Are you looking for a fun way to get your children outside without having to leave the backyard? Have you been searching for a way to encourage physical activity and creative imagination while leaving behind “the screen” more often? Creating a fun play area that your child will enjoy is the secret to success. This is where a lifetime playset really shines.
These durable playsets and swing sets are not only built for fun but are also built to last. In many cases, even surviving for more than one generation. They are a great investment for now and for many years to come.
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The Backyard Boss Top Lifetime Swing and Playsets for 2021
| PRODUCT | FEATURES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Lifetime Big Stuff Adventure Swing Set |
| Check The Price! |
 | Lifetime Adventure Tower Deluxe Playset |
| Check The Price! |
 | Lifetime Adventure Tunnel Swing Set |
| Check The Price! |
 | Lifetime Double Slide Deluxe |
| Check The Price! |
 | Lifetime Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set |
| Check The Price! |
Why You Can Trust Us
The Backyard Boss team includes a wide variety of outdoor lovers, each with their own families and loved ones. We enjoy spending as much time out in the fresh air as possible and love the fact that outdoor playsets and swing sets teach the value of spending time outdoors at a young age. For this reason, many of us have invested in our playsets for our children, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren to enjoy.
When I was younger, my mother invested in a high-quality slide and swing set that was originally built for a public park setting. While it didn’t include many of the bells and whistles that are now available on playsets, it was designed to last. To this day, my nieces and nephews are excited to play in her yard, continuing to enjoy the same playset that their parents did growing up. This encouraged me to explore the option of a longer-lasting play option for my own yard.
I have focused specifically on the Lifetime brand and the incredibly well-made and durable products that they offer. Ranging from the most basic playsets to elaborate options to encourage physical activity and an active imagination, there is an option on this list for every backyard space!
Best for Big Kids
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This large playset has a wide variety of different activities for children to enjoy. The larger weight capacity accommodates older children easily.
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Why We Like It: The Big Stuff Adventure Swing Set was designed with older children in mind, offering a wide variety of activities for children to enjoy including two slides located next to one another, swings sets (including a spider swing), a clubhouse with a heavy-duty hardtop roof and more. The recommended maximum weight capacity of 300 pounds means that this playset can easily accommodate older or larger children without concerns.
Within the clubhouse, an activity board including binoculars and a ship’s wheel encourages creativity while the climbing wall, cargo net, trapeze, and other activity options encourage physical activity. This is a larger playset, requiring a larger footprint. However, it is also able to comfortably hold up to 10 children at one time.
Who Should Buy It: Parents with children that are now past the toddler age, looking for a more challenging and active playset, will enjoy all the options that this set has to offer.
Best for Younger Children
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With a variety of different play options from toddler and up throughout the ages, this playset offers options for each stage of your child’s life.
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Why We Like It: With a two-story clubhouse that offers access at ground level and an integrated car map on the tower floor, this large playset has a lot of options for the toddler in your life. But rest assured, as your child grows there are many new features and adventures for them to discover catering to every stage of their development. For older children, monkey bars, a trapeze bar, and two separate climbing walls add fun and engaging playtime options.
This is a larger playset, meaning that it has a larger footprint than any of the others on this list. However, if you have the space for it, that simply means that there are more options for your children to play. This larger size allows for up to 10 children (recommended max occupancy) to play all at once.
Who Should Buy It: If you are searching for a playset that your child can continue to enjoy throughout the various stages of their life, the Lifetime Adventure Tower Deluxe Playset is worth the investment.
Best for Small Yards
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By adding additional play space above the swing set, this well-crated playset takes advantage of vertical space to make the most of smaller yards.
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Why We Like It: This creative playset makes use of vertical space by adding a climbing tunnel above the swing set, making it possible to give your children more playroom even in limited spaces. The integrated climbing walls and ladders offer different levels of difficulty, helping to extend the age range that the playset appeals to. An activity station with a steering wheel and integrated car map can be found in the tower to engage younger children and encourage creativity.
The internal dimensions of the tunnel range from 24 to 26 inches, meaning that it is better suited for younger children. However, you can replace one of the provided swings with a set of monkey bars as your child gets older, allowing the playset to grow with them.
Who Should Buy It: The Lifetime Adventure Tunnel Swing Set is a great solution for parents that are searching for a playset with a variety of activities and options while working with limited space.
Best for Groups
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This playset gives off the appearance of multiple playsets in one with a wide variety of different activities for children to enjoy.
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Why We Like It: This playset was designed with larger families in mind, offering a variety of different activities and play spaces for multiple children to enjoy at the same time. The Lifetime Double Slide Deluxe offers all of the fun play options that you would find at a playground from the convenience of home, making it a great option to keep your children, your friend’s children, neighbors, or grandchildren active day after day.
The clubhouse includes a fun activity station for younger children with a ship wheel, binoculars, and an integrated car map on the floor. A fireman’s pole, trapeze bar, and monkey bars offer older kids options that will keep them engaged and entertained.
A larger swing set than included with most Lifetime playsets, this set includes three swings to accommodate more children. There are also two separate slides, one located on each end of the playset.
Who Should Buy It: This playset is a great option for larger families or those that often host friends or family get-togethers with multiple children.
Best Value Playset
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This classic playset allows your child to enjoy all the fun of a playground without breaking the bank.
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Why We Like It: The Lifetime Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set is a classic playset including the timeless fun of a swing set, monkey bars, and a slide without the large price tag. The smart design of this set includes a trapeze bar with gym rings, three belt swings, a fireman’s pole, a nine-foot slide, and monkey bars all in a smaller footprint for those who are working with limited space.
