Creating a garden that your kids love to be in is something that will continue to benefit you over the years. After all, encouraging outdoor play is a great way to ensure that your kids interact with one another, stay fit and healthy, and build a healthy respect for nature. It doesn’t have to be a huge project, either. There are a few simple things you can do that will make your kids love being outside.

Lay some turf

If your garden comes complete with a luscious green lawn, this is bound to encourage more outdoor play! A lawn is a great place for games like football and tag or for practicing handstands and cartwheels.  

If you don’t feel that the upkeep of a real grass lawn is something that fits in with your lifestyle, it’s possible to get artificial grass that is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Check out arbourlandscapesolutions.co.uk for a range of artificial grasses and lawn care equipment so you can get started on building the ideal garden.

Make the most of natural features

The best thing about kids is their imaginations. You don’t necessarily have to build specific play equipment for them to have a good time out of doors; even things like tree stumps and branches can make great material for obstacle courses and imaginary games. 

Be sure to keep hold of interesting branches and rocks to create an obstacle course or create piles of leaves for them to jump into.

Encourage wildlife

If you can encourage wildlife to make a home in your garden, then your child will immediately want to be outside more, too. And as a bonus, they will get to learn more about the world around them. Some ways that you can encourage wildlife are: 

●     Letting your grass grow long. Long grass is the perfect habitat for plant and insect species that you just wouldn’t see in a neatly manicured lawn, so try only mowing your lawn every four weeks or so.

●     Get a bird box. Leave food out for the birds too, and they’ll come over all the time.

●     Build an insect hotel. This is great for encouraging insects, and it’s also a fun project for you to work on with your child.

●     Leave a gap in your fence. A gap at the bottom of your fence means that animals like frogs and hedgehogs can always get in.

●     Compost. A compost heap is great for your lawn, and it also encourages things like woodlice and slow worms to make a home in your garden.

Plant a veggie patch

Planting a veggie patch is a great activity that you can do with your child, and it also gives them a reason to be interested in the garden. They will love keeping an eye on the progress of everything that they have planted and seeing what grows. As an added bonus, it’s a great way to educate them about how vegetables grow and where their food comes from.