A backyard space provides you a space that you can personalize to your own preference and usage. You can add in a backyard environment for relaxation or backyard get-togethers with, for example, a pool, cookout area, and fire pit. Your backyard is also a great space to dedicate for a playground for your children to enjoy. Here are some tips to help you build a backyard play area to help entertain your young family members and their friends for hours.

Install a Layer of Wood Chips

When you are ready to build a backyard playground, it can be helpful to add in a softer cushion material below the swings and slides to promote safety and prevent injury. A great type of material is to use a playground wood chip mixture, which you can layer over the soil. This type of wood chips will also improve the appearance of your yard and keep down weeds in addition to making a soft landing for accidental falls on top of the yard's hard soil. 

There are a variety of choices of materials you can choose from for your playground surface, in addition to traditional wood chips. You can look for shredded wood and also recycled rubber wood chips. This type of recycled rubber from tires provides the look of wood chips but improves the cushion around the play area. Check with a local mulch provider to find out their current selection of playground wood chip and mulch options.

Install Landscape Fabric

A most important part of installing your playground site is to lay down a protective layer of landscape fabric. A layer of landscape fabric installed before you add in your mulch material will help keep down weed growth to boost the condition and appearance of your mulch and will prevent soil from coming up into the mulch materials.

Use Bordering Material

In addition to adding landscape fabric, you should consider adding a playground mulch border to keep the mulch from scattering into your lawn. You can choose from a variety of border materials, such as recycled railroad ties, bricks, stones, or concrete edging. Select the type of look you want for your backyard playground, matching the border material with any other landscape borders you already have in place.

Plant Green Shade

Another important part of a backyard playground is to provide natural shade to the space. Green shade created by green living plants and trees will cool your playground space and also cool the air by the process of evapotranspiration. This process is in which the trees release tiny water droplets into the air, thereby cooling the space in your yard. A lush green lawn will also promote this process and cool the backyard space during the heat of summer to help prevent heat injuries.