your own mini playground
Turn your backyard into your own mini playground: A playground for every budget!
Are you ready to transform your backyard into the ultimate adventure land for your little ones?
If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to create your own little mini playground, or don’t know how to do it with your outdoor space or budget, I’m here to tip the scales in favor of fun, laughter, and happy memories!
I’ll give you my reasons why you should have your own little playground in your backyard and also show you our favorite equipment.
Fuel that creativity
Kids have boundless imaginations, and their own space to play in the backyard is the perfect canvas for their creativity. From acting out wild jungle adventures to becoming the kings and queens of their own castle.
Convenient exercise hub
With screens vying for their attention, it’s essential to encourage physical activity. Having a playground in your backyard makes it easy for your kids to get outside and get moving. Swing sets, slides, and climbing structures provide endless opportunities for active play.
Quality family time
What’s better than spending quality time with your children while soaking up the sun, vitamin D and fresh air? A backyard playground creates an inviting space where the whole family can bond and have fun together.
Social skills on point
Invite friends over for playdates, and watch your kids develop essential social skills. Sharing, taking turns, and teamwork all come into play on the playground. Plus, it’s an excellent way to foster friendships in a familiar and comfortable setting.
No more boredom blues
“Mom, I’m bored!” – Sound familiar? With a mini playground right outside your door, those dreaded words may become a distant memory. Whether it’s a slow Sunday afternoon or a sunny summer day, your backyard is always open for business.
Parental relaxation station
When your kids have their playground in the backyard, you can keep a watchful eye on them without hovering. You can relax knowing they’re playing in a safe environment while you catch a breath or catch up on some work.
Year-round entertainment
Don’t let the seasons dictate your fun. You can enjoy outdoor play all year round. Summer sprinkler fun, autumn leaf jumping, or winter snowball fights – it’s all possible!
Valuable life lessons
Playgrounds of any form teach kids valuable life skills like problem-solving, risk assessment, and perseverance. As they tackle challenging play equipment, they’re also building confidence and resilience.
So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to turn your backyard into a wonderland of play and adventure. You’ll be creating a world where your children’s imaginations can soar, their bodies can grow strong, and the joy of family time is second to none.
Here are our personal favorites for all ages and budgets:
Swings are amazing! It’s fun for kids and relatively relaxing for the adult. Swing them with one hand, drink your coffee/tea with the other.
This one is a really great swing for the little ones! They’re securely strapped in and it has great back support.
This toddler swing has survived a couple of years of Florida climate without showing any wear. I love the high quality and safety!
This swing is being well loved in our house, often with 3 or 4 kids jumping on it at a time.
I love saucer swings! Kids can relax on them by themselves or play pirate ship or space explorers with friends
You can never go wrong with a classic strap swing!
Did you know swinging builds core strength and is actually really good exercise for your little one?
You’ll need a place to hang your swings. If you have a tree I highly recommend these straps. Super sturdy and very easy to hang.
Don’t have a tree? No worries, this heavy duty metal frame will do the job for the wildest kids.
I love watching kids play in the sand! It’s sensory play at its best and easily available if you have a sandbox in your backyard.
This sandbox doesn’t only protect the kids from the sun, it also acts as a pretend playhouse with room for friends. It’s also super easy to cover the sand at night, which you really want to do if you live in a neighborhood with cats.
This cute little turtle can be filled with sand or water and it doesn’t take up too much space. Ad a bucket and a shovel and your little explorer will be happy!
This collapsible play pit is so amazing! You can fill it with sand or water, use it for any kind of sensory play or use it as a ball pit.
With it’s foldable design it’s easy to store and you can take it along on vacation.
There is something magical about playing with water!
And this little water table is so much fun with all the pipes and pieces. Kids from toddlers to kindergarteners will enjoy exploring all the ways the water can flow.
If you want to enjoy your water table for years to come and you don’t want to have to clean it all the time, I recommend a cover.
It’ll take you only a couple of seconds to put on, but it’ll safe you time and money in the long run.
Another great water table is this one. I love the quality of the Step2 outdoor toys. They are really meant for playing and can even be handed down to the next happy kid when you’re growing out of them.
The matching cover for the Step2 water table.
