Create a magical outdoor play space that fosters creativity and imaginary play with these fun DIY outdoor play equipment ideas you can make on a budget. These outdoor play ideas will allow your children to connect with nature and explore sensory play while enhancing their physical, emotional and cognitive development.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN DIY BACKYARD PLAY EQUIPMENT: MAKE AN EPIC OUTDOOR PLAY AREA ON A BUDGET
Use these DIY ideas to turn your backyard or courtyard into an epic play area that's a feast for the senses, without spending heaps of money on premade outdoor play equipment. It doesn't matter how big your backyard is either, whether you have acreage or a tiny courtyard {like us}, these ideas can work for big or small areas.
If you make any of the DIY equipment ideas listed in this post please ensure you always supervise children while they're using them and regularly inspect them for any damage or wear and tear.
DIY WATER PLAY IDEAS
There's something so calming about the movement of water. Pouring, splashing and swishing water is great for tactile, visual and auditory sensory stimulation as children feel, watch and hear the sounds of the water moving. Water play is also a great way to cool down during Summer.
Recycled Water Wall
Collect some empty plastic bottles, jars and containers from the recycling and save them to make your own DIY recycled water wall. Screw them onto the fence, a wood panel, or a pallet and add a container at the bottom plus a few cups so the kids can pour and reuse the water.
Pipe Water Wall
You can also use a combination of recycled bottles and pvc pipes and connectors to funnel water down a water wall. You can attach them to a piece of lattice, a pallet or wire fencing with tape which gives you the option to change the configuration to create new directions for the water to flow later on.
Pool Noodle Water Wall
Another really easy way to make a water wall is using hollow pool noodles and a peg board. Follow these instructions to connect the pool noodles onto the peg board, then use funnels, cups and a bucket to pour and collect the water.
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DIY Sand & Water Table
If you want a larger water table that can grow with your children and also be transformed when they get bored, then make this DIY pvc pipe sand and water table. The table section is a large under bed storage tub and the stand and water funnel system are made from interconnecting pvc pipes. The pipes and funnels can be reconfigured to create different areas to pour water or sand through and the tub acts as a sensory table underneath.
Splash pad
If you have young children and want them to be able to play in water, but don't have a pool, you can make your own DIY splash pad with a tarp and pool noodles. Add some water from the hose or a sprinkler and you have a fun slip and slide splash pad they can crawl and slide around on.
Individual Water Blob
A great way for kids to cool down and relax in summer is by lounging on a water blob. A water blob is essentially plastic sheeting filled with water to make a comfy, bouncy and cool spot for kids to chill out. To make individual kid sized water blobs follow these instructions.
Large Water Blob
If you want to create a water blob that's big enough for all the kids to enjoy you'll need some extra large clear plastic sheeting and a hair straightener. Follow the instructions here to transform the plastic into a water blob.
I also recommend setting it up on some foam floor tiles if you have them as it'll reduce the risks of tears forming from friction on the ground. You'll also want to keep a roll of trusty duct tape handy to repair any holes that may form during use.
DIY MUD KITCHENS
Having a mud kitchen in the backyard is a great way to help children develop physically, socially, emotionally, and cognitively while enjoying the outdoors. While they're playing with items and ingredients in their mud kitchen, whether it be mud, water or nature items, they have everything they need to get creative making mud pies or magic potions.
Mud kitchen play involves lots of tactile ways for children to explore different soft and dry materials and experiment how they combine when mixed together. It also involves critical thinking by measuring each ingredient, role playing as a chef, baker, witch or scientist and helps develop language and social skills if children are playing as a group.
Basic Mud Kitchen
You don't need to have a fancy mud kitchen for your kids to have lots of messy, muddy fun in the backyard. You can build a basic mud kitchen with a few old bricks or cinderblocks and a slab of wood. Add some old or thrifted saucepans, pots, spoons, bowls and cups. All of these items could be found for free from friends and family or your local buy nothing page.
Pallet Mud Kitchen
You can also make a relatively cheap DIY mud kitchen out of reclaimed pallets and an upcycled kitchen sink which you can usually find at local salvage shops, treasure markets or on local buy nothing pages. Follow these instructions to turn the pallets into a frame and backboard for the mud kitchen.
If you want to use real water in the sink you can get sink connectors to connect the sink taps to your garden hose so water can run through the taps. You can also buy spare plugs if the sink didn't come with any, or simply put buckets underneath the sinks to catch and reuse water.
Large Mud Kitchen
If you have multiple children who want to play outside together, you may find you need more bench space in your mud kitchen and more than one sink so they can play alongside each other. Casey from Little Lifelong Learners has three children who spend the majority of their time in the backyard so they eventually upgraded to a large corner framed mud kitchen.
The design includes 2 removable bowl sinks, lots of bench space, numerous shelves for storage of pots, pans, cups and plenty of hooks to hang utensils. While it looks super professional, this mud kitchen was a DIY job and you can get all the instructions to build your own here.
