How To Create a Natural Playground at Home

What is a Natural Playground?

Naturalized or natural playgrounds look vastly different from one to the next. However, they all have key characteristics that make them "naturalized."

Bespoke Design in Natural Playgrounds

No two yards are identical. Naturalized playgrounds are bespoke, each designed for its own unique yard. They might highlight a hill, making use of large rocks, weave around a garden, or even build up into tall trees.

If you're considering building a new natural play area, start by observing your yard and the features that make it unique.

Multisensory Experiences in Natural Playgrounds

Natural play areas aren't just a place to run off a case of the wiggles. They are designed to stimulate the senses to teach and challenge kids while they play.

A naturalized playground should offer a wide range of sensory opportunities and experiences. Leaning into the environment, you might build a play space into a fragrant flowerbed, mirror the colors in your yard, or hang wooden wind chimes.

Multipurpose & Evolving Natural Playgrounds

Kids change their interests by the minute. Naturalized playgrounds are more likely to grow with children when they are built with a broad sense of opportunity. For example, a swath of curved, sloped concrete could be used as a canvas for chalking, a skateboarding ramp, or a place to sit and relax on any given day. As children become teenagers, playgrounds can evolve into space to practice a curveball or serve as an outdoor gym.

Risky Opportunities in Natural Playgrounds

As a parent, risk may be the last thing you want to build into your kid's playground. But, children will take risks with or without your blessing. Why not create safe opportunities for them to take risks?  Ropes courses, swinging bridges, and climbing walls are all excellent challenges to overcome at any age. Spongy moss planted underneath is also a fantastic, natural way to soften accidental tumbles.

Ideas for Building Your Own Natural Playground

There is no right or wrong way to build a naturalized playground. Let your natural landscape, your materials, and your kids guide its design and layout. Below are just a few ideas to get your creative wheels spinning.

Play into Your Kid's Interests in your Natural Playground

The beauty of a naturalized playground is each one is built for the kids who will use it. Each child has their own way of playing and things that interest them. In fact, there are 15 different kinds of play, ranging from quiet and inquisitive to loud and active. What do your kids enjoy?

Don't forget to look around your sheds, outbuildings, attic, basement, and garage for hidden treasures like these:

• Tires can be reused as swings, climbing towers, and pieces to an obstacle course.
• Rowboats and canoes that are no longer water-safe make great sandboxes and play gardens.
• Pipe pieces from past home improvement projects can be used as tunnels or portal windows.
• Metal and plastic containers from the recycling bin can be used as mud buckets, noisemakers, and organization bins.
• Down logs and stumps make excellent teeter-totters, chairs, rails, and climbing equipment.
• Old furniture such as entertainment centers, tables, and desks can be reclaimed and transformed into mud kitchens, workbenches, and potting stations.
• Rope can be used for climbing, pulleys, handles, ladders, and railings. If you plan to repurpose rope, be sure each length is strong and durable and plan to inspect it for safety often.

Of course, if you'd rather buy ready-made natural play equipment, there are dozens of options for all ages. Nature's Instruments, the Natural Playground Company, and White Hutchinson all have naturalized playground equipment available for purchase.

Tips and Tricks for Lasting Use as Children Mature

It may be hard to imagine it now, but your little one will eventually grow up, and the way he plays will change. Unstructured playgrounds facilitate free play, regardless of age and are more likely to mature with your child.

Naturalized playgrounds also leave room for adding new features to challenge growing minds. For example, today's mud kitchen might evolve into a chemist station down the line.

And, as they grow physically, kids might enjoy their play area transforming into a Mud Run or American Ninja Warrior-style home gym. Net rail climbs, hurdles, horizontal ladders, and half pipes are fun for all ages.

Build a Natural Playground in Your Own Backyard

Kids thrive when given the opportunity to test their personal limits and explore creatively. Free play encourages independence, problem-solving, use of language skills, sharing, and so much more. If you're thinking about building a new play space to help your kids run off all that excess energy, consider a naturalized playground. Unlike common plastic playground equipment, naturalized play areas are designed to fit your yard's landscaping and use materials you probably already have lying around.

There really is no wrong way to design and build a naturalized playground, so feel free to run wild with your creative ideas. Don't be afraid to get in there and play with your kids either! Adults benefit from play, just like children do. Why not build the play equipment sturdy enough for you too? You'll benefit from the outdoor exercise, and your kids will love exploring the new dynamic in your relationship. Playing together helps build valuable trust, teamwork, and social skills.