s/o Outdoor Toys

[icedcoffee]

The playset thread got me thinking.  What are your favorite outdoor toys?

We have a really nice fenced in backyard, but for various reasons we probably won't get a playset.  What are your kids favorite outdoor toys?

We have a water table, t-ball set and some balls.  We also have a nice deck box we can store more toys in...

ETA:  I'm thinking more in terms of non asphalt needing toys.  Like not scooters, bikes, sidewalk chalk.  We unfortunately need to go across the street to the school to use those things.  I'm thinking more things they can play with independently outside with the dog on the grass.

[macmars45]

When we buy our next house (our first SFH) I plan on a huge sand box with a lid. Right now we're in a TH with a small deck. We did an itty bitty one last summer and DS (currently almost 4) loved it so much!

We are currently getting our TH ready to sell and hope to be in a SFH by the end of summer. Ideally sooner.

ETA: stomp rocket. My nieces & nephews have loved theirs.

ETA: DS has a metal dump truck and some other medium size plastic construction vehicles (excavator, bulldozer, loader, dump truck). They get played with daily from May-Oct in our tiny patch of dirt at our TH. I am so excited for a big area for him to play when we move!

[puppylove64]

Trampoline? Otherwise soccer balls, small pop up net, frisbee, boomerang, baseball set, buckets, shovels, dump trucks, fire pit, bubble guns, and water guns. They also have small four wheelers and power wheels that do fine in the grass

[scribellesam]

If you have kids that are into vehicle toys, our set of metal Tonka construction trucks has lasted for years and they still enjoy making construction sites, rolling them around, etc. Bubble wands and machines are also a hit.

[mccallister84]

I don’t know how old your kids are but the step two roller coaster is a huge hit here and it works on grass.

[boiler717]

I keep a large plastic bin with a spray bottle, squirters, colander, measuring cups, tongs, etc. It will get hours of play, more than a water table would.

[ktw]

I love our sand table. We have one that's separate from our water table, and I love that the kids don't sit in it like they would a sand box. They love to play in it.

[hamster]

Water table. He can use his strider bike in the grass, but the cozy coupe, etc is a poor fit because of our lack of concrete. Bubbles.

But honestly? The hose, shovels, sticks, etc. He's just not super into toys. Anything that emulates what dad does is #1.

[Susie]

The #1 toy in our fenced backyard is actually our dog, ha.  DD blows bubbles, throws balls, etc. for her.

In the front yard:  sidewalk chalk for the driveway and front walk, balance bike/trike/scooter.  Hula hoops.  Helping me garden (and "helping" me garden).  Sprinklers.  And our poor neighbors who she adores and always wants to go say hi to.

[lolalolalola]

Mine had a bouncy castle that got a LOT of use!

[bcv513]

The Step 2 roller coaster has gotten way more use in my yard than I ever thought it would. Even more so than the playset I think.

www.target.com/p/step2-up-38-down-coaster/-/A-77471145

[mrsGreeko]

Throughout the years I’ve bought so many things: sandbox, tee ball set, mini basketball set, small trampoline,swing set, tetherball pole, pretend sink thing, etc etc etc.

My kids play (or played we got rid of most of that stuff) with almost none of it. We have a simple wood disk suspended from a tree branch as a swing that they use the most often. Mostly they prefer to play with the rocks, sticks, grass and bugs. Maybe with a clean yogurt container or butter container to catch bugs in. They like to make nests of sticks and grass and other plants, catch bugs, dig in the dirt, smash rocks with hammers, play with the hose. So honestly I wouldn’t buy anything except maybe chalk (my kids love chalk), although you can make your own chalk paint with cornstarch, water and food coloring. Maybe something simple like a tree swing if you have a good tree for it. And if you don’t already have things like little shovels and buckets and such, that kind of thing. I think kids like simple things generally.

[mbcdefg]

Water table, bubbles, a play set with slides that we got cheap on FB Marketplace.

MH wants to build/buy a sandbox for the spring.

Bubbles

We had a small inflatable kiddie pool at one point. Kind of a bust, but DD was only 1 at the time so we should try again since she’ll be 3 in June.

The water table and bubbles are far and away the favorites. She talks about them several times a week now and asks when she can go out and play with them again.

[imojoebunny]

A pile of rocks and sticks, and a place to play with them, like a mulch bed, that can be dug in, or just a place that doesn't have landscaping. You can, also, get pvc pipes at the Home Depot, and build a house or tent frame out of it, and throw a plastic tarp over it, for them to play in.

[melsbels]

Oh man this is making me dream of summer lol

We have a play set with a sandbox under the ladder/slide that the boys will spend hours playing in. They cart sand all over the yard in their dump trucks which kills the grass though, so that’s a downside.

They’re kind of take it or leave it with the water table which surprises me.

Their inflatable pool, bubble machine, and Little Tikes play house that they got as a hand me down from their cousins are the other biggest hits. They also have ride on John Deere tractors that do well in the grass too

We also have a bin full of balls and a hockey net/sticks etc which they didn’t play with that much last year but they’ll be 3 this summer and I have a feeling they’ll play with them a bit more.

[brooke77]

Feb 24, 2020 10:30:03 GMT -5 hamster said:

Water table. He can use his strider bike in the grass, but the cozy coupe, etc is a poor fit because of our lack of concrete. Bubbles.

But honestly? The hose, shovels, sticks, etc. He's just not super into toys. Anything that emulates what dad does is #1.

Yup. A lawnmower, shovel, rake. But really he loves sticks, rocks, mud, dirt, and acorns. And the dog.

[somersault72]

Ours is inside but I third the Step 2 roller coaster. DD LOVES hers and DS did too when he was a toddler. We had a sandbox with a lid when DS was a toddler and he enjoyed that as well.