Unlike many of the other options included above, there are no activity stations or playset options for toddlers as this is a simpler style of playset geared more towards young children and up. However, the strong construction and durability mean that it will stand up to the test of time, offering a reliable play space for your child throughout the years.
Who Should Buy It: If you are looking for a high-quality playset on a lower budget, the Lifetime Monkey Bar Adventure Swing Set is the ideal solution.
How to Choose the Best Playset or Swing Set for Your Yard
With so many different playsets and swing sets on the market, the idea of narrowing your list down to just one may seem daunting or overwhelming. How do you know which option will best suit your family today? What factors will improve the chances that your playset will continue to be loved and used by your children as they continue to grow and mature?
There is no secret solution or one right answer. There are, however, several factors that will help you to create the best play space for your family’s needs.
Materials
There are three common choices when looking at the materials used to construct playsets and swing sets: metal, wood, and plastic. Each of these options has its own benefits and downfalls. A wooden set has a more classic look; however, they also require more work to maintain. To avoid excessive damage from both the sun and basic wear and tear, you will have to check your playset over for the development of splinters and maintain the stain.
Plastic is often the cheapest of the options, but it also the least durable. These playsets support less weight than wood or metal playsets and are likely to fade and break over time outdoors. They are often preferred as a starter set or a stepping stone towards something more durable.
Finally, metal playsets are the most durable and require very little upkeep. You do, however, want to select a metal playset with a protective coating to protect your children from burns like all of the Lifetime playsets and swing sets provide.
Age Suitability
If you are looking to invest in a playset that will last both now and for years in the future, you want to find a set that will appeal to your child throughout these various stages of their life. You should also consider whether there may be additional children in the future to consider.
A playset that includes only swings and monkey bars isn’t going to work well if you have a toddler in the house as these don’t offer age-appropriate activities to keep them engaged. Instead, you will want to pick something with an activity station that appeals to younger children. At the same time, a pre-teen isn’t likely going to be excited about a steering wheel or car map.
Footprint
While we would all love to believe that we can provide our children with anything that their hearts desire, we do have to be realistic with this decision. One important factor to consider is the amount of space that your new playset will require. This includes both the basic footprint itself, but also additional space around the playset to accommodate the movement of the swings and children running around the area.
If you are working with limited space, rest assured that there are some great small playsets and small swing sets available. These are designs that make the most of limited space while still offering a variety of great options for your child to enjoy.
In addition to choosing a large enough space, you may choose to make changes to the actual ground beneath the playground to minimize injuries by making it softer if a child were to fall. This includes using shock-absorbing options such as wood chips, sand, shredded rubber, or pea gravel. Your “fall zone” should extend out around the playground for the best results.
Budget
Another factor that we don’t often like discussing but should consider when making a decision is the budget. There are many incredible low-cost playground options available. Unfortunately, these are also often of lower quality, requiring you to pay to replace them sooner. If you can afford to invest a little more for a higher-quality playset or swing set like those offered by Lifetime, that investment will pay off over time.
If your budget is limited but you want to provide your child with more options, you may consider purchasing a smaller playset and doing some DIY playground options to add to the space. For example, you may choose to purchase a swing set and slide but build a clubhouse with your own handmade activity station.
Features
You will want to consider the different features that your child would most enjoy in a playset. While some children love playing on the slides and climbing walls for hours at a time, others may prefer a trapeze bar or a fireman’s pole. There are many different options available and, to add even more to the options, playsets can often be tweaked or altered to make changes to the features that they include.
If you are putting together a play space for a young child with the hope that it will grow with them, you may wish to consider a playset or swing set that allows you to add features easily over time.
Another factor to consider would be the number of children that you want your playset to accommodate, and the features needed for that. If you have a few kids that all love playing on the swings, you may want to choose a set that includes multiple swings. Other sets offer two slides so that your children don’t have to wait as long for one another.
Accessibility
If your child has any unique needs or considerations, you want to find a playset that will work for them. There has been a rise in awareness in recent years about the need for accessible playground ideas and how to design them. Creating your own play space at home allows you to have full control over the options that you are providing to your child and any changes that may be needed to make their play space safe and functional for their use.
How We Picked
At first glance, many playsets and swing sets may look the same, however, there are many unique factors to consider when deciding on the best playset for any yard or space. This list was limited to just Lifetime brand, meaning that they are all well-constructed and durable items. This meant that we couldn’t use quality as a determining factor. Instead, we looked at the number of different activities that each playset offered, the age range that each set would appeal to, the space that each set would require, and feedback from parents and kids.
The high-quality construction of Lifetime products means that there is no “wrong” choice. However, there are some Lifetime playsets and Lifetime swing sets that stand out above the rest. We firmly believe that each of these options would be a worthwhile investment for any family.
The Best Lifetime Swing or Playset for Your Yard Is…
When selecting a swing set or playset for your backyard, you must first look at the children in your home and their needs during playtime. For example, if you have toddlers in the home, you are going to want to choose a set that has options that a toddler can safely enjoy. However, if your family is a little older, you may find yourself looking at different options. You also want to ensure that you’re selecting a playset that will fit in your yard, regardless of the space that you’re working with.
Our choice for the best overall Lifetime swing set or playset is the Lifetime Big Stuff Adventure Swing Set. While this set doesn’t offer too many options for toddlers, it does have a variety of different activities that will continue to challenge your children throughout their lives as they grow. It has a larger footprint, but this allows it to accommodate a larger group of children for bigger families or playdates.
Featured Image Credits: Lifetime via Amazon
