Despite being so in tune with technology, kids still love playing outdoors. Now, instead of having to trek across the neighborhood and meet up at the public playground, they can have a jungle gym and slide at home.
Having a designated play area for your children in the backyard will keep them safe while burning off their energy. It also ensures that the places they play in are safe and well-maintained since you will be in control of its condition. To help you find the best backyard playground for your home and your kids, continue reading this article.
Table of Contents
Backyard Boss Top 5 Best Backyard Playgrounds for 2021
| PRODUCT | FEATURES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Lifetime Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set |
| Check The Price! |
 | Backyard Discovery All Cedar Wooden Swing Set |
| Check The Price! |
 | WELLFUNTIME Inflatable Bounce House |
| Check The Price! |
 | Step2 Game Time Sports Climber and Slide |
| Check The Price! |
 | Hooroor Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course for Kids |
| Check The Price! |
Why You Can Trust Us
We understand how daunting it is to go playground hunting online since there are numerous products available on the market. We want you to know that this task doesn’t have to be so intimidating and, to help you out, we’ve done the hard work for you.
Using our hard-earned knowledge from our backyard playground search, thorough research, and unbiased feedback from experts and consumers alike, we were able to find five of the best playgrounds for your backyard. We also wanted to go a step farther by giving you some additional tips on maintaining and using your playground at home.
Best Metal Set
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This heavy-duty playground set features a 9ft long slide for maximum fun for all children!
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Why We Like It:Â This weatherproof metal playground set is made for children to grow up with and grow into.Â
It’s built of powder-coated galvanized steel with rounded edges, high-density polyethylene, and rubber grips that are made to last for years. Great for all ages, it’s designed with three swing seats, a 9ft-long wavy slide, monkey bars, a trapeze bar with gym rings, and a fireman’s pole. It’s also a low-maintenance free-standing unit that doesn’t need any cement to be installed.
Who Should Buy It:Â This would be great for homes with a wide age range of kids so that everyone can find some fun in the playground.
Best Wood Set
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It’s a complete playground set that will last for years and can entertain many kids simultaneously.
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Why We Like It:Â This swing set is made entirely of special rot-resistant cedar with a tight knot structure that means it can last longer than ordinary lumber.Â
It’s designed with two activity decks, an 8ft. speed slide, a dual swing set, a rock wall, monkey bars, and a special trapeze-style swing. It’s a large playground that can keep nine kids, ranging from 3–10 years old, occupied effortlessly. It’s also easy to assemble, thanks to their intuitive 3D assembly instructions.
Who Should Buy It:Â This would be great for those with a large backyard and lots of children visiting regularly.Â
Best Inflatable
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This exciting bounce house can be easily set up when kids are in the mood to play and packed up when they’re done.
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Why We Like It:Â This inflatable set is made of a puncture-resistant synthetic fabric and is powered by an ETL-certified blower.Â
This bounce castle is built to handle all kinds of activities from excitable kids. It’s designed with several fun activity areas for them, including a foam dartboard, a basketball hoop, a soccer goal, a bounce and obstacle area, and a ball pit. Additionally, it can be easily set up and deflated within two minutes.
Who Should Buy It: People who don’t want a permanent playground setup but still want to entertain many kids at once will love this.
Best for Toddlers
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This is a small playground set up full of activities to prevent little kids from growing bored.
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Why We Like It: This compact toddler playset has a thick plastic construction that’s easy to clean and great for kids.Â
It’s designed with lots of fun games for toddlers to help them play while cultivating their motor, critical thinking, and creative skills. Despite being small and lightweight, your toddlers can practice their climbing, crawling, sliding, and even start shooting hoops with this. This low-maintenance unit is easy to install in any home, no matter the size.
Who Should Buy It:Â This is particularly great for small families who have distant plans of moving out of their starter home but still want a quality playground for their kids.
Best DIY
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This is a fun take on backyard playgrounds that can be carried around with you on outings and camping trips too!
