Creating Fun and Safe Backyard Landscapes for Kids

Designing multi-functional areas is important to good landscape design, and creating a fun and safe backyard for kids will ensure the outside area around your home can be enjoyed by the entire family.

Open Grassy Areas and Defined Boundaries

Kids need space to run, tumble, and play. For that reason, having areas of lush lawn may be a topmost priority. An adjacent garden could serve as a safe boundary to keep the play localized, as could an elevated patio that implies a physical transition from playtime to sitting or eating time.

For the garden concept, aged-looking pavers in light, neutral colors can create defined lines around garden beds, such as the old-world style of Brussels Block pavers and Brussels Dimensional wall from Unilock. Surrounding gardens with paver borders gives a visual line to the end-of-play areas, and also helps protect your gardens. Be sure that any plants in your garden beds around the play areas are kid-safe and nontoxic, particularly non-edible berries that kids might mistake for a fruity snack.

A Magical Garden

A Child’s best playtime experiences often come from their imagination, not special toys or equipment. When designing a kid-friendly garden, think about imagination-inducing nooks and crannies that encourage them to explore. Maybe tuck a small stone fountain into a hillside, by using a retaining wall with pavers reminiscent of old European gardens and castles, such as the rough-hewn wall. Winding, quirky walkways between organic shaped gardens is another way of stimulating imaginative play, for the children to imagine their own secret garden or hidden, magical forest. Include a bench at the end of the path, for curling up with a book exchanging secrets with a friend. If the walkway ends at a wall, a built-in bench makes a cozy spot.

Retaining Walls Serve Many Purposes

Consider retaining walls around sloped gardens if the play area abuts a hill, to help keep kids from climbing up on delicate plants or tumbling down the slope. Minimizing traffic on the hill also helps to protect the garden from erosion.

Short walls are a great option for creating a seating area around a patio or between a patio and grassy play area, for to kids to rest on between games or for parents to sit back and watch them at their playtime. The wall could mark a clear definition between spaces without blocking the view of the garden or the lawn.

Poolside Safety

When designing a poolscape or any landscape feature near water, it is important to consider the risk of kids slipping and falling. Fortunately, today’s high-quality, innovative paver products have been designed with this very issue in mind. With non-slip and non-skid surfaces such as Umbriano [https://unilock.com/products/enduracolor-plus/umbriano/] pavers from Unilock, you can create beautiful and safe pool areas for your home. Umbriano has the appearance of natural granite and comes in multiple hues ranging from gray to rich browns and black. Its non-slip surface makes it an appropriate choice for pool decks and patios.

Family Dining

Keeping the play area near your main patio or outdoor cooking and dining area is usually advisable when designing a family-friendly landscape. Kids can run and play on long summer afternoons while the adults cook dinner or lounge on the patio nearby, enabling the grown-ups to have a close eye on the children, who can freely play. Many families today consider the option of an outdoor pizza oven. The Brussels Dimensional Stone [https://unilock.com/products/steps/brussels-dimensional-stone-2] is a highly adaptable product that can be used to build any number of vertical elements, including a stone pizza oven structure.

Need More Ideas?

Unilock Authorized Contractors have experience with an array of landscape projects, including those that prioritize family-friendly, kid-safe outdoor gathering and play areas. Their landscape designs can help you take a holistic view of your landscape to arrange a workable, safe backyard that works for the entire family while using quality, beautiful landscape materials you won’t find anywhere else.

To start transforming or updating your landscape, check out our Design Idea Catalog, or reach out to us and we’ll guide you through the entire process.