[isabel]

Feb 24, 2020 11:56:11 GMT -5 somersault72 said:

Ours is inside but I third the Step 2 roller coaster. DD LOVES hers and DS did too when he was a toddler. We had a sandbox with a lid when DS was a toddler and he enjoyed that as well.

Fourth-ing.

My sister and I had one as kids and used it even in our teen years (we eventually started riding it into the pool with our friends, lol). My mom bought one for my boys. We keep it in the shed and pull it out on nice days. They love that thing and have a blast with it.

www.target.com/p/step2-anniversary-edition-up-38-down-coaster/-/A-77471144?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Sports%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Sports&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9028797&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=CjwKCAiAhc7yBRAdEiwAplGxXzqSsSyOfurJnboaybz2yDgrnGhoHaMz0GCml5na4MhBRLtle375qRoCaSkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

[joy]

The playground two blocks away. :-)

[pooh8402]

E1 (4 yo) loves the swings, the sandbox, the tball set, the play grill set, and the play work bench. Golf club set and training balls (lighter, don't travel as far). Sidewalk chalk for drawing on the back porch. Slip and slide on warm days.

And the last 2 summers, he also loved the cozy coupe and his tricycle that he's honestly outgrown.

ETA: the local childrens museum has the step 2 roller coaster and E1 LOVES it! He spends like a half hour on it every time we visit, and has done so since he was almost 2. That's a long lived toy, for sure.

[waverly]

Honestly, I feel like the kids have outgrown all the backyard toys. They are 7 and 9. They still play soccer and baseball, but our yard isn't the biggest and there is a sidewalk and a park 2 houses down. Lately, they have been scootering on the sidewalk and going to the park with their friends who are the same ages. I feel more comfortable letting them do that with 4 of them rather than just 2 for some reason.

They outgrew our little pool, so in the summer we have an outdoor pool membership to our rec center. I gave up on kites because I can literally never make them fly. To make them fly around here it would have to be super windy and it never really gets that bad, and if it does no one wants to be outside in it.

On my list is a hammock and a telescope, although our telescope never got much use, so maybe a star projector. We have been doing some outdoor movies, and there is an inflatable screen that we bought off Amazon.


Maybe a croquet set for them.  We have one at my family's lake house, and they always play it up there.  

[jewel]

Honestly, we have a million outdoor toys and my boys’ favorite thing is the garden bed. We have 4 raised garden beds and I let them keep one for play. They have gardening tools, trucks, etc. They pretend plant things, make mud, build race tracks, who knows what else. I will occasionally let them use the hose, but usually just give them squirt bottles to make puddles or mud. I also sometimes bury fancy rocks or “jewels” so they are also constantly digging for treasures.

Aside from that, they like - the basketball hoop, step 2 coaster, and the water table.

[waverly]

Speaking of basketball hoops, I do need recommendations for an outdoor one for older kids (taller) if anyone has any.

[pierogigirl]

Play lawnmower (a favorite for years - it was so loved that we had a new spare in the attic in case it broke and when it did, we bought another spare. It was used for at least 5 years)
Sandbox
Riding coaster (we never had one, but DS2 used to love playing on one at friends' houses and at a local play place) If I could go back in time, I'd buy one

[Blue Moon]

We have a big yard and every conceivable outdoor toy imaginable at this point. Besides our pool and play set, my 5 year old likes the water table best. She uses it as a giant pool for her dolls. My 2 year old loves his toy grill and the bubble machine. Sidewalk chalk is a big hit for both. Oh and a bucket of water and a giant paint brush to paint the fence. Other hits are the kids picnic table and tee ball set.
They also both really like when I lay an outdoor blanket on the deck or in the grass and let them play with something messy like paint or play doh. In the summer I set up stations in the yard and rotate the kids through them when they tell me they’re bored. 10 minutes play doh, 10 minutes water table, 10 mins sandbox, 10mins balls etc. We really live outside all summer so this keeps me sane.

My kids don’t really care too much about the step 2 coaster or the sandbox.

[redpenmama]

Little Tikes Bounce House for sure. My kids (8, 6, 3) were all in it for like 3 hours yesterday. We also have a Costco playhouse from a few years back that my 3-year-old still likes, but it has not held up very well.

We just added a youth basketball hoop to our patio (it's big enough to feel like a mini court) -- it goes up to 8 feet. My son loves it, along with his soccer goal.

[tacom]

I have a 1.5 year old but so far he loves:

Water table - I’ve also filled it with rocks, leaves, sticks and shovels as a sensory bin.
Kiddie pool - our neighbors gifted us their old covered sandbox. I got rid of the sand, cleaned it and we use it as a pool during summer months
A set of large construction trucks
Shovel and bucket to dig in our mulch bed
Bubbles
Any riding toy - we have a couple that work on our turf

This thread also makes me want the step2 roller coaster. I’ve had my eye on it for a while. I think we will pull the trigger.

[jewel]

For those looking at the coaster, we have the Step 2 and the Radio Flyer, and my boys really prefer the RF. It has built in car racing tracks that get just as much use, if not more, than the ride on car itself. And the track folds up into the main part and stores much smaller than the Step 2.

[shauni27]

The step 2 coaster, john deer tractor, sandbox, bubble blowing lawn mower, strider bike (works fine on grass) and cozy coupe. We also have a slide and a kiddie pool. We are outside as often as possible in the warmer months.

My son is 2.5 but those things have held his interest since he was 1 and I do not see that changing at all this summer (though we are also getting the play structure this spring)

[jamaicam]

How old?

Mine are nearly 6 and nearly 8 and their favourite outside things are soccer nets, various balls, digging in dirt, and climbing trees. THey also like nature kits - they can spend hours catching grasshoppers etc!