Step 2 Up & Down roller coaster
This is a great toddler toy! An amusement park right in your backyard. It’s a great toy for the little ones to practice climbing and balancing. It’s fast enough to be fun, but not so fast as to be scary for the adults watching.
Little Tikes Hide and Seek Climber
Slides are so much fun! This is the perfect first slide for your little ones. They can climb, slide or let cars or balls race down.
Little Tikes Fold’n Store picnic table
Every good playground needs a snack spot. This little picnic table is perfect with it’s shady umbrella.
And if they’re not snacking, bring out some paper and crayons and let them draw and color outside.
There’s something magical about having a playhouse. Nothing is better for imaginary play in your backyard!
And this quaint little cottage is built to last. Even in the Florida sun and humidity the colors and plastic don’t fade or crack.
If you want to go with a wooden playhouse (they do just look better), this one is beautiful even for a little bigger kids!
But remember when you get wooden equipment for outdoors, they do need a little more maintenance. But it really doesn’t take too long to put on some waterproof sealant and depending on the age of your kids they can even help.
A mud kitchen outside is soo much fun, inspires imagination and boosts social interaction!
You might have noticed by now that I love the Step2 products. This kitchen is no different. I love the little details, accessories and the sturdiness. It’s also easy too clean. And trust me, it will get dirty with all the soups and cakes and potions that are created in it.
Get those little artists outside! A chalkboard is such an easy addition in your backyard and I promise you the kids will love it! This nice big board works inside and outside the house.
These stepping stones are on our all-time favorite toy list! They get used almost daily indoors and outdoors, are great for balancing and just the best for playing the floor is lava!
We love this flexible climbing structure! It’s colorful, sturdy, easy to move around in the backyard and every now and then we change the design for new adventures.
This is an amazing climbing dome with great accessories.
The kids will climb all over it and then hang out, have snacks, or just chillax on the hammock. It also comes with a swing, but for us nothing tops the canopy.
You might want to have enough hands to put it together though.
The Appleton KidKraft Swing Set is perfect for small spaces and has everything a kid could want. It has a fun wave slide, a rock wall ladder to climb, a chalkwall to draw and of course the swings.
As I said before, remember when you get wooden equipment for outdoors, they do need a little more maintenance. But it really doesn’t take too long to put on some waterproof sealant and depending on the age of your kids they can even help.
Creative Playthings wooden swing set
This set is a whole playground!
It has 2 sling swings, a ring trapeze bar, 10 ft wave slide, a picnic table, a climbing wall and a shaded, generous play platform.
It’s one of the coolest play sets I know and I absolutely envy my friends who had enough room to set this up.
KidKraft Titan Cliffs swing set
How cool is this set?! It’s big though, really big and really fun.
There are two forts connected by a rope bridge for plenty of action-packed play for your kids and all their friends. It has a rock wall, two long wave slides, shaded canopies and a trio of swing options. Plus you have the two open areas underneath the forts to play and let creativity run wild.
It’s going to take some time and some people to put this together, but it’s well worth the effort.
Little Tikes Jump’n Slide inflatable bouncer
This is a great bouncer for your little ones! It keeps them entertained for hours and is easy and fast to set up and pack up again. And it already comes with everything you need, the heavy-duty blower and the sturdy storage bag.
This is great for everyone with a small yard!
Who doesn’t love to jump on a trampoline? I for sure do!
So bounce away on this 10ft trampoline which will provide hours of family fun.
It’s strong, durable in any weather and safe for kids and adults alike.
For the summer (or in Florida really all year long) a splash pad is a great play option for the backyard! Easy to set up, it provides hours of fun for your kids and all their friends.
This splash and slide comes in different sizes and is great quality. I personally like that it comes with two body boards. If you’ve tried sliding on your belly, it’s not as comfortable as it looks if you don’t have the perfect lawn.
If you don’t have a splash pad yet, get this one as a starter and you definitely can’t go wrong! It’s perfect for toddlers to enjoy their first water play and still so much fun to dance and jump through for the older ones.
Melissa & Doug flower sprinkler
Remember running through the sprinklers as a kid?
This sweet and whimsical sprinkler is durable and attaches easily to a hose for outdoor fun for the whole family and a fun way to water your garden. My daughter loved it when she was little and it still brings out lots of giggles when we set it up. And by the way, the dog loves it too.
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