How to easily design a garden that captures your child’s imagination
How many hours a day do your little ones spend outside? New data has shown has shown that about three-quarters of children in the UK spend less than an hour outdoors daily.
Gardens are a perfect place to engage your child in imaginative play in nature. Designing a child-friendly garden doesn’t have to require a full landscaping team. Here are some fantastic, easy-to-implement ideas to get you started.
Include A Unique Feature
A quick way to spark some creativity in the garden is to add a little feature that encourages interaction. This feature could be a little statue of an animal your little one loves or an ornamental outdoor water fountain for them to practice tossing coins into and making wishes. Or how about a little make-believe mailbox or a fairy house?
Children love to grant objects human personalities, and a figurine could invite them to step into a land of pretend. Psychologists find that make-believe play has many benefits and so does playing outside. This is a win-win.
Make A Little Maze
Instead of digging the rows of your garden in straight lines, add in a fun activity by designing a maze instead. Depending on your child’s age, you can ask him or her to help with the design planning, or simply have fun exploring it once it is created. This little adventure will make your child feel that a garden is a place for adventures.
Accessible And Safe
Make your garden a fun place for your child to spend time by removing any objects with sharp edges. The sides of a raised garden bed should be small enough that a child can easily handle the plants inside. Give your kids a small version of a few gardening tools so that they can help you tend to the plants.
When it comes to garden design, most of us adults are efficient in nature. We think about pairing the right plants together and leaving space between rows so that we don’t crush anything when we weed. To design a child-friendly garden, you need to start thinking like a kid. Use your imagination and create a space that encourages play, make-believe, and adventure.
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I just commented on how it seemed that kids in the UK were outside far more then kids here in the States. Then I read your blog and I am surprised….so this garden idea is a timely one indeed!
Yes I think it differs from family to family. For us, my children are outside every day, whatever the weather! I have friends whose kids hate going outdoors, mine don’t get the choice! xx
Gardens are great places for kids. I used to love my nans garden as there was loads of nice plants ans grass to play on
There’s nothing my children love more than being out in the garden! It’s great for them to be outdoors. xx
This is such a lovely post filled with great ideas. It reminds me of my neighbours garden in Northampton. When I was a child I believed it was a magical garden ( I still do). She and I formed an instant connection. When she saw me playing outside, she would cross the street to collect me and bring me back to her garden where we would take tea. My Mother used to get quite cross with her because she would never ask permission…lol. But another neighbour would always let my Mother know I was across the street. It the 70’s when things were simpler. Have you created a maze for your children?
Ahh that’s lovely – although maybe not for your Mother! Life was much more simple back then! No I haven’t done it yet but we are going to this weekend! xx
I love the idea of building a little maze , also swing sets are a good idea I remember loving mine as a child! 🙂
Mine have a swing set and absolutely lovely it! xx
Our garden is definitely on my To Do list, I’m determined to make it totally child friendly.
We are renovating ours at the moment! It’s a big job! x
I love this idea, there is nothing like having a fun outside area to play in – I was lucky growing up we had a park at the end of the cul-de-sac we lived in that for the most part only the close kids played in.
Ahh us too, I love mine being outdoors, so much more fun that stuck watching TV! xx
I may not be a child but I love the sound of all these ideas! From a fairy house to a pretend mailbox and outdoor water fountain, these are such creative elements to have in a garden, that I’m sure all children would love
Oh me too! Anything to do with fairies – I’m sold! xx
Some lovely ideas. Nothing beats spending time playing in the garden when you are a kid
I agree, we’ve done it all day long today! xx
My children love being in the garden. It’s true figurines can be great for sparking creative play. I have a couple in the garden.
Us too, the kids love using their imagination to play with them! xx
Awwwh I like this idea!! We are going to make a fairy garden as a little feature in our garden for the kids!
Ahh that sounds lovely, fairy gardens are so much fun! xx
I used to love playing in the garden as a kid. We had a big play area, but a maze would have been amazing! x
Me too! We were never indoors! xx
Great suggestions, these, but may I also suggest the reason why UK kids spend so much time indoors is because the UK weather is terrible, lol! It’s not been much of a summer, has it.
Haha totally agree! We’ve had our rain coats and wellies on most days! xx
Great idea with the maze, we used to do a similar thing with chalk on our patio as kids – it was always fun!
Oh that sounds like fun! xx
The data honestly doesn’t surprise me. Kids have so much tech indoors, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing – but it would be nice to get them outdoors and active!
I completely agree! xx
the maze is a good idea. with them helping you to plan, it gets their creativity going
I agree, so much fun! xx
That Life of Pooh sign is so adorable! Love these ideas
Oh I know, too cute! xx
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