The average American child spends five to seven hours watching television or using electronic equipment each day. A high screen time allowance, on the other hand, can disrupt your children’s sleep, increase the risk of attention deficit disorders, and contribute to childhood obesity. Whether you have a backyard or not, we’ve got a few great DIY projects that will get your kids excited about spending time in nature. Join us as we explore ways to get the kids outdoors and have fun as we explore.
You can make many of these projects with junk like scrap lumber, old pots, and grocery bags that you might already have on hand. It doesn’t have to be finished for you to take kids away from their devices. It is a great way to teach organization skills and spend time with children by working on the building and planning. It will make them and their teachers proud, and they will thank you for it!
Musical fence
You can build a music fence either from a section of an existing fence or by using plywood. Fix an old pot, a pipe, a bucket, bells, or any other object that makes various sounds. In no time at all, your kids will be making music with drumsticks, spoons, or sticks from your yard. Decorative components can be added to the fence both before and after the “instruments.”
Firepit
Having a fire pit in your backyard will keep the fun going long into the night. You can dig a hole and line it with bricks at any age, or you can build one above ground. Ensure that there is enough room around the circle for chairs and choose the right spot away from the house or dry wood. It takes a few hours to build the majority of fire pits. You won’t want to miss the ghost stories or the s’mores.
Plastic-bag hammock
This idea makes it possible for crafty kids to keep themselves occupied and provide a cozy place to relax after they’ve finished. Making a hammock from plastic bags only takes a little braiding and knotting. To enjoy your hammock, hang it between trees or build a stand to attach it to. Weatherproof and quite comfortable, plastic bags are a great option. Plastic bags are also crocheted into sleeping mats that are used by the homeless.
Backyard bowling alley
Here’s an innovative project that can make your family envy the neighborhood and save you money on bowling shoes and lane fees. Purchase a ten-pin bowling set. It is possible to purchase used bowling pins online or at bowling alleys in your area. The backyard bowling alley can then be built with lumber, a pulley, and some elbow grease. Depending on your skill level, gutters and bumpers can be added. The pins are reset when you pull a string, making them the best.
Carnival dunk bucket game
Dunk bucket games can be created on hot days without an elaborate tank. Just grab a 5-gallon bucket, a few hinges, some wood, and tennis balls, and you’re good to go. Lastly, you’ll need a willing participant who doesn’t mind getting soaked!
Ninja-style obstacle course
Your backyard can be transformed into an epic Ninja obstacle course for as little as $200 worth of supplies. Obstacle courses aren’t just fun. And they also help develop motor skills and teach perseverance and determination. Your kids can work on speeding up their course once they have mastered it. As a thrill and a cardiovascular workout – it’s a good idea to layout some safety rules before releasing them.
Koi pond
Koi ponds provide hours of enjoyment and can potentially add value to your home as well. You can begin by using a preformed liner. Don’t dig until you’ve checked for underground cables and wires. It is best to locate your flower bed away from trees with leaves that drop. You can cover the edges of the retaining wall with rocks and plants and add lights, a fountain, and so on.
Lawn ‘Twister’
This popular party game gets a new twist. Make your own Twister game in the backyard with a circle stencil and spray paint. Ensure that players can reach each color for each spin, no matter how big or small it is. It is easy to create a circle pattern on your lawn using a piece of durable cardboard. Consider using biodegradable paints or spray paints that will dissolve in time.
Climbing wall
For both adults and children, climbing walls provide strength and agility training. One can be built on a blank wall, tree trunk, swing set frame, or even a blank wall with plywood, screws, and hand and footholds. To decorate the wall, let your kids have fun with paint and other embellishments.
Homemade plant-watering machine
When you make your elaborate device do mundane chores, like watering your plants, they are more entertaining. Consider constructing a Rube-Goldberg-style watering machine for your kids to develop some engineering skills. In addition to toy racecar tracks, tubes, scrap wood, soup cans, marbles, and golf balls, you can use anything around the house. The best part is that it is just as fun as working on it and testing out as it is when you get to show the finished project.
Croquet, ring toss, or javelin all made with Pool noodles
Crafting with pool noodles is a great way to have fun outdoors. Simple duct tape can transform them into many different shapes and cheap, colorful, and durable. Making a ring toss game with pool noodles, javelin targets, or croquet would be fun.
Soda-bottle sprinkler
Sprinklers are a kid’s favorite, but making their own takes the fun to a whole new level. Through poking holes large enough to allow water to pass through, you can guide them through a large soda or water bottle. Make sprinklers with a garden hose and tell everyone to get into swimsuits and have a great time. You can use the hose as an overhead sprinkler by looping it over a tree branch.
When the weather is nice, get your kids involved in these and other fun projects found on the internet. It’s good for the whole family to build things instead of relying on technology for entertainment. Exercise makes kids hungry for substantial meals and snacks, so they’re less likely to indulge in unhealthy snacks.