Childcare Mud Kitchen
Another way to make a large mud kitchen is with multiple reclaimed pallets and reclaimed wood like Early Bird & Night Owl Childcare have below. The pallets have been used to provide storage for items and bench space, with metal bowls cut into the top for sinks. They've also used wood to create shelves for herb gardens so children have easy access to fresh ingredients for play.
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| Image | Early Bird and Night Owl Childcare Ltd |
DIY OUDOOR MUSICAL WALLS AND INSTRUMENTS
Having access to musical instruments or items that can create sound gives children plenty of opportunities for creativity and self-expression as they explore different pitches and rhythms. Creating music outside is a great way for children to learn to self regulate through auditory stimulation in an uninhibited natural environment. Just be mindful of the neighbours when they're being overly enthusiastic.
DIY Sound Wall
You can create a simple outdoor sound wall by mounting various kitchen items onto a vertical surface. You don't need actual musical instruments for a sound wall, many metal items such as colanders, pot lids, cake pans and even drying racks can become musical instruments when kids bang them. You also don't need drumsticks, just grab some large utensils like a spoon, spatula or potato masher.
Pallet Music Wall
If you don't have a slab of wood to create a music wall, or you want to make a portable music wall, salvage a used pallet from a local hardware store or buy nothing group. You can usually get them for free. Then screw on various kitchen items to secure them to the pallet. I love how this one also includes wind chimes and xylophone keys.
Wire Music Wall
This diy wire music wall is made using a freestanding Target garden screen. The various kitchen items and musical instruments are secured onto the frame with zip ties and S hooks. You can use a metal garden trellis or a wall mounted trellis for a similar look.
Recycled Hanging Music Station
If you have a swing seat or swing set that's seen better days and needs to be dismantled, keep the frame because it can be upcycled into a 100% free hanging music station. All you need is the empty frame and some old tin cans, metal flower pots or baking trays that have seen better days. Instead of throwing them out use some fishing line to hang them from the frame and you have a fantastic hanging music station.
PVC Pipe Xylophone
If you want to make your own life size musical instrument you can use pvc pipes and elbow connectors to create an awesome working xylophone. Each pipe will emit a different musical note when hit. Get all the instructions here including which width and length of pipe to use for each note.
DIY SENSORY PATHS
Children not only experience the world by touching things with their hands, they can also get lots of tactile stimulation through their feet. Walking barefoot is a great way for children to feel different textures while improving their balance, co-ordination and spatial awareness. It also helps to strengthen their muscles and promote natural gait development. Sensory paths are a great way to expose children to many different textures in a controlled and safe environment.
DIY Sensory Walk
If you don't have the space to set up a permanent sensory path in your backyard your kids can still experience the fun of one with a temporary sensory walk set up in tubs. You can use any shallow plastic tubs, you'll just need a different tub for each sensory material {the example below uses trofast tubs}. Use a mixture of dry and wet sensory bases as well as different textures like hard, soft, fluffy or sleek, but don't add anything sharp that can hurt little feet.
DIY Sensory Path
If you have the room to set up a permanent sensory path, use pieces of timber, or bricks, to separate each sensory section of the path so the materials don't mix. You can also use concrete to permanently set each item into it's section to further avoid movement.
Again the idea is to pick items with different textures, however you'll also have to choose items that can be exposed to the elements. A garden centre or hardware store is the best place to find materials as they have items like different sized river pebbles, gravel, outdoor tiles, cobblestones, decking and turf.
DIY OUTDOOR CONSTRUCTION PLAY IDEAS
Giving children opportunities to dig and build gives them an introduction to basic engineering concepts like balance, gravity and how to create structures. It also provides lots of opportunities for critical thinking and problem solving as they plan out what they're building, or move dirt and rocks around. Playing with vehicles and tools also helps build fine motor skills and hand/eye co-ordination.
Rock Pit
Set up a rock pit with different sizes of rocks from pea gravel to large river rocks and add some big construction vehicles so children can dig, dump and transport the stones around during imaginary play. Adding a frame around the pit will help to keep the rocks contained.
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| Image | Marula Montessori |
Portable Sand & Gravel Pits
Create a portable sand pit and gravel pit for lots of digging and sensory play using a large garden tray or tuff tray. If you have to move you can take it with you to set up at your new house.
Road Planks
Make outdoor play with cars even more fun with these DIY road planks. Children can line them up together to create a road or city, or lean them up against tree stumps to create ramps.
Backyard Race Track
If you want to build a permanent roadway or race track for cars in the backyard, dig out a shallow trench where you want the roads to be. Next fill the trench with concrete until it's level with the grass. Once it's dry paint the concrete with chalkboard paint and then use chalk pens to draw on traffic lines and other details.
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| Image | The Whoot |
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