Create a fun and engaging play space for children with these DIY backyard ideas for kids. These ridiculously fun ideas will transform your boring backyard into an outrageously fun zone kids actually want to spend hours playing with.
Are you looking for more neat summer ideas for kids? Check out these: the best creative sidewalk chalk ideas for kids, over the top ice cream sandwiches, best diy water games to beat the heat, awesome backyard swings that’ll transform your tired swing set into a mega fun play area for kids
DIY Backyard Ideas For Kids They Will Love Playing With
Be honest, how fun is your backyard on a scale of 1 to 10?
Are your kids reluctant to get outdoors and play? Do you find yourself forcing the kids to get outside and play?
If your backyard is a barren place the kids don’t enjoy using then you are going to love the ideas we have collected for your today.
Our mission is to help you transform your boring backyard into a ridiculously fun place for kids where they actually want to spend hours and hours playing outdoors.
We are huge fans of screen free outdoor play. We love that outdoor play encourages creative sensory play and provides a ton of opportunities for imaginative play and exercise. Outdoor play offers so many wonderful opportunities for both fun and learning. As a result, it’s the best choice for kids of all ages.
So, we’ve curated a list of over 80+ ridiculously fun DIY backyard ideas for kids that will help transform that tired backyard into a mega fun play zone the kids will want to play with for hours.
All of these ideas are completely DIY making them cost effective projects that you can undertake yourself.
These ideas are so fun that getting the kids back inside will become an issue!
What will you find in this post? We’ve collected the best ridiculously fun DIY Backyard ideas for kids. We’ve included amazing outdoor mud pie kitchens, clever DIY sand box pits, epic climbing walls, gorgeous playhouses, top secret treehouses and even refreshing water play. But first, here are the top reasons we recommend transforming your backyard space into an outrageously fun play area for children to begin with.
Benefits Of These DIY Backyard Ideas For Kids
There are literally dozens of reasons why encouraging outdoor play is healthy and stimulating for kids of all ages. Creating a fun and engaging backyard environment with these DIY backyard ideas for kids is a great way to get kids interested in spending more time outdoors.
Playing outdoors encourages a physical relationship with the environment which reduce screen time and boosts physical activity.
Here are some of the reasons why encouraging screen free outdoor play is the best choice for children of all ages:
Increases Physical Activity
When kids spend time outdoors they are more likely to get physical activity and move their bodies. Kids should get a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise every single day and creating a mega-fun backyard play zone is the best way to get kids excited about playing outside and getting more exercise.
These clever DIY backyard ideas for kids encourage climbing, balancing, running, jumping and twirling!
Encourages Motor Skills
Outdoor play stimulates motor skill development. Creating a play area with a variety of different play stations that target a variety of different motor skills including hand eye co-ordination, balance and agility is the best way to encourage the development and fine tuning of motor skills.
These fun DIY backyard ideas for kids encourage running, climbing and jumping which is all tied to improved co-ordination, balance and agility.
Boosts Imaginative Play
Nothing boosts imaginative play like cool DIY backyard ideas for kids. Let the kid’s imagination run wild by giving them a fun backyard space full of neat DIY play ideas.
From playing ice cream shop to pretending they are the foreman of a construction site, these genius DIY backyard play ideas for kids are guaranteed to boost your child’s creativity and imagination.
Provides More Opportunities For Social Play
Kids love playing with other kids. And, these DIY backyard ideas and play ideas are a great way to give your kid epic play dates and other opportunities for socialization. Let the kids spend their summer hanging in their treehouse with a friend, playing epic rounds of hide and seek and building creatively in a gravel pit.
75+ Incredible DIY Backyard Ideas For Kids
Outdoor Mud Pie Kitchens
Let the kids get creative and whip up their favorite mud pie with one of these DIY mud pie kitchens. Focused on connecting children with nature these mud pie kitchen require kids forage for natural ingredients to make creative dirt pies and other “dirt” recipes.
