The garage is not a place you would normally think of as safe for children unless they are being supervised, and it is right to think that way. However, what if you could change that with some small changes to the way you do things? Not only will the kids be free to play in a bigger space indoors, but you could also rest assured of their safety meanwhile.

The first order of business is to get the dangerous stuff out of the way. If you use the place to store tools meant for little projects around the house, make sure they are out of the children’s reach.

Do not leave flammable and toxic products lying around. Keep them in closed cabinets, and if possible, lock these up. Additionally, ensure that any sharp objects and garage door repair parts are also kept out of immediate sight so your kids do not start playing with them.
Do not leave your electrical devices plugged in. The focus here is on power tools. Do not leave them where a child can get to it, and also see that cords are not lying out in the open for them to start pulling on.
Lock the car doors. A lot can go wrong with leaving the car doors open or even unlocked. Even if your garage is a double and one car is left inside, your kids will almost certainly try to see if they can get in. They could get their fingers caught in the doors, or even get the car started up.
Hide any climbable objects. Children love to climb on whatever they can, so do not give them the opportunity. If there are ladders in the garage, make sure that these are attached to the wall. Do not leave any low hanging ropes where they can grab them either.
Teach your kids about staying safe around garage doors. Explain that they cannot touch the wall control panel or the garage door spring when no one else is around, and not to climb up the reinforcement struts no matter what the reason is.

You can do a lot towards making the garage a safer place for your children, but at the end of the day, nothing beats the safety in being able to see them while they are playing. For that to work, you will need to leave the garage door open in a way that allows you to see and hear whatever happens inside.