With summer approaching, toddlers have a lot to look forward to with the sun and the warm weather. So, you may be wondering how to engage your little munchkins in outdoor activities?
We will tell you everything you need to know about how to equip them with a range of the best toys and keep them active and engaged for a long time. These toys will also nurture your baby’s growth and development.
Selecting the best toys from the available options is like finding a needle in a haystack. We have made this easier and compiled a list of the 20 best outdoor toys for guaranteed fun in the sun! Let’s explore.
How to choose the best outdoor toys for toddlers?
Toys that will influence your kid’s development are an important investment. Make sure you buy something easy to grab and grip to play with and will last in all weathers.
Here are some questions to ask yourself when selecting a toy:
- Is this toy sturdy and child-safe?
- Will this toy spark interest and imagination?
- Will this toy be useful a year from now?
- Can my child share this toy and play with others?
See below for our recommendations and the best outdoor toys for toddlers this year!
Best outdoor toys for toddlers 2022
Self-sealing Water Balloons
Do you have fun childhood memories of squashing and throwing water balloons at your friends? If yes, you can recreate a similar, even better experience for your kids! Buy these self-sealing water balloons that are vibrant, fun, and easy to assemble! You can play water balloon pinata, dodgeball, musical chairs, or water balloon basketball.
Tee-Ball Set
Sports are great for developing endurance and building positive self-esteem for kids. As far as sporting equipment goes, tee-ball sets are classic outdoor play for toddlers. You can also experiment with larger or smaller balls as kids grow. This game is fun to play with friends, and it also helps develop hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills. Your kids will have a great time practicing their swing with different sized Tee-balls!
Sandpit
Kids love playing in the sand and visiting the beach. The beach environment inspires them to create a world of their own using available resources. If your kid is one of them, then we have a perfect outdoor play for your toddler! You can gift them a little beach experience at home with this octagonal sandpit. Don’t forget to equip them with sandpit toys to create castles and critters on the sand to create a fun and exciting outdoor experience for your toddlers.
Kiddie Pool / Splash Pad
Outdoors and water for kids is like PB & J – everyone’s favorite combination. A kiddie pool is an excellent outdoor toy for toddlers that is both fun and helpful in keeping your tiny tots cool on a warm afternoon. They can even enjoy a play-date! If you need something more simple but equally fun, you can go for a splash pad. The perfect outdoor play for your toddlers to splash around happily in the water.
Playhouse
If your tiny tot loves to play pretend, give them an entire mini-house, i.e., a playhouse with working functionalities and accessories. This will boost their creative minds by mimicking their favorite home scenarios like having a tea party, doing the dishes, and all day-to-day tasks. This can also be used for a few years until the kids grow too big for the house. It is an excellent excuse to spend some quality time with your kid and build the playhouse together.
Bubble Mower
Kids tend to copy adults, most often their parents. So, if they have seen you mow the lawn, the chances are that your pre-schooler has yearned to join in. Give them their chance to mow the grass with a mower gimmick that blows bubbles! A bubble mower gives your little ones the satisfaction of pretending to mow the lawn while also being able to chase bubbles.
Gardening Playset
Gardening is an adult activity your toddler would love to try out! This kids' gardening tool set comes with accessories like a shovel, trowel, fork, rake, watering can, gardening gloves, plastic seed labels, two buckets, gardening apron, and canvas tote. Watch your kids become plant parents as they grow!
Tricycle
Trikes are never underestimated as one of the best outdoor toys for toddlers, and rightly so. They are fun to ride along with friends, and kids also learn about movement, balancing, and coordination. It also gives them a sense of freedom & thrill that they can experience with bikes later. Get them a tricycle that they can ride from the age of 1 up until 4, and you give them a long-lasting toy and joy!
Roller Coaster Slide
A child-friendly rollercoaster experience will provide hours of fun to your little one! This could be among the best outdoor toys for toddlers that are thrill-seekers. Give them an at-home amusement park experience with an up and down roller coaster they can ride on and get them ready for the real amusement parks already! The best part is it can be used both outdoors and indoors if you have about 5 or 6 meters of clear space.
