18 Free, Cool Things to Add to a Backyard Playground
Create a fun and exciting backyard playground for your child or your daycare for free or for few dollars! You don’t need expensive toys and fancy equipment to have an outdoor play area that will thrill your kids. These inexpensive ideas for a backyard play space will make your yard the funnest place in the neighbourhood.
The far corner of the backyard draws the children in like a magnet. It’s the play area in our backyard that’s entirely dedicated to the daycare kids, and it’s where the most care-free and magical moments of our day take place.
The old-fashioned simplicity of our outdoor play area makes it an enchanting place for kids to play, explore and learn.
There’s our play-house, and sandbox, which are popular for sure, and there is a myriad of other inexpensive play features that entertain, challenge and engage the hooligans for hours every day, all year long. It’s these play features I’m going to tell you about today.
Having an extraordinary outdoor play space doesn’t have to cost a fortune.
You may be thinking “But, how much does it cost to create a backyard playground like this?”
Well, that’s the beautiful part!
Aside from the playhouse and sandbox, which my husband built, most of the play features in our backyard cost next-to-nothing. In most cases, I’ve used items from around the house, thrift-shop finds, and various bits and pieces from nature to create this outdoor play area for the hooligans.
Tight-ropes, pulleys, water walls, balance beams… all just pennies to make, provide countless hours of fun and learning.
They spark the imagination, challenge gross motor skills and co-ordination, and encourage critical thinking and creativity.
Be sure to grab our printable list of 100 Fun Things To Do At Home This Summer too! Your kids will never be bored again!
Ready to have the funnest backyard on the block?
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18 Genius, Free Things to Add to your Backyard Playground
Click the links or photos below for the full instructions for each play yard feature.
Mobile Mud Pit
Want a mud-pit without sacrificing your lawn? Click here to check out our mobile mud-pit! Easy set up, easy clean up, and you can tuck it away at the end of the day.
Alternatively, you can buy this mud pie kitchen on Amazon.
Play Logs
If you know anyone who’s having a tree cut down, see if you can score some play logs! They’re one of the most versatile and popular features in our backyard. Click here to see ours in action, and to find out more about them.
No space for logs? Check out these balancing buckets for indoor and outdoor use.
Pool Noodle Abacus
A backyard “abacus” is simple to make and provides lots of fun and learning. The toddlers love this one. Click here to learn more about our pool noodle abacus.
Re-purpose an old white board
Got a white board that’s too marked up to use anymore? Move it outdoors! The hooligans got a couple of seasons of outdoor art out of this white board that was headed for the trash. Here, we’re painting with mud on International Mud Day.
Backyard Balance Beam
A few scrap pieces of wood make a toddler balance beam for a budding, young gymnast. It provides hours of pretend play and exercise and I can tuck it out of the way at the end of the day. Click here to see more of our outdoor balancing activities for toddlers and preschoolers.
A Rope and a Bucket
Without question, this simple contracion is one of the best things I’ve ever added to our backyard play area. The hooligans play with it all year round. Not only is it great for strengthening muscles and co-ordination, it also fosters team work, critical thinking and co-operation. See how I rigged up our Bucket & Rope Contraption here.
Homemade Water Wall
I made this water wall out of recyclables 4 years ago, and the hooligans are still playing with it. It’s provided them with hours and hours of fun and learning over the years. See how I made our water wall here.
Tire Swing
Our tire swing is another one of the most loved features in our back yard. An old tire, hung horizontally is perfect for one or for a bunch of kids to gather on. If your vehicle is due for new tires – perfect! If not, check with a local garage or service station. They may happily donate one to your backyard project. (photo only/no link)
Kid’s Clothesline
I rigged up this simple toddler clothesline years ago. Secured tightly so it’s not a safety concern, it’s just at the right height for the hooligans to use.
Our clothesline provides lots of opportunity for pretend play, and it’s great for teaching life skills, and developing co-ordination and fine-motor skills. Read more about our clothesline activities here.
Rocks and Stones
We’ve picked up loads of rocks and stones and even pebbles at the beach over the years. The children always have access to the rocks and stones in the yard, and they play with them daily. They’re kind of our backyard version of the building block – completely open-ended, they can be whatever the hooligans want them to be. See 10 ways that we use our stones and rocks here.
Sand Wall
Much like the water wall, our sand wall is also made entirely out of scraps and recyclables. It’s positioned in our sandbox, and it’s provided loads of entertainment over the years. Read about our sandbox and sand wall here.
Artificial Flowers
Pick up a bunch of artificial flowers at the dollar store or at a thrift shop. Ours played with every single day. The kids hold “weddings”, they decorate the playhouse with them, they “plant” them in the sandbox. Not a day passes that these don’t get used in some creative manner. Check out one of my favourite artificial flower activities here.
DIY WATER TABLE/SENSORY TABLES
Water tables are awesome, but there was no way I was going to spend big money to get one when you can make your own so easily. I pull one of these together almost every day when the weather is nice. A storage bin set a top a bench or patio table or even an overturned (larger) storage container are all you need for all your water and sensory activities. If you don’t have storage containers, no worries – a child’s wagon also doubles as a water table for a group of kids to gather around. You can check out the way we use it for our water activities here.
Backyard Tight Rope
Best thing ever! This is right up there with the tire swing and the rope and bucket contraption. We’ve had our toddler tightrope set up in the yard for years. The hooligans use it every day, all year long even when the snow practically buries the bottom rope. It’s the best for co-ordination and gross-motor development. I’m not kidding when I say our tightrope has provided hundreds of hours of fun for kids from ages 1-7 over the years. Read all about it, and see how to make your own here.
Hoses and Funnels
A couple of old pool hoses (or vacuum hoses) pushed through a chain link fence provide hours of fun and learning. Pop a funnel (or the top section of a water bottle) into the top each hose, and little ones will be kept occupied and entertained for ages. Read all about our hose and funnel runs here.
Thrift Shop Coffee Table
One of the best but least expensive investments I ever made for my daycare was this thrift shop coffee table. I got it for 6 dollars at a second-hand shop a couple of years ago, and we use it every day. In summer, it’s our backyard activity table, in winter it’s our art table in the craft room. Big enough for a crowd to gather around and water and paint spills don’t matter at all. See it in action here.
DIY Water Slide
For the price of an inexpensive camping tarp, you can give your kids a whole day of wet, water, slippy-slidey fun! ! We’ve been doing this for years here in my daycare, and the kids never tire of it. See how to make your own waterside here.
Add “running water” to your outdoor play space
Lastly, my inexpensive trick for adding a source of running water to your child’s backyard play area. A camping jug! Theyr’e in abundance at the second hand-stores around here, so if you don’t have one of your own, you can probably scoop up a used one for a couple of bucks! See some of the ways we use ours here.
And there you have it!
18 inexpensive, super-fun, super-cool things you can add to your outdoor play space this summer! Your kids (and your neighbours’ kids) will love you for it!
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