1. DIY 10$ Outdoor Mud Pie Kitchen (Click here to visit Let There Be Lemons for more information)
2. Pallet Mud Kitchen (Source Unknown)
3. Scrap Wood Mud Kitchen (Visit Intrusctables for more information and a tutorial)
4. Simple Garden Mud Kitchen (Visit Adventure’s and Play for more information)
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5. DIY Brick Mud Kitchen (Visit Learn With Play At Home for more details)
6. Backyard Mud Kitchen DIY (Visit Busy Bee Learning for more details)
7. DIY Pallet Mud Kitchen (Visit Whirly Bobble for all the details)
8. Cute Pallet Backyard Mud Kitchen (Visit Saris Garage for more information)
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9. Upcycled Wardrobe Outdoor Mud Kitchen (Visit Me & B Make Tea for more details)
10. Recycled Backyard Mud Kitchen (Visit Miss Kyree Loves for all the details)
11. Easy Backyard Mud Kitchen (Visit Arthur Wears for more details)
12. Perfectly Imperfect Backyard Mud Kitchen (Visit Rhubarb and Wren for details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard ideas for kids to Pinterest.
DIY Sand & Water Tables
Children love creating with sand and playing with water. Here are the best DIY sand and water tables that give children the opportunity to build creatively and play with water.
Made mainly from upcycled objects and wood, these DIY sand and water tables are rather simple to make and will provide hours of fun play.
13. DIY Raised Backyard Sand Table (Visit Three Little Pumpkins for details)
14. DIY Plastic Container Sand Table (Visit Southern Made Simple for the tutorial)
15. PVC Pipe Sand Table (Visit Frugal Fun 4 Boys for more details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard ideas for kids to Pinterest.
16. DIY Sand & Water Table (Visit Jamie Constiglio for all the details)
17. DIY Wood Sand & Water Table (Visit Jen Woodhouse for more details)
18. Kitchen Sink Sand & Water Table (Source Unknown)
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19. Discarded Sink Backyard Water & Sand Table ( Visit Stacks and Flats for more details)
20. Picnic Table Water Table (Visit M Lankreiger for all the details)
21. DIY Beach Table (Visit Home Hardware for more details)
22. Sensory Water Table (Visit My Love & Beyond for more details)
23. Raised Dirt Box (Visit Screen Free Parenting for more details)
24. DIY Outdoor Coffee Table Sand Table (Visit Hand Made Haven for details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard ideas for kids to Pinterest.
Sand, Dirt and Gravel Play Pits
If your back yard space allows for it these sand, dirt and gravel play pits are perfect for letting children get carried away with their imaginations. From beach pits to construction zones these play pits encourage motor skill development and epic opportunities for creative imaginative play.
25. Easy DIY Sand and Gravel Pits (Visit The Imagination Tree for all the details)
26. Sunken Sand Box (Visit Dea Vita for more details)
27. Corner Sand Box Play Area (Source Unknown)
28. DIY Boat Sand Pit (Visit The Owner Builder Network for more details)
29. DIY Village Rock Pit (Visit The Puzzle Connection for more details)
30. Construction Gravel Pit (Visit The Imagination Tree for more details)
31. DIY Rock Box (Visit Buzzmills for more information)
32. DIY Construction Zone (Source Unknown)
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33. DIY Rock Pit Race Track (Visit An Idea On Tuesday for more information)
34. DIY Circular Sand Pit (Source Unknown)
35. Backyard Beach Sand Pit (Visit The Wray Sisters for details)
36. DIY Wooden Sand Pit (Visit Childhood 101 for more details)
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Climbing & Rock Walls
These climbing and rock walls are a must for kids who love to explore while climbing. From climbing ramps that lead to fun super secret hideouts to pool climbing walls there’s a creative solution for climbers of all ages. In all cases, climbing holds are fixed to wood to create a ridiculously fun climbing adventure for kids.
37. DIY Rainbow Climbing Ramp (Visit Abbots At Home for more details)
38. DIY Pool Side Rock Wall (Source Unknown)
39. Deck Climbing Wall (Visit Deck and Drive Solutions for more information)
40. DIY Kids Climbing Wall (Visit Family Handyman for more details)
41. DIY Slide and Rock Wall Combo (Source Unknown)
42. Large Outdoor Climbing Wall (Visit Makezine fore more details)
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43. DIY Climbing Wall (Source Unknown)
44. DIY Bouldering Wall (Visit Reddit for more information)
45. Weekend DIY Climbing Wall (Visit The DIY Nuts for more information)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard ideas for kids to Pinterest.
