Author: Brian April 25, 2019

Guest Post by Hannah Jones

Lately, it’s almost too easy for kids these days to lose hundreds of precious hours to gadgets, video games, and the Internet.

Using technology is inherently not a bad thing, however, having grown up in a different generation, you would know that playing and being active outdoors offer unique learnings and experiences that even the most educational phone games can’t match.

Give your kids a chance to spend their time outside by turning your backyard into a fun zone with all sorts of games and activities. Here’s how:

1. Set up a swing or a silly spinner

If you want something simple yet still fun, the best thing would be to set up a swing or a silly spinner instead.

Now, although these should ideally be attached to a high tree branch, it’s alright if you don’t have a tree in your backyard since you could also purchase ready-to-use swing sets.

You could also opt to buy playsets that have slides, monkey bars, and mini treehouses as well.

Visit intopten.com to browse through your possible options.

2. Build a treehouse

Here’s a classic trick that’s as old as sliced bread, or maybe even older.

Nowadays, the number of kids asking for treehouses in their backyards is growing smaller, which is no surprise.

Why would they want to spend their time building and later staying in a significantly smaller version of their house if they could watch TV all day instead?

The trick to convincing them is by giving them the slight illusion that the treehouse will be their own space where they could impose their own rules.

For instance, if you don’t allow them to build blanket and pillow forts in your expensively-decorated living room, tell them that they can have their forts up 24/7 in their treehouse.

Building a treehouse with your kids is an experience rich with subtle teaching moments.

Additionally, once they’re already in their treehouse, you can slip in some lessons on responsibility and safety. It’s a win-win for everybody.

3. Host original plays

Are you looking to cultivate the creativity in your children?

An excellent way to accomplish that would be to build a mini theatre in your backyard where you can host plays with or for your kids.

you could recreate classic plays, it will be even more fun to ask your kids to write their own stories and choose their own roles.

You could easily set up the stage and curtains with some cloth.

The former could be made out of a simple rectangle of fabric laid out on the grass and put into place with some corner bricks or some other heavy object.

If you want an elevated stage, you could take the extra step and build a custom wooden platform.

Meanwhile, you could make curtains out of a clothesline, red cloth, and two poles.

4. Build a mini athletic course

The idea here is to build a kid-friendly version of the courses that athletes take on in the show American Ninja Warriors.

So, this is perfect if you’re kids are already into sports or other physically competitive activities.

If you’re not familiar with the program, its challenging obstacles are similar to the ones kids encounter at camp, including monkey bars, stump steps,
and climbing tires.

Indeed, this would take a significant portion of your time, money, and energy.

However, if you and your kids are genuinely committed to having this experience, then all the work will be worth it in the end.

Some of the Ninja Warrior obstacles that you could re-imagine in your backyard include the following:

• Quintuple Steps
  This obstacle consists of tilted panels laid out on parallel sides.To get through this, one would need to jump on the panels one leg at a time in an alternating fashion.
• Tire Swing
  As the name suggests, this obstacle involves a tire and a rope, which one would use to swing from one point to another without touching the ground.
• Warped Wall
  Perhaps the most iconic obstacle of the show, the warped wall is an upwards-curving platform that one needs to get on top of using their running momentum.

5. Put up a chalk easel

Create an opportunity for your kids to write and draw freely by making a chalk easel for them.

The great thing about this project is that you could control the size of the easel and your kids could use whatever color they want to write with.

Just be sure to use materials, like the chalk paint, that could stand being outdoors.

Spending quality time with your kids is crucial for them to have a fulfilling and enriched childhood.

By building a treehouse, setting up an obstacle course, or making a mini theatre, you could turn the space in your backyard into an avenue of fun, learning, and bonding.

Just don’t forget to set up all the necessary safety precautions before you do any of the things stated above.