How to Keep Kids off Your Property: Top 8 Effective Ways

Is there anything I can do? Neighbors’ kids keep playing basketball on my driveway!

If you are bothered by naughty kids who keep trespassing your yard, knock over your trash can or mailbox, or even jump into your garden to play balls, you’ve come to the right place.

Here, you’ll get 8 easy and effective ways to keep kids off your property.

All of the ways have been tried out by people who have the same issue as you, and they say the ways here are indeed useful!

Top 8 Ways to Keep Kids off Your Property:

Way 1. Talk to the Kids & Their Parents
Way 2. Put up “No Trespassing” Signs
Way 3. Use Smart Home Devices
Way 4. Get Police Involved
Way 5. Try Motion-Activated Sprayers
Way 6. Plant Natural Thorny Plants
Way 7. Get High Fence for Your Home
Way 8. Get a Barking Dog

Way 1. Talk to the Kids & Confront Their Parents

When you see the trespassing kids playing on your yard without your permission, you can go talk to the kids directly.

You can tell the kids that this is personal property, and playing balls or games here is not allowed and the flowers would be damaged, etc.

Be patient when talking to the kids, and treat them as adults. Tell them what impacts their behavior will bring. Thus, they would listen to your words.

If those kids don’t listen to you and keep trespassing your property, you can go confront their parents.

Tell their parents to stop their children from loitering outside your house.

Always be polite when negotiating with their parents.

For example, you can show their parents the fallen trash cans, damaged flowers, or even broken windows, etc.

You can even take photos when you see such bad behaviors, and then show the photos to their parents.

Way 2. Put up “No Trespassing” Warning Signs to Keep Kids off Your House

Big kids or teenagers can read words.

By putting up warning signs like “No Trespassing” on your front yard, you can keep at least some of the unruly kids off your property.

In the signs, you can also add some words, like “WATCH OUT! There is a BIG DOG inside!”

Children may not enter your property when seeing such a “horrible” warning sign.

By setting up a “No Trespassing” sign, you can claim that this is your personal property. Anyone who sees such a sign cannot enter, remain or participate in any activity on your property with this written notice (under Blacks’ Law Dictionary).

Besides kids, any trespassers might not dare to walk into your property when seeing such a notice.

Thus, you can keep those unwanted people from invading your home.

Way 3. Use Smart Doorbells, Security Cameras or Motion-Activated Floodlights

You can install video doorbells for your front door, or security cameras on your yard to keep tab on your property.

When the naughty kids are playing on your front porch or yard, the video doorbells or security cameras can sense the motion events, and send you the real-time app notifications.

You can tap on your smartphone to see who is hanging out in your property. You can even use the two-way audio function to talk to the kids and ask them to leave at once.

The doorbells and security cameras can also record the motion events so that you can review who trespassed your property while you are away.

Besides the 2 types of smart home devices, motion-activated floodlights are also helpful to keep youths off your property especially at night.

When the naughty kids “sneak” into your property at night, the sudden light might deter them and would scare them away.

Way 4. Call the Police and Report a Trespasser

My neighbor’s children are using a ladder to get to my pool and their parents won’t do anything about it.

Getting the police involved would be one of the most common and useful ways you may adopt when you are in trouble, and the same as trespassing children problem.

Before you call the police, you should collect some necessary evidence.

For example, take photos or record videos when those kids are playing at your yard, or even damage your flowers, mailbox, etc.

You can also play back the videos recorded by your video doorbells or security cameras and download the important videos, and then hand over to the police.

With obvious evidence, the police can help you educate the kids and get the kids’ parents involved to stop their children trespassing your property.

Way 5. Use Motion-Activated Water Sprayers

Motion-activated water sprayers can sense the movements of animals or people, and will spray water to scare off the naughty kids.

Some of the modern motion-activated sprayers adopt the most intelligent sensing technology, and can tell the difference between animals and moving trees.

Thus, falling leaves or moving branches will not activate the sprayers.

By installing a sprayer, you can use it to water your lawns, flowers or garden plants, as well as deterring those naughty kids, or any unwanted people, and scaring away the animals.

Way 6. Plant Natural Thorny Plants to Stop Kids Intruding Your Property

Tall or thorny plants, like cactus, sisal, etc. can build up a natural barrier for your yard or property.

Those kids cannot gain access to your property being protected by those thorny spike plants.

To prevent any unexpected damage to those kids, don’t forget to put up a sign, saying “WATCH OUT! Thorny Plants!”

Besides thorny plants, the vine is also effective to protect your property from being accessed by those kids.

While playing an important role as a guard, these natural plants can also act as your house’s perfect decoration.

Way 7. Build up High Fence for Your Property

Kids tend to sneak into a property without a fence to play games.

By setting up a high fence for your yard, those kids cannot enter your garden.

Remember to build up a fence high enough that cannot let those kids climb. Or those kids might get hurt once they fall from the fence.

For example, you can build up a 2m fence for your property. Thus, kids cannot climb into your yard.

Don’t forget to paste an obvious sign saying “No Climbing”.

Always remember to lock the door (if you cut a door in your fence) to prevent those naughty kids opening the door to access your property.

Way 8. Get a Barking Dog to Keep Kids off Your Yard

Kids are scared of fierce animals. A barking dog can stop those kids from entering your yard.

A dog’s strong body and sharp teeth are great deterrent to stop thieves, trespassers, or kids.

Always tie your dog to prevent any necessary damage. In some extreme cases, dogs might bite the kids.

If you don’t want to raise a dog, you can buy an electric barking dog to deter the kids. Also, a sign saying “DOGS INSIDE” would be also helpful to stop kids from loitering outside your driveway or yard.

We will keep updating the ways here to help you keep kids off your property. If you have any ideas or ways, you can leave your ideas in the comment below. We will add your insights into this post!