Play Yard Ideas

Ideas for a play yard will range across the complete spectrum of affordability and content. Some kids prefer a home playground while others prefer a playing field. The best thing you can do when planning the design for your own play yard is to call those who will be using it the most into the development stage. Ask your kids, or whomever will be using it, what they want most from a backyard play area.

A permanent tent can be made from plywood that uses an A-frame design. The tent can serve as a clubhouse or a way to be outside even during a nonthunderous rain. The rafters of this easy-to-make DIY project are just 2-by-6 inch beams jointed at the peak with triangular plywood gussets. The base of the rafters can be fastened with metal anchor plates. A small concrete foundation provides stability to your permanent tent.

A high-rise playhouse is one built on stilts supported by a large X-frame. Atop the stilts is the playhouse and a small deck out front. The upper level is reached via staircase, but you can also give the option of a rope ladder. Getting down can be fun by installing a fireman's pole the kids can slide down.

Those who live a region that experiences sub-freezing temperatures for extended periods of time can create a play yard that is a skating rink. Build the rink by banking it with snow and clearing the area that is surrounded by the perimeter. A homemade ice rink is attained by spraying water first against the snowbank and then inside where the rink surface will be. Start at one end and work your way sideways to the other end then work your way back to the end where you started. Continue alternating this way until the entire surface has been sprayed with water. Spray twice a day until a 2-inch thick ice base has formed.

An authentic-looking 1800s fort can be made with a supply of wooden slats. What you essentially are doing is building a four-sided wall with ample space inside. The entrance into the fort can be either a gate or a hole cut into one of the walls. If you decide to go with a gate, bolt it from inside so that nobody gets accidentally trapped inside. For more authenticity, build a lookout tower at one corner that the kids can climb to via ladder.

A swinging bridge is a play yard staple and it's not that difficult to make one for your own yard. You just need to build six posts to contain the swinging ladder section. The swinging ladder is accomplished by drilling holes into the 4-by-4 planks and stringing nylon cord through them. The trickiest part is getting the perfect tension so that the bridge can be walked across safely. The nylon rope threads through the four posts, are pulled tight and then secured with steel rods and saddle clamps as platform posts.