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Why We Like It:Â This fun DIY playset takes backyard playgrounds to new heights.Â
This kit uses ropes and climbing aids to help your kids have fun. It’s made of weatherproof wood, polyester, and stainless steel materials. It comes with a 66ft Ninja line rope, various-sized ratchets, 12 climbing holds, 12 carabiners, three monkey bars, two gym rings, two regular rings, a rope ladder, steering wheel, swing, carrying bag, and a detailed instruction manual for adjustable assembly.
Who Should Buy It:Â This would be great for homes with lots of trees in their yard to encourage safe climbing activities.
What to Consider Before Picking the Best Backyard Playground
Playground sets for your background involve more than just choosing the one with the most fun. You’ll have to consider a lot of things, that’s why here are some questions to ask before sealing the deal on a playground set.
Who will use it?
Obviously, children will be the primary audience. Having a marker for their age range, abilities, and how many will use it simultaneously will help simplify this decision. Depending on the age range, different activities and materials will go into its design.
What material do you prefer?
Playgrounds come in all sorts of materials like plastic, metal, and wood. The material your playset is made of will affect its durability and maintenance needs. Plastic is easier to maintain, metal is used for all ages, while wood is best for all weather.
What is your budget?
Your budget should include both the initial backyard playground investment and its maintenance. Playgrounds come in a wide price range but generally aren’t a cheap investment. Including a budget for annual professional maintenance will be better for your playground’s safety and longevity.
Playground Safety Tips
Although most playground sets are tested for safety before entering the market, it’s always best to have additional measures in place to keep everyone protected. Here are some ways you can make your playground safer for your kids:
SurfacingÂ
Prepping your play area with playground-safe mulch will help ensure that if any child falls or trips occur, they’ll land somewhere safe. Soil isn’t enough. Kids, especially the rowdy ones, need proper surfacings, such as rubber mats, pea gravel, or mulch to prevent cuts and serious falls.
Supervision
Children shouldn’t be left completely unsupervised while they’re playing since they have active imaginations that can easily lead them to danger. Installing the playground somewhere easy to keep an eye on will help make sure kids don’t accidentally hurt themselves while still promoting their sense of independence.
Rules
Your kids must know playground rules such as no pushing, no roughhousing, and no playing without permission. These establish parameters for kids to enjoy without getting into any accidents. These should be explained carefully before their first time on the playground and reinforced regularly.
Demonstration
Before a child wreaks havoc on a playground, demonstrating each area will go a long way in making sure they don’t hurt themselves. Things like monkey bars and rock walls will be much safer if kids learned how to use them from adults.
How to Maintain Your Backyard Playground
The best way to care for your backyard playground is to regularly clean and maintain it regularly. Simply hosing down the playset will prevent mud compaction or insect growth in its crevices. You can also take this time to check the quality and stability of the set to see if it’s still safe for the children.
This keeps it ready for the kids and gives you a good idea of its current quality. The yearly maintenance day will then focus on inspecting the playset, and at the very least, retightening any screws or lubricating moving metal parts that need it. This makes sure it’s in the best shape for your kids and is best done through a professional service.
How we Picked
To make sure we only have the best backyard playgrounds on our list, we used a strict research process that gives us full certainty in our findings. We first sorted through the market for backyard playgrounds and compared all their features and designs. We then turned to various feedback for each promising playground set.
Expert advice gave us a critical view of each kit, while consumer reviews showed us how well it would do in the homes and families with different backgrounds. Finally, we tested each shortlisted product ourselves, giving us valuable experience and helping us determine which kits deserved a place on this list of the best backyard playgrounds.
Our Top Pick of the Best Backyard Playground
Although the competition was tough, our favorite product is the Lifetime Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set. This playground set is the best one for a permanent backyard set-up that your kids and all their friends can play in and grow into throughout the years.
That said, not everyone wants a large metal swing set in their backyard and might prefer something smaller or using a different material. If that’s the case, there’s no problem since we’re confident that you’ll find the best backyard playground set for you on this list.
