Collectively, Americans only spend about 7% of their day outdoors. While children used to spend the majority of their days outdoors, now the average child only spends between four and seven minutes a day outside.
Everyone can benefit health-wise from spending a little more time outside, but not everyone has the perfect backyard situation.
Is the safety of your backyard preventing your family from getting fresh air? Keep reading to learn how to create a safe backyard space for your family and friends.
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Fence in the Yard
If you want your family to utilize the outdoor space available more often, you should consider fencing in your backyard.
Fencing is great when small children or pets are involved. As long as the fence door is secure, they can enjoy the outdoors on their own without running off. Even better, with a privacy fence, no one passing by will know your children are outside on their own.
When you fence in your backyard living spaces, you’re also making them more enjoyable. You create a private oasis to enjoy without any nosey neighbors watching. In addition, fencing can cut down on noise levels if you live in a high-traffic area.
Remove Pests
Has your backyard become overrun with pests? No one wants to spend time outdoors if it means getting bitten by mosquitoes or keeping an eye out for snakes.
It’s important to invest in frequent backyard pest control so that everyone can enjoy the outdoors peacefully. Even if the pests aren’t hurting you, that doesn’t mean you want to share your yard with them.
You can go the DIY route with less-harmful pests, like learning how to get rid of iguanas. Or, you can call in the professionals if you’re dealing with something like termites or wasps.
Eliminate Hazardous Situations
When it comes to backyard safety, you’ll need to evaluate your own backyard situation and remove any potential hazards.
For example, if you have a swimming pool, you’ll want a hardcover on it when it’s not in use so that no one accidentally falls in. Or, if you have an outdoor playset, you’ll want to routinely check over it to make sure it remains sturdy and safe for children to use.
Other family safety tips for your backyard include adding lights if you want to enjoy the space at night or making sure your grill is in a safe zone to avoid accidental fires.
It’s Time to Create the Backyard Space of Your Dreams
Now that you know what to avoid when creating a safe backyard space, you can start designing the backyard of your dreams.
Make it a family-friendly zone, with activities for people of all ages and your four-legged friends. Then, add in entertaining areas with enough seating so that you can comfortably host parties in your own space. Then, customize the yard with things that make you happy, such as a garden or an outdoor kitchen.
Looking for inspiration to create the best backyard possible? Be sure to browse the rest of this site for more great backyard ideas.
