8 Fun, Family Friendly Landscape Ideas To Boost Your Family’s Outdoor Space

If you have children or are planning to have kids in the future, having a family friendly landscape can be a worry.

With a few considerations, you can transform your backyard or lawn.

Basic Principles For Family Friendly Landscape

If you are struggling with where you should start, stick with the basics.

These kid-friendly landscaping and backyard ideas are the ones to remember.

Safety Comes First

An aspect that all homeowners should consider for a family-friendly landscape is safety. Making conscious choices can help to avoid accidents and serious injuries.

Keeping an eye on your children, especially smaller kids, might be enough but doing more can help too.

Here are safety features you can note depending on your current landscape.

• Water Features Safe For Kids – Water features in your landscaping like pools or water ponds can be a hazard.Installing fences around them can help keep kids from falling inside and drowning.

  This will not only be a safety feature but can also be for design. This is also effective for keeping your pets away from your pool or pond.

Stay Away From Toxic Plants

Kids and pets have tendencies to eat anything they see.

You can teach kids to never touch and eat any plant that they are not familiar with.

The best way to avoid accidents is to not plant any toxic plants.

University of California, Davis lists plants according to their toxicity class.

• Major Toxicity means eating these plants can cause severe illness and even death. Examples are snakes head, heliotrope, and climbing lily.
• Minor Toxicity means eating these plants can cause vomiting and diarrhea. These are plants like English ivy, holly (berries), and mountain laurel.
• Some plants have oxalate crystals that can irritate the body and cause difficulties. This includes Boston ivy, heartleaf, and rhubarb (leaves).
• Others cause dermatitis or skin rash and irritation like rue and tansy.

Fit For All Ages

Kids will age later on and their interests will change.

Before installing a playpen or outdoor space, you can think ahead and see how long they will enjoy it.

Building a patio or deck can be an installation that you can use no matter what your children’s age.

You can also install patio or deck covers so you can watch your kids play under shade.

Older kids can enjoy a friendly landscape with their friends and use it as their hangout place.

Adding features like fireplaces or furniture can help it be more cozy.

Aesthetic Family Landscape: Family-Friendly Backyard Ideas

Adding more life and variety can help your family-friendly yard to stand out.

This will not only make it a place for your family to spend more time together, but it will also help your guests enjoy.
Fun Backyard Ideas: Secret Spaces
Kids enjoy having their own little space and you can create a “secret” space for them in your backyard.

You can make a fort, tee pee, castle, or even a ship in a spot like behind a tree or between hedges.

This play area can be a perfect way for your kids to practice their imagination.

An older child might want to use this to have a nook of their own for reading or playing.

Involve The Kids In Gardening

Some kid-friendly garden ideas are to start edible gardening.

You can help them start at any age, as long as they can start following instructions.

They can also appreciate food better and (hopefully!) encourage them to eat more vegetables.

You can also take the time to teach them what they can eat and not eat in your garden. If you already have a garden going, you can set a small patch where your kids can grow their own.

You can start by letting them pick what fruits and vegetables they want to plant. This can help them be more excited about growing and taking care of the plants since they chose the plants.

Once you have harvested your produce, they’re more likely to eat them! Involve the kids in gardening steps like planting seeds, weeding, and watering.

If your kids like small animals and insects, you can choose plants that attract them. Single bloom flowers in many colors can attract bees and butterflies.

Plants with nuts and fruits can attract furry creatures like squirrels and chipmunks.

Outdoor Spaces: Kid-Friendly Patio, Decks, And Kitchen

Outdoor areas like patios, decks or kitchens that you use for gatherings can be kid or pet friendly too.

Expecting your kids to sit through most lunches can be difficult as they get bored fast. You can add a swing or hammock for the kids to play around with.

Kid-Friendly Backyard Ideas On A Budget

If you have limited space and budget to work with, you can still make it family friendly. You can work with what you’ve got and any activity will be possible.

Consider Artificial Turf

Artificial grass has become popular for many homeowners.

You can set up a kid friendly backyard without grass that would need fertilizing and mowing.

You can also avoid trips or slips because of its uniform and even surface. If you are looking for a dog friendly backyard with no grass, you can choose artificial turf instead. Pet poop and urine is easier to clean and dispose too.

Plant Something Sweet

If you don’t have that much space for vegetables and plants, you can choose berries or tree fruits instead.

There are strawberries that grow low in the ground that your kids can pick. You can also plant gooseberries, blueberries or blackberries.

Your landscaping can be enjoyable to your whole family and this includes kids and pets.

Consider making changes according to your lifestyle and what your family enjoys. This can be a place where you can make memories with the ones you love.

If you want to invest in quality family friendly landscapes, you can call Big Easy Landscaping.

We have years of experience with working with families around New Orleans. Start planning a landscape for your family, and we’ll help you from there.

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