Tween/teen-friendly backyards: swingsets and/or other things they'll enjoy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are the kids who stopped using swings early ones who really enjoyed them when they were younger or not? My 8 year old adores swings and always has, and I'd be shocked if she stopped using our swing set in the next year or two, although I'm sure it's possible. My 5 year old likes them fine but has never been as much of a swing lover so I'm much less sure when he'll stop.

Your eight year old is about to change so so much. She will not be swinging on swings at 11! In middle school some kids get into makeup and dating and drugs. They are not swinging.

[Anonymous]

Slack line with accessories

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine is 11 and still uses it on playdates.

My 11 yr old niece and nephew still play on our swingset when they come over ( 6th grade)

[Anonymous]

My tween/teen kind of enjoyed the tree swing for some time. Definitely not a regular swing set past age 8. Maybe a treehouse?

Why is a trampoline out? If it’s hard size, look into spring free. Ours is terraced and we found one that worked. And they are safer (cost a fortune though…it was covid when we put it in). My kids are in high school and rarely jump but still love to go sit out with friends on it and have sleepovers on it in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Are the kids who stopped using swings early ones who really enjoyed them when they were younger or not? My 8 year old adores swings and always has, and I'd be shocked if she stopped using our swing set in the next year or two, although I'm sure it's possible. My 5 year old likes them fine but has never been as much of a swing lover so I'm much less sure when he'll stop.

When they were old enough to be able to meet up with friends at local parks and ride around the neighborhood on bikes.

[Anonymous]

Even IF your 15 old supposedly still loved swings, your average backyard playset isn’t designed to bear the weight of a 15 year old swinging hard on it. Buying a playset that you want to last into the teen years is silly. Kids change and grow, teens will not want nor should they want to hang out on your little playset when they reach that age

[Anonymous]

My tween/teen never used anything in the backyard, not even the grass. He spends all his time playing video games inside.

[Anonymous]

The one thing I’d want but can’t imagine how it’s feasible is a swing - but similar to the tall, string ones at a park - so you can swing really high.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 16 year old son swings and talks on the phone. I don’t think he would be advocating for a swing set or anything but since we have one he still likes to sit out there.

Yep, I'm 40 and still do this.

[Anonymous]

Volleyball/badminton net

[Anonymous]

We have a basketball hoop out front in the street (no through traffic in our neighborhood). The teen boys that are at our house every weekend hang out in the garage (we have a small fridge out there with drinks), play basketball, throw the football or play wiffle ball in the street, set up the solo stove in the driveway, etc.

[Anonymous]

We got rid of our swing set when kids were 10 and 12 but it had been years since it was really used at that point. They were still using a neighbors trampoline often until about that age. As young teens, occasionally they play basketball, football, spikeball, whiffle ball in the yard, practice pitching, or hang out by a fire pit but I can’t really think of features other than flat open space that would make them want to be there more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 16 year old son swings and talks on the phone. I don’t think he would be advocating for a swing set or anything but since we have one he still likes to sit out there.

Yep, I'm 40 and still do this.

My teen son does this too. I wouldn’t get a swing set for this reason. But he goes out there a good amount.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Are the kids who stopped using swings early ones who really enjoyed them when they were younger or not? My 8 year old adores swings and always has, and I'd be shocked if she stopped using our swing set in the next year or two, although I'm sure it's possible. My 5 year old likes them fine but has never been as much of a swing lover so I'm much less sure when he'll stop.

Your eight year old is about to change so so much. She will not be swinging on swings at 11! In middle school some kids get into makeup and dating and drugs. They are not swinging.

No need at all to scare other ppl or the op. Not all kids will do those things and that includes the op's kid. I managed to get through MS without that stuff just fine.

[Anonymous]

11 is all too young to put kid stuff away