Backyard play ideas: Easy ways to have fun with kids! How to make use of your garden
When your child is little or a family member isn’t feeling well, it can be hard to get out to the park or go on outings.
That’s why I recommend playing in the yard.
Since the yard is on your property, it’s easy to play there, you can keep an eye on your child with peace of mind, and it’s great that you don’t have to worry about finding a restroom or drinks.
In this article, I’ll introduce simple yard games and toys, beginner-friendly DIY play equipment, and nature play ideas.
Find activities that suit your yard and enjoy fun time at home!
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- [Make with Kids] Handmade Outdoor Play Toy Special
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- [For Kids] Outdoor Recreation Games: Fun Outdoor Play
- Kids Will Love It! Fun Games for Your Barbecue
- Outdoor games and recreational activities recommended for children
- Play equipment that makes the park more fun. Popular outdoor play toys.
- Easy DIY! Introducing educational toys that can be easily made with 100-yen shop items and things around the house.
- [For Kids] Today’s Handmade Craft Ideas
- [For Kids] Today's Recommended Recreation Idea Collection
- Enjoy traditional games with your kids! A collection of DIY stilts (made from bamboo) ideas
- At home! Outdoors! Treasure Hunt Game Idea Collection
Backyard play ideas. Easy fun with kids! How to use your garden (11–20)
Playing with water in the shower
Some garden hoses spray water like a shower, right? This piece offers a simple idea for playing with that shower-type hose.
On a hot day, you can cool off by letting the shower spray over your whole body, or try misting it into the air to feel the temperature change.
If you adjust the angle of the sun and the direction of the spray, you can even make a rainbow—always a fun way to surprise people.
If your hose can switch between different spray patterns, you can feel the difference in water pressure with each setting and have even more fun.
barbecue
There’s something irresistibly charming about enjoying a meal while feeling the outdoor air, isn’t there? If you have a barbecue in the backyard, you can combine the special experience of dining outside with the casual comfort of being at home.
It’s also great for getting children involved in the cooking, which can be a chance for them to learn both the challenges and the fun of making food.
There are all kinds of tools that make barbecuing easy, so it might be best to choose equipment that matches what your children can do and have them participate.
fountain mat
When it comes to summer fun, it’s all about playing with water.
For those living in apartments without a yard, some enjoy setting up an inflatable pool on their veranda or balcony.
The fountain mat introduced here is a toy that will make you think, “I want to splash around in a grassy yard!” This fountain mat combines the best of an inflatable pool and a fountain: it’s a shallow mat, about the depth of the soles of your feet, fitted with jets that shoot water up from multiple spots.
It feels like the splash fountains at the park have come right to your home.
There’s no risk of drowning, so even children who aren’t comfortable with water can enjoy it.
I think it’s fun even for babies from around 0 years old!
fireworks
Places where you can enjoy fireworks have decreased, with bans on the use of fire and the like.
Even in such times, you can still fully enjoy fireworks in your home garden if you take proper safety precautions.
Even simple, easy-to-use handheld fireworks come in many varieties, which is part of the fun.
Why not observe the differences—how the sparks dance, how the colors change—and find your favorite fireworks? There are also fireworks that you set on the ground and let them spray upward, so it might be nice to wrap things up with a lively finale using those.
pool
This is about setting up an inflatable pool in the yard so everyone can have fun.
On hot days, the appeal is that you can cool off while enjoying yourself.
It’s easy to prepare, and since it’s simple to adjust the amount of water, you can keep it at a safe depth for play—that’s another plus.
It’s also important not just to fill it with water, but to prepare toys that suit the situation.
It might be good to include activities associated with water, like water guns or soap bubbles.
I also think it’s important to be mindful not to use sharp toys, so as not to damage the pool.
slide
If kids could play on a slide at home—something we usually associate with parks—their excitement would probably go up.
You could buy a small, ready-made plastic one, or try making your own by combining boards.
It’s a simple activity—just sliding from top to bottom—but pursuing the smoothest, most enjoyable slide could be part of the fun.
At parks, where big slides are shared by everyone, climbing up the slide the wrong way often gets you told off, but with a small home slide designed with safety in mind, that way of playing might be possible too.
Backyard play ideas. Easy fun with kids! Ways to use your garden (21–30)
Fun music play in nature
Let’s move our bodies together and enjoy playful music activities in nature while taking in the scenery and sounds around us.
Placing ourselves in nature and listening to the wind and the sounds of insects stimulates the five senses and helps refresh the mind and body.
As we sing, let’s wave colorful scarves and try moving them while imagining what the wind might sound like.
It’s also fun to sway the scarves with varying strengths, like a gentle breeze or a strong gust.
One of the charms of this play is being able to move freely and express yourself while sensing a variety of sounds—like leaves rustling and water flowing.