Dome Climber
Kids inherently love climbing and hanging upright and upside down, swinging from monkey bars, and exploring! They have endless energy, and one of the best ways to entertain them is to provide a safe environment to explore. You can build an at-home dome climber in your yard to indulge them in such fearless pursuits. You can even throw a blanket over it in the evenings and nights and turn it into a makeshift outdoor fort or clubhouse.
Foam Pogo Jumper
These outdoor toys are most suitable for pre-schoolers who are ready for primary school. Foam pogo jumper’s sturdy base makes them safer and gives more success than a regular pogo stick. Have your kid hop around the house and learn some hand-eye coordinating while having fun. It’s fun and inexpensive outdoor play for your toddler that never goes out of style!
Trampoline with Enclosure
Have you ever come across a pre-schooler who doesn’t love to jump or hop around? Give your little one a haven for jumping freely to their heart’s content with this 60” kids trampoline with an enclosure that can carry 200 kg of weight.
Jump Ropes
Jump ropes are another favorite of tykes who are born hoppers! While trampolines can be fun for kids and adults alike, we recommend jump ropes to the older toddlers who have had a bit of experience in jumping and coordination. They can play games like stack up, jump rope rhymes, even single-player jump tricks like scissor jumps, duckie, swings, etc. To add on, they can compete with their friends to score the highest number of hops!
Tree Swing
All our colleagues’ kids declared the tree swing the “best outdoor toy for toddlers ever!” Be it rain, hail, sun, or snow; our little wild ones never miss a chance to hop on and sway until they fall off and lay flat on the grounds with a mouthful glee.
Kiddie Toolbox
A young builder's toolset is a perfect outdoor toy for toddlers that provides a fun way to improve gross motor and problem-solving skills. This toolset comes with simple hand tools like kids claw hammer, long nose plier, magnetic flat & Phillips screwdriver, etc. Alternatively, you can use this pretend play construction tool kit to mimic Bob-The Builder!
Basketball Set
Indulging your toddlers in serious sports is a great way to improve their endurance, strength, teamwork, and competitive spirit. A sport like basketball would mean more jumping, running, and time with a ball. Constant dribbling improves their hand-eye coordination and focus and gives good aerobic exercise. Get your tots engaged in sport from a young age with this height-adjustable basketball set.
Outdoor Mud Kitchen
If your kid loves to accompany you as you bake or cook, then buy them an outdoor toy oven to make mud pies in an outdoor mud kitchen! Your tots will have fun trying to recreate your kitchen while being messy, experimenting with mud, water, sticks, etc. You never know they can be the future finest bakers of town!
Foamo Machine
The next best thing for playing with water is playing with foam and bubbles! This Foamo machine is easy to set up and comes with a foam solution, blower, hose, foaming adaptor, water pump, stand, and storage bin/bucket. Just add water and let your cherubs get engulfed in mountains of foam.
Sidewalk Chalk
This one is for the budding artists who hate to stay indoors. Show them a nice stretch of wall or sidewalk, arm them with this 64-ct pack of washable sidewalk chalk, and watch them bring their imaginations to life. They are acid-free and include glitter and neon colors.
Obstacle Course Set
Kids are amazed by the parkour videos on the internet. Gift them this readymade kids' obstacle course set to nurture that fascination. This set includes 1 x monkey line and 1 x ratchet line-13 x square buckle sets with 13 x locking delta clips - 2 x wooden bars - 3 x knots - 2 x rings - 1 x climbing rope - 2 x tree protectors- 1 x storage bag. Kids can practice climbing rope ladders and try out some moves from Australian Ninja Warrior. It is excellent for strength training and building endurance.
FAQ
What are outside toys?
Simply put, outdoor toys are those the kids can play with outside in your yard, garden, etc. They are sturdier and larger than toys designed to play indoors and are primarily built to improve the child’s spatial awareness, coordination, and movement while providing maximum fun.
What do 2-year-olds like to play with outside?
Shopping for toys for two-year-old children can be the toughest as they transition between babies and toddlers. They have the basic motor skills developed and are still quite curious and experimental with their surroundings. Toys like tee-ball sets, gardening tools, splash pads, and sensory bins to help them experience hands-on learning and play would be optimal choices.