design and my husband figured out how to make it so that it would be sturdy and last. Our amazing PTO gave us funds to purchase the materials and we had fun shopping at Lowes for items that would provide the sensory experiences we were hoping for. Our team came in on a Saturday and went to work. Our maintenance team had dug the area down four inches so that it would be even with the asphalt. We put down a layer of paver sand, and then the 4x4's. We glued some materials to 2x2 pieces of plywood. The sections were all 2x2. We filled the sections with paver base and tamped it solid. My son even came and helped! Here is the finished frame. Of course, we had to test it out! Here is the finished path!! We were so excited for the kids to try it! It was a huge success!! The kids absolutely loved walking on it with bare feet, crawling on it and feeling with their hands and even laying in it enjoying the warmth radiating from it from being in the sun. Another new area we created was an area to create roads, ramps, etc. using scrap wood, cars, signs and other loose parts. This lovely lady below had the vision for this area! We also added an area to really work those gross motor muscles. Mr. Doyle created a boundary to keep it all contained to one area. We filled it with stumps, logs, and large branches. The kids have created obstacle courses and love lifting these up to show how strong they are! They jump, balance and create here. They collaborate and problem solve. They use both critical and creative thinking skills. This is a great area to develop 21st Century Learning Skills as they play! For our nature lovers, we have an area with plants for them to explore and observe. Some are edible such as peppermint and fennel. We have cone flowers, milkweed, irises, sunflowers and more. This area is a great place to explore and observe insects also! Here are some other things on our playground where they can let lose and have fun! Our playground is still a work in progress! We have many more ideas that we want to implement some day! One step at a time!
Fun STEM activity for outdoor play and makes a great science lesson! (Includes a printable rocket template).
Create an amazing outdoor art studio your creative geniuses will love.
FREE printable Symmetry drawing activity for preschool and kindergarten kids. A fun art and math activity in one! Kids will complete the symmetrical pictures by drawing the other half.
These free animal tracks printable cards are a great way to get your kids outside. They are perfect for the little explorer in your life!
23 Free printable bingo games. Check out these fun printables perfect for entertaining kids on rainy days or for parties.
The best guide to an outdoor movie night. A collection of fun outdoor movie night ideas. I have gathered ideas for your next outdoor movie night. Outdoor move themes that you can have in your backyard.
Step-by-step instructions with photos for a DIY outdoor chalkboard. The kids are going to love playing outside with this!
Fun nature science experiment using mud to make mud explosions. An easy nature activity for kids to do at home in the garden!
Tips for creating your own outdoor classroom full of ideas for making the most out of your outdoor learning space for preschoolers.
Summer is finally here and I am so excited to spend some time outside making family memories. My latest Pinterest obsession has been fun and unique ideas for outdoor kid’s play areas! John Woodford loves to be outside as much as possible and I can’t wait to put some of these ideas together! I can’t
The Empowered Educator - 5 Important elements to include in your natural outdoor play space
DIY simple deck for a modern playhouse - Our deck is 3' high, which is tall enough for a slide but not so tall that it feels unsafe.
6 Super Fun Family Reunion Games to play outdoor! Fun games for family that require minimal or no preparation. Awesome family games that are easy to set up!
Best outdoor games for kids to play in the woods with friends or large groups of kids. Ideas for woodland party games and garden games for kids!
These indoor and outdoor group games for preschoolers are simple, fun and educational. Build social skills while having fun.
Check out these 14 fun rainy day activities for toddlers, preschoolers and more! These activities encourage creativity and sensory play with the rain!
These are the 11 best easy card games that are actually super fun to play! These are perfect for kids and adults, so the whole family with enjoy them.
Learn the best parachute games for kids! If you want the best group games for kids, try these fun cooperative parachute games!
Looking for a fun way to introduce the writing process to your students? What about using playdough? Come grab a fun & hands on lesson for your classroom!
outdoor math activities for prek and kindergarten.
Build a Kids Outdoor Acrylic Painting Easel and let you child's inner artists come out. This DIY project can be made with simple tools and materials.
These bouncing bubbles are SO FUN! Best of all, they're super easy to make, using simple kitchen items like dish soap and sugar. No special or fancy ingredients needed! Blowing bubbles is always fun, but have you ever made bouncing bubbles?! There's something pretty magical about blowing a bubble you can hold and bounce on your hand. Make our easy bouncing bubbles recipe in only a few minutes to create hours of fun! This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a small commission which helps us run this website. How to
Learn about the Reggio Emilia approach, what it means for your classroom and how to get started with our list of easy, fun activity ideas...
A music wall is a great educational opportunity to introduce children to music or sounds. Construct one at your yard with our comprehensive guide!
The temperatures are warming up outside and it's time for some outdoor fun! Here are 30+ DIY Outdoor Games for you to create and enjoy this summer! Let's have some fun outside this summer with
Outdoors doesn't have to mean boring! Here are twenty great outdoor games for children that will keep kids active, engaged and entertained.
A camping dramatic play area is so much fun for your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten students.
DIY playhouse tutorial. DIY outdoor playhouse. How to build an outdoor playhouse Learn how to build a farmhouse style playhouse for your kids!
During the summer the last thing my kids want to do is practice math. School is out, the days are long and the weather is warm. They want to be outdoors enjoying the season. With
Grab our FREE Outdoor Scavenger Hunt printable to help kids get outdoors and enjoy nature! Grab the FREE nature scavenger hunt for kids!
Looking for some new play ideas for the kids? These backyard activities for kids are fun and exciting play ideas to do in the backyard.
