Home gazebos can be a lot of fun! For starter’s, they’re completely versatile! One day you can use it as your own private spa—an escape from all the noise and troubles for the world. And by night, you can hose your own intimate dinner party or cocktail affair to celebrate any milestone in your life. In a span of a couple of hours and some redecorating, your gazebo can turn from your very own private sanctuary to a small but lively event’s place where you socialize with friends and family. But what about the kids? What can they get out of the gazebo?
Apart from your usual mini spa and party place, your home gazebo can also become a nice kiddie area where your little ones can spend the day in. This way, they’re within the comforts of their own home when having fun but still outside the house. You can guide them for as long as you want compared to going to the park, playgrounds, and other kid’s areas. But in order to transform your gazebo into a play area, here are essential tips you need to do!
Set it Near the House
First and foremost, you have to set it neat the house. When your kids playing inside the gazebo, you can’t spend all day watching them. There are things to do and chores to be made. But how can you ensure your children are safe when you’re inside the house? Well, it’ll be a whole lot easier if the gazebo is constructed not too far from the main house. This way, from certain areas within the home you can still keep an eye on them, and when something happens, you won’t have to rush too far to get to them.
Go for the Open Air Gazebo
While the closed hot tub enclosure are better for the more adult uses of the structure, an open-air variation is best for the kids. Your little ones need some fresh air and sunshine and they can still get them even when they’re playing inside the home gazebo if it’s open air. You’ll also get to keep an eye on them a lot better when there aren’t any walls to detract from your vision. For the kids, an open-air gazebo can make for a great playground too. They can pretend it’s a castle, a military base, or anything else that comes to their little imaginations.
Maximize the Space
In the same vein of keeping the gazebo open-air, you should also maximize the space in the area. While you’d want to fill the gazebo with toys, trinkets, and other playthings that your little ones will enjoy, you also have to remember that young ones love to run. The more spacious your backyard structure is, the better for them to move about and play freely. Packing in too much stuff can prove to be unsafe for such children, and you might suddenly find yourself remedying more accidents than you had anticipated. So remember, for your kids’ play gazebo, maximize the spaces as much as possible!
Child-Proof the Structure
Speaking of accidents, you can better prevent them when you child-proof your spa gazebo. Such a practice isn’t just for infants and toddlers anymore. Wherever your kid wants to spend the day playing, it’s always best to keep that particular area child-proof. Block all the sockets with covers so that they won’t get electrocuted, cushion all edges so that they won’t hit their head and get wounds, and all the other child-proofing practices you’d do when you have a baby. Safety should be your number one priority when transforming your home gazebo into your kids’ own play area!
Cushion the Landing
Ever noticed that in daycare or any other establishments for kids, the floor is usually cushioned? That’s because little ones often fall down. Whether they bumped into something, tripped, or fell when they were climbing something else, your kid will fall down as often as he/she wants to play. To make your home gazebo safer for such, cushion their landings by going for a carpet or a soft puzzle floor mat. This will definitely ensure that your kids won’t end the day with a bump on their heads or a scratch on their faces.
Let Your Kid Help Decorate It
In terms of decorating it, let your kid help. You’d want your child to feel as comfortable as possible when they’re inside the home gazebo play area, and it’s better for them when they know that they had a hand in sprucing up the place. It’ll also do your own main house some good when you let them draw or paint on the walls of the gazebo instead of the ones in the house. Ask them what color they want they play are to be and spend an entire afternoon painting and drawing with your little one in the gazebo. This can be an unforgettable bonding experience for both of you!
Set some Ground Rules
Just because this is their play area doesn’t mean they’re 100% free! Always set some ground rules whenever you give your child his/her own space. Only through such will they learn discipline and avoid getting into all sorts of accidents. Print out a list of rules and hammer it on the fall of the gazebo. This way, whenever they don’t comply, you can simply reference the list of rules and show them which one they broke while playing inside the gazebo. This also makes it easier for your kid to play nicely with other children when they want to visit the home gazebo play area too!
Inflatables All The Way
Finally, the best add-ons you can incorporate in your home gazebo play area for kids are inflatables. An inflatable slide, an inflatable castle, and inflatable pool—the possibilities are virtually endless! Although there are plastic ones that are also safe for kids, inflatable versions are much safer and ultimately more fun. They can jump on them, slide down, or splash around! Furthermore, when you’d want to change the gazebo back into your own home spa or event’s place, you can simply take the air out of the inflatables and pack them away for next summer!
Turn your home gazebo into the ultimate kiddie paradise! You’re guaranteed that your kids will love you more for it!