5 Tips for Designing a Children-Friendly Garden

As any parent will tell you, having a garden when you have children can be fantastic. It gives them an additional place to play, one that promotes exercise and fresh air. The best thing about it is that you can keep an eye on your kids while they’re out there.

However, there are numerous hazards in gardens that can pose a risk to children. If you want your kids to enjoy your garden and maximise its potential benefits, you must take steps to ensure your garden is children-friendly. Read on to find out how.

Garden Fencing

One of the most important steps to take when designing a child-friendly garden is to install garden fencing. A garden fence serves a number of purposes. First and foremost, it will stop your children from leaving the garden and wandering off. Young children love to explore, so it’s vital you have a barrier in place to prevent them from escaping and potentially getting lost.

A garden fence will keep your kids in and can also help keep threats out. Fencing means privacy and protection, it can stop intruders or potentially dangerous wild animals entering your garden while your children play. Garden fences come in all shapes and sizes, so visit MacBlair builders merchants to see what’s on offer.

Watch Out for Poisonous Plants

Having a garden means you can grow lots of plants and flowers. These can be wonderful to look at and can make your garden feel colourful, vibrant, and alive. However, not all plants are safe, and it’s important you’re aware of which are toxic to ensure they are not present in your garden.

Oleander, azalea, and foxglove and particularly poisonous, these should be kept out of your garden and away from your children at all costs. Poison ivy should also be avoided, and even the humble daffodil can pose a threat to children if they ingest the flowers.

Get Play Equipment

Once you have removed threats from your garden, you can start adding play equipment that will help your children enjoy their time outdoors. There are countless different toys and structures you can get for your garden, with things like trampolines and climbing frames eternally popular.

However, it’s always important to supervise your children when using play equipment to ensure they are doing so safely and to prevent any injuries from occurring.

Create Different Areas

A garden can be a wonderful place for your children, but it’s always an important space for adults. Rather than letting your children completely take over your garden space, you should try to divide it into distinct areas, one for you and one for your kids.

The kids’ area can be full of their toys and games, while the adults’ area can have garden furniture, the ideal place to relax and entertain guests. Teach your children the importance of respecting the different garden areas, this way you’ll have a garden that the full family can enjoy.

Welcome Wildlife

A garden can be the perfect way to teach your children about the natural world and how to respect it. Attracting wildlife to your garden can help your children learn about the animal world and is a wonderful way to create stronger bonds with your kids.

Read up about specific flowers which can be used to attract bees and butterflies. A small pond is the perfect way to attract frogs, newts, and dragonflies. If you do build a pond, always supervise your children around it to stop them from falling in.

Conclusion

Use the five tips we’ve outlined in the guide above to create the perfect garden for your children to enjoy.