About The Backyard Kid

Long gone are the days when you could send your kids out to play in the ‘hood and forget about them until dinner time. Nowadays, most kids are relegated to the back yard when they need a break from their screens—or the old folks need a break from them.

This site is all about the back yard. Specifically, it’s all about getting the kids outside, active, and practicing essential motor and social skills through play. Herein, you’ll find games, activities, curated lists of cool toys and equipment, safety tips, DIY play spaces and structures, and plenty of good information about the numerous benefits of outdoor play for your children. 

You’ll also find lots of links to cool toys, structures, and other play things—mostly stuff on Amazon, mostly because I’m an Amazon junkie. I’ve learned that anything I can find all the way across town or on another website, I can find cheaper on Amazon. You bet I’m an Amazon Prime member, because that free two-day shipping on pretty much everything you buy comes in handy when you’re an impulsive and impatient soul like me. 

In some cases, if you follow my link and buy the product, I’ll get a small commission. It isn’t much, but it allows me to free up some of my time as a freelance writer to dedicate to researching and writing articles about my number-one passion: Goofing off in the back yard. I promise I’ll never recommend crappy products or those that I wouldn’t buy myself if my Amazon Rewards card wasn’t maxed out. And if there’s a DIY alternative, I’m all over it. 

Above all else, I hope you find the content here helpful and inspiring for engaging your own kid in some seriously fun outdoor play. And I hope you'll feel free to comment with your own ideas and experiences.

Happy reading!

Kristen Bailey