Any homeowners with children, especially younger children, thinking about having landscaping to transform their garden must ensure that both they and the landscaper consider those children when discussing the design. What is even better is if the created landscape design has features that help ensure the children’s safety and provide them with educational and fun activities.
For Perth Landscapes, the extent of these child-friendly features will depend on the garden’s size and the budget for its design and construction. However, most of the steps that can be taken to create a child-friendly landscape design are not expensive, as you are about to discover when you read the seven tips that follow.
Take Account Of The Children’s Ages
Landscape design for a family with children aged 4 and 6 will differ greatly from one with children aged 9 and 11. For example, any play area for much younger children should be close to the house so parents can constantly watch them. In contrast, older children might prefer their play area to be semi-hidden to give them space to play unfettered by their parent’s attention.
Select An Appropriate Grass Type
This points to the fact that lawns on which children play must withstand considerable punishment, wear, and tear. For this reason, you want to select a grass for your lawn known to be resilient. This choice will also be influenced by your lawn’s shade. Exposed lawn grass options are Kikuyu and Empire Zoysia, whereas, for a shaded lawn, you could use Sir Walter Buffalo grass.
Avoid Dangerous Plants
There is nothing to say here except to use common sense and ensure that no plants that could harm your child are included in your design. Examples include plants with thorns or spines, and most certainly avoid any plant which is known to be poisonous if it is ingested. If you are unsure about what plants to avoid, ask a landscaping expert who will know.
Create A Vegetable Patch
If you have the space and it fits in with the overall design, a great way to encourage your children to get outdoors and learn about how nature works and grows is to create a vegetable patch for them. It is fun and, (parenting ninja tip), a great way to encourage kids to eat vegetables is if they have grown them themselves.
Include A Play Area
This can be as big or small as your garden allows, including just about anything you know your children love to play with. Obviously, you want it to be safe, and as mentioned previously, positioned appropriately if younger children need to be monitored.
Include A Water Play Area
For an additional or alternative play area, you could utilise water. Whether you have a fixed swimming or paddling pool, a water sprinkler, or simply an area where you fill up an inflatable paddling pool for your kids to play in, it will be fantastic fun for them and a great way to stay cool on hot, sunny days.
Add A Climbing Wall
Children love climbing, so the climbing wall in activity centers is always very busy. You can include one in your design based on the size and age of your children, ensuring a soft landing underneath should they fall.