Creating a Fun Outdoor Play Area in the Garden with Our Top 5 Playhouse and Playground Ideas

6 x 5 Shire Pixie Childrens/ Kids Wooden Garden Playhouse - Click HERE to View

To create the perfect play area in the garden, you must first assess your space, ensuring your play area works within the space you have available. In this guide, we will discuss five playhouse ideas that go beyond the basics to create a fun and safe play space to spark your child’s imagination and creativity.

Creating a safe, fun and accessible play area in your garden requires some thought. 

Here is how you assess your space to make the most of your outdoor space:

• Safety first – inspect for hazards and remove them. Secure the boundaries around the play areas and install impact-friendly surfaces
• Size and location – consider the needs of all your children:
  
  • Small children - need contained areas
  • Older children - need more space to play
  • Location - choose a location that is near enough to your house or seating area but not too close that you disrupt play. Ensure your play area has shady areas and even somewhere to shelter when it rains 
• Play equipment and features - select play equipment for the age of the children playing but expect those needs to change over time, so incorporate adaptability. Choose equipment or features that can adapt and grow with your children over time

By carefully assessing your space and combining practical elements with your child’s needs, you can easily create a fun and safe place for your child to play.

With some thought and a little imagination, you can turn your garden or outdoor space into an enchanted fairy garden, pirate ship adventure, secret garden hideaway, outdoor kitchen tuck shop, construction zone, arts and craft corner, waterplay area, sports and games zone, adventure playground or storytelling zone.

Here are some of our top ideas:

• Arts and crafts corner - outdoor play ideas should always incorporate an arts and crafts corner. Kids can get as messy as they like in a safe space designed to withstand the impact of glitter and Play-Doh. No mess in the house, it is a win-win!
• Water play area - the same can be said for a water play area with paddling pools. Add buckets, cups a sprinkler and water toys for fun on hot and sunny days
• Sports and games zone - keep your kids entertained when you upgrade your playhouse to an outdoor garden building and leave them to it. Add a pool table and a mini football table. Outside add a basketball hoop and let the fun begin with our inspired playhouse ideas

Try these combinations of theme ideas:

• Combine all garden play area ideas to create the best adventure playground that is safe and secure and can adapt as they grow
• Combine your enchanted fairy garden with a calm playhouse come cinema room to allow your children time to wind down before bed

Your play space will change as your children grow, so expect to upgrade or change it with them.

Once you have your basic playhouse, you can then upgrade and create a truly unique play zone. This will inspire your child to play outside with their friends rather than stay in and play sedentary games that will not encourage growth.

Children learn by playing, so you can teach a child so much by allowing free play in a sensory zone. Sensory components in your play scheme are beneficial for neurodiverse children. Turn your playhouse into a creative area with fidget toys, cubes and stretchy bands that help calm nerves and help install self-regulation tactics. Add a therapy swing; these provide vestibular input by introducing motion, which can help soothe and regulate the sensory system. The combination of a rocking chair and weighted blanket will provide a calm space for children and adults alike.

All children and most adults need downtime to reset and refocus after a busy day at work or school. A space set in your garden is the perfect chill-out zone. Add calming music and a water feature to help calm the mind, and your chill-out space becomes a coy reading zone and even a quiet place for older children to do their homework. Add a deck so that you can lie back on an oversized beanbag and look at the stars. Do not be surprised to see that teenagers love a calm space to meet their friends without going too far from home.

Let your child design their space. It sounds like a mad idea but letting them take part in creating their own zone will foster creativity and give them a sense of ownership. Start by letting them choose the colour of the playhouse and have an input into the furnishings. If they love animals or space, encourage them to add features that inspire their minds. Provide options they can pick from, so they feel involved. Giving your child an opportunity to develop their own playhouse ideas is empowering for you and them.

If you are lucky enough to have a large garden or area with trees, build a playhouse in the sky. Structural outdoor play ideas might need planning permission and help from a professional builder or carpenter, but even a few planks from one tree to another with a rope ladder and handrails are a great start. Kids will climb trees anyway, so why not make a nest up there to get a different view of life? See our blog about planning permission and other useful hints on installing a room in your garden.

You could go the whole hog and make your child’s space a home from home. Somewhere to camp out with an outdoor kitchen or BBQ area. Add some decking and an awning in front of a garden building, and this teenager’s den is perfect for adding more living space to your home. A larger garden building can grow with them and their interests. What starts as a chill-out zone can end up as a yoga studio or pottery shed. Many small businesses are started by young adults just because they have the space to create.

Encouraging children to play outdoors is easier with our range of garden games, swings, slides and playhouses with unique features.

Here are our top buys to keep children entertained this year:

1. Shire Crib Kids Wooden Playhouse is a two-storey playhouse which includes a garage, veranda and a 10-year anti-rot warranty
2. Add a Trigano Oreka Kids Wooden Garden Swing and Slide Set and up the ante, taking your outdoor play ideas to the next level
3. Are you looking for a playhouse straight out of the Swiss Family Robinson? If the answer is yes, you need the Traditional Swiss Cottage Kids Playhouse with a veranda. This larger-than-average playhouse has two storeys of space to enjoy, including a 3ft veranda, internal ladder, and large bunk bed. This wooden playhouse will keep your children engaged for hours
4. The Shire 4'x6' Bunny Children’s/ Kids Garden Platform Playhouse – this is a charming, raised playhouse with a sturdy platform, ladder and safety rails, making it an ideal choice for those looking at tower playhouses. With its elevated design, this wooden playhouse provides a fun and secure space for imaginative play, allowing children to explore and enjoy endless outdoor adventures

Our garden playground ideas are designed to inspire creativity and encourage a natural sense of adventure. To keep your play area in the garden tidy, do not forget to add garden storage so that you can put outdoor toys and furniture away. Add plenty of seating so you can join in the fun or not. Encourage children to get involved with gardening and growing plants, flowers, and vegetables, by adding a cold frame or greenhouse to instil a love of the outdoors from an early age.

For inspiration on adding a grownup play area to your garden, read our blog about garden bars and how they can enhance your outdoor life with some alfresco entertaining.

Creating a playground paradise includes adding features that allow free play in the comfort of your outdoor space. It’s a great way to keep children entertained. With the right garden play space ideas, you can create a space that will evolve with your child from a cosy den-building retreat to an exciting climbing frame adventure.

Whether you include a mud kitchen, a sand pit or a swing set, there are many outdoor play ideas to try. Choosing the right playhouse ideas and playground equipment will give you hours of fun and make the most of how much space you have. A well-designed garden play area will be fun but also creative, active and enjoyable for the whole family.