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6 Backyard Ideas Your Kids Will Love

Rachael Provost

By Rachael Provost
Updated May 15, 2023

A backyard playground gives kids a place to be creative while getting plenty of fresh air. We’ve gathered some fun DIY backyard ideas from Bob Clagett and Monica Mangin to transform your backyard into a space your kids will always want to be.

Skill

Beginner

Time

One Weekend

A backyard mini golf course and P V C pipe instrument.

Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Note

Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.

Mini Golf Courses and Music

Bob Clagett from “I Like to Make Stuff” has DIY outdoor play ideas that’ll get your kids up and moving. Learn how to build a mini golf course and a PVC pipe instrument for your own backyard playground.

1. DIY Mini Golf Course for Kids

If you’re looking for fun backyard ideas, consider kids’ games to play outside, like miniature golf. With a few tools and some basic landscaping, you can create a custom miniature golf course in your backyard. Easily adapt the design to large or small backyards and to suit the natural layout of your yard.

Caution

Before beginning any excavation, call 811 to check for underground utilities. Use safety gear as recommended for the tools and materials you’re using.

Watch the video above for step-by-step instructions, but the basic parts of the project are relatively simple:

  1. Mark and dig out the course areas.
  2. Tamp down the soil and pour a gravel base.
  3. Dig trenches for the pipes that'll carry the golf balls from the upper green to the lower green.
  4. Assemble the pipe and place it in the trenches.
  5. Test the pipe with golf balls.
  6. Add gravel around the pipe to keep it in place and fill in the trenches.
  7. Place PVC caps into the gravel to act as the holes. Add short sections of pipe to keep them from being covered by the mortar.
  8. Spread mortar mix over the greens. Level and spray the mortar down with water. Allow the mortar to cure.
  9. Trim the pipe flush as needed.
  10. Lay out the outdoor carpet, cut it to size and secure it to the mortar with adhesive.
  11. Cut out the holes in the carpet at the PVC caps. Drill holes in the bottom of the caps to allow drainage.
  12. Install rubber landscape edging around the greens.

2. PVC Pipe Instrument

Create a musical play area in the backyard with a fun outdoor pipe instrument using PVC pipe and fittings. This project can be easily moved or stored when not in use, and you can even scale it for adults.

Caution

Make sure your materials are rated for outdoor use and that you’re using the proper safety gear with your tools and materials.

To start this project, you’ll build a stand and then cut and assemble the PVC pipe instruments. The video above shows the details of the project, but here are the basic steps:

  1. Connect the 2-by-4s with the hinges to make two leg pieces.
  2. Cut decking boards to length and attach between the leg pieces as supports for the pipe.
  3. Attach chains to keep the stand open at the desired angle.
  4. Cut the PVC pipe to different lengths for different notes — longer lengths create lower notes and shorter lengths create higher notes.
  5. Align and glue two 90-degree elbows at one end of each pipe.
  6. Decorate the pipe and attach them to the supports on the frame with deck screws.
  7. Drill drainage holes at the bottom of the elbows.

Mud Kitchens and More

Monica Mangin has some fun DIY projects that are sure to have your kids putting away screens and begging to head outside.

3. Mud Kitchen

An outdoor play kitchen with colorful plastic dishes, a kettle and storage bins.

An outdoor play kitchen provides a place for kids to practice their culinary make-believe skills. You can create a simple countertop using lumber and a little paint. Open shelving, dish storage, a plastic bin sink and a rack for kitchen utensils add a realistic touch.

Here are a few items for accessorizing a mud kitchen:

4. Farmers Market

An outdoor play farmers market created by hanging storage baskets and an awning on a wood fence.

Convert a backyard fence into a pretend farmers market using some hooks, wire baskets and buckets. Complete the look with an old-fashioned painted wood sign.

Here are a few play farmers market essentials:

5. Outdoor Art Canvas

An outdoor plexiglass art board hung on a wooden privacy fence.

Give your kids a blank canvas for expressing their creativity with this erasable plexiglass art board. It can also serve as a menu for a mud kitchen, a price list for your farmers market or anything else your kids can dream up. It’s the perfect addition to any backyard playground.

Here are some items you might need:

6. Pennant Banner

A colorful pennant banner hung on a wooden privacy fence.

Add a pop of color to your kids’ outdoor play area with this festive pennant banner. All you need for this DIY project is a few, simple craft items.

Here are some essential supplies:

Questions About Backyard Ideas For Kids

What can I add to my backyard to make it more fun for kids?

In addition to a mud kitchen, a mini golf course and the other ideas mentioned above, here are a few more ways you can enhance outdoor fun. Building a simple sandbox or installing an activity playset are ways to create a traditional backyard playground for kids, but you can also try something new. Create your own DIY waterpark complete with water wall, waterslide and bike wash. And if your kids still need more, use rain gutters to create a toy car raceway or marble race track.

How can I make my backyard fun for my kids on a budget?

DIY projects — like the ones mentioned above — are often a great way to create fun, kid-friendly outdoor plays spaces on a budget. Depending on the project, you can look for items and materials you already have around the home and repurpose them to fit your project, which can help save money. Some other less expensive ideas for adding fun to your yard include having a picnic, coloring with chalk on patios or sidewalks and creating an outdoor scavenger hunt. Lowe’s.com also has an assortment of lawn games, perfect for adding a variety of activities to your backyard.