Beat the Heat With a DIY Splash Pad in Your Backyard

The whole world has been struck by a strong heat wave and everyone is searching for simple and budget-friendly ideas to beat this heat. An easy and simple way is to build a splash pad in your backyard.

Kids love playing with a splash pad. During hot days, backyard splash pads provide a convenient way to beat the heat and provide endless fun for kids.

What is a DIY Splash Pad?

It’s like a mini water park. A splash pad is a fun outdoor play area that requires fountains and nozzles to sprinkle water. Most of the time, it rests on a cement slab but for your backyard, you can even use a tarp. Here we have enlisted some DIY ideas to build your own homemade splash pad.

Why Make a DIY Splash Pad?

A DIY splash pad brings unlimited fun for the kids. Parks that have a splash pad option are expensive during summertime. So, making a splash pad in your backyard is the cheapest and most convenient option and a great idea to spend some time under running water.

Benefits of a DIY Splash Pad

Splash pads are, no doubt, a cool way to spend playtime during the summer. Kids love playing in the water. However, the benefits of a backyard water park are way more than just entertainment and an escape from the sizzling heat.

Helps develop sensory and motor skills

Spending playtime in a beautiful splash pad helps the child in his sensory integration and motor control development.

Easier Maintenance

Splash Pads are easy to maintain and look after. There is no need for lifeguards, as there are lower drowning risks than pools. It uses less water and the initial construction is also way cheaper than pools.

Improves Social Skills

Besides a fun way to escape from the scorching heat, splash pads also help improve the social skills of the children. They tend to enjoy the cold water together and communicate with each other while planning the course of running through the splash pad. Hence, their social skills improve.

Practical use of Math and Science

Children find studies boring when there is no practical use of the facts. While playing in the splash pad, children learn time management, speed, and trajectory to conjure the splash pad at a certain time.

So along with having fun, children learn something new and socialize with each other.

Types of DIY Splash Pad

You can find various types of splash pads at a local water park. Some of the DIY Splash Pads you can easily build at home are:

DIY PVC Splash Pad

It requires PVC pipe to build a fountain system splash pad project.

DIY Splash Pad

There are various designs of DIY splash pads you can opt for. You need to choose a perfect location in your backyard to set it up. Make sure you choose a sunny spot, plus there should be an adequate drainage system.

You can be creative as much as you want with this homebuilt DIY splash pad. You can add nozzles, sprinklers, and colorful spray jets.

Backyard Recirculating Splash Pad

If you don’t want to waste water on this activity, try a recirculating splash pad design. It reuses the water with a minimum amount of water loss.

How To Make Backyard Splash Pad

To build your own splash pad, you need the following materials:

Steps to Make a Splash Pad

Choose the Perfect Design

Choosing a design for your splash pad is where the fun begins. There is no hard and fast rule for choosing a design. You can try various methods and techniques to build a design of your choice.

You can be as creative as you want.

The first step in choosing a perfect design is selecting a suitable location. Then according to the location, you can build a design to make it more aesthetic and attractive by giving some finishing touches. Some people prefer non-slip surfaces.

Focus on Project Details

Some minor things, which don’t matter usually, should be taken into account before it leads to the failure of your big project of building a splash pad.

Prepare the Splash Pad Area

Using cement, prepare the location of the splash pad set up. If you already have a cement slab, then skip this step.

For making a concrete pad, mix the cement with water, clear out the area, and use a strong base of either stones or wood. Then spread the cement onto the splash pad area and leave it to dry.

Make Connections

The next step is the most important but a little bit technical. It requires attaching the PVC pipe using PVC slip tees and then attaching nozzles and spray jets with it.

Here you’ll get the benefit of an already-made graph or setup. You can also attach a water-recirculating system to the PVC lines.

Make the DIY Splash Pad Extra Fun

To make a backyard splash pad more fun and attractive, try putting in a kiddie pool and water slide.

The size of the pool and slide would depend on the age of the kids you’re creating a splash pad for, so customize the minor details.

If you don’t want to set a pool and slide for safety purposes, you can skip this step. Adding a slide and a pool is not dangerous, but it will surely require some safety measures to opt for. For example, ask your kids not to jump into the pool from the slide, as the pool is shallow.

Now that you have learned how to create a DIY splash pad, you can try this with a minimum budget. You can get the items like pool and slide from a local store or even find some elements at a one-dollar shop like PVC pipes and pool noodles.

Steps to Make a DIY PVC Splash Pad

You can make a DIY PVC splash pad by simply following the steps listed above. You need to add PVC pipes with small holes, joined with one another using couplings and unions.

A DIY PVC splash pad can be as simple as you want. You don’t even need to set up a space using cement. Moreover, there is no need for a water-recirculating system in it.

A water pump, PVC pipe, and a few connectors are required to make a DIY PVC splash pad. Adjust some PVC pipes and attach them on a bare surface, whether in a garden or a backyard. Then try making holes in it. Connect the whole system with a water pump.

When the water flows through the pipes, they’ll splash through the holes and create a fun activity. In addition, there is no need to buy mist or a jet to splash water.

Splash Pad Kits

I have tried to simplify things for you and made a step-by-step guide on how to build a DIY Splash Pad. But if you still didn’t get how to build a splash pad and want to show your kids how cool you are, you can even buy a DIY splash pad kit from the market.

This splash pad installation kit already has the components and instructions on how to set up and use the splash pad. You don’t need to worry about the items and their mechanism as splash pad kits have made the job easy for you. Just buy a splash pad kit, set it up easily, and enjoy the fun time.

You can even find these kits online.

Final Verdict

I hope you learned a lot from this article. In this blog, I’ve tried to explain and summarize what a splash pad is, the basic mechanism of working a splash pad, its installation features, and DIY splash pad ideas.

If you follow the exact steps I’ve mentioned above, you can install a splash pad in under 30 minutes if a cement slab is ready beforehand.

Moreover, if you find it challenging and exhausting to find the elements, set up tools, and make everything work, you can even buy DIY splash pad kits.

They contain all the necessary elements to install your own DIY Splash Pad and will make the job much easier for you.

So what are you waiting for? Install a DIY Splash Pad in your backyard for your kids and give them a way to escape from this dazzling heat and enjoy some moments under splashing water.