46. DIY Climbing Fence (Visit Houston Chronicle fore more information)
47. Small Garden Rock Climbing Wall (Visit Design For Me for more details)
48. DIY Corner Climbing Wall (Visit Fine Wood Working for more details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard ideas for kids to Pinterest.
Hideouts & Playhouses
Kids love playing with forts and playhouses. These ridiculously fun hideouts and playhouses are the ultimate DIY backyard idea for kids. Give the kids a place to play, dream and imagine by creating a fun hideout or playhouse in your backyard space. The possibilities for creative imaginative play are truly endless with these fun hideouts, forts and play houses.
49. DIY A Frame Play House (Visit At Home With Ashley for more details)
50. Outdoor Playhouse (Visit Houseful of Handmade to buy a set of DIY plans)
51. DIY Backyard Treehouse (Visit Made With Happy for more details)
52. DIY Farmhouse Style Playhouse (Visit Thrifty and Chic for more information)
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53. Playhouse Country Makeover (Visit Country Living for all the details)
54. DIY Reading Nook & Sand Box (Source Unknown)
55. Raised Playhouse With Slide (Visit Ciao Newport Beach for details)
56. Plastic Playhouse Makeover ( Visit Rustoleum to get more details)
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57. Magical Spring Playhouse (Visit 1111 Light Lane for more details)
58. DIY Ice Cream Shop Playhouse (Visit Lovely As A Mother for more information)
59. Enchanted Garden Playhouse (Visit Country Living for all the details)
60. Gorgeous DIY Clubhouse & Lemonade Stand (Visit Love Jenny Blog for more details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard activities for kids to Pinterest.
Treehouses
A treehouse is the ultimate childhood backyard play area. Here are some of our absolute favorite DIY treehouse ideas for you to consider making. From tree stump tree houses to traditional shabby tree houses nestled in the branches of a big old tree these DIY treehouse projects are guaranteed to get your kids excited about your backyard.
61. DIY Platform Treehouse (Visit Repurpose and Upcycle for more details)
62. Raised Treehouse (Visit Hus Nr 24 for more details)
63. DIY Tree Hideout (Visit Home Aesthetics for more information)
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64. DIY Stump Treehouse (Visit Made With Happy for more details)
65. Rustic Tree Fort (Visit Houzz for more information)
66. Treehouse With A Zipline (Visit Barbara Butler for more information)
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DIY Water Games
On extra hot and steamy days, these DIY water games are the best way to get the kids excited about playing outside. From water walls to amazing DIY slip and slides, these DIY water activities are a sure way to beat the heat and have a blast in the backyard this summer.
67. Pool Noodle Water Wall (Visit Teaching Mama for more details)
68. DIY Kiddie Car Wash (Visit Mom Endeavors for all the details)
69. DIY PVC Water Sprinkler (Visit Lanham Creations for all the details)
70. Water Balloon Water Game (Visit Fabulessly Frugal for all the details)
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71. DIY Backyard Sprinkler (Visit Housing A Forest for more details)
72. DIY Backyard Water Dunk Bucket (Visit The Happy Housewife for all the details)
73. DIY Water Blasters (Visit Mom Endeavors for more information)
74. Amazing DIY Slip ‘n Slide (Visit Welcome To Nanas for more information)
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Backyard Games
Backyard games are another extremely fun way to get the kids pumped about playing outside. Make playing outside fun for the whole family with these fun DIY backyard ideas.
75. Backyard Jenga Dominoes (Visit Lemon Thistle for more details)
76. Jumbo Backyard Scrabble (Visit Sunset for more information)
77. Bean Bag Ladder Toss (Visit Landeelu for more information)
78. DIY Tic Tac Toe Game (Visit Tater Tots and Jello for more details)
In a rush? Click here to pin these mega fun DIY backyard activities for kids to Pinterest.
79. Painted Grass Twister (Visit You Plus Me For Always for more information)
80. Backyard Dot to Dot (Visit Say Yes for more information)
81. DIY Monster Bean Bag Toss (Visit Crafty Carnival for more information)
82. Backyard Slingshot (Visit Rogue Engineer